Sparta & Lakonia plus Hellenistic and Roman Sparta (2 books)

Sparta and Lakonia: A Regional History 1300-362 BC
368 pages

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Hellenistic and Roman Sparta: A Tale of Two Cities (Societies & Cities of Ancient Greece)
272 pages


Sparta and Lakonia: A Regional History 1300-362 BC
Sparta is one of the best-documented states of ancient Greece.

Its political and social systems have fascinated and perplexed generations of classical scholars, as well as having a powerful influence on European civilization to this day. In this fully revised and updated edition of his groundbreaking study, Paul Cartledge uncovers the realities behind the potent myth of Sparta.

The book explores both the city-state of Sparta and the territory of Lakonia which it unified and exploited. Combining the more traditional written sources with archaeological and environmental perspectives, its coverage extends from the apogee of Mycenaean culture, to Sparta's crucial defeat at the battle of Mantinea in 362 BC.

One of the major themes examined is the relationship between the Spartans, the Perioikoi (the free but politically disenfranchised) and the Helots (unfree peoples).

Cartledge demonstrates convincingly that the system of land-tenure based on the exploitation of the helots carried within it the seeds both of Spartan grandeur, and of Spartan decadence.


Hellenistic and Roman Sparta: A Tale of Two Cities

Overview of later Spartan history, and of the social, political, economic and cultural changes in the Spartan community.

This original and compelling account is especially significant in challenging the conventional misperception of Spartan 'decline' after the loss of her status as a great power on the battlefield in 371 BC.

The book's focus on a frequently overlooked period makes it important not only for those interested specifically in Sparta, but also for all those concerned with Hellenistic Greece, and with the life of Greece and other Greek-speaking provinces under non-Roman rule.