Spartan reflections / Paul Cartledge.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cartledge, Paul.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sparta (Extinct city)--Civilization.

Sparta (Extinct city).

Physical Description:

xii, 276 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Berkeley : University of California Press, [2001]

Summary:

The complex and distinctive Spartan tradition has been a prominent theme in western thinking from antiquity to today. Sparta is also one of a handful of ancient Greek cities with enough existing evidence for historians to create a realistic social portrait. Over the past quarter-century Paul Cartledge has established himself as the leading international authority on ancient Sparta. Spartan Reflections is a superb collection of his essays -- two are published here for the first time, and the rest, often difficult to locate, have been revised and updated for publication in book form. Giving us a real sense of what Sparta was like as a culture, these essays constitute a fascinating introduction to and overview of ancient Spartan history and its reception. This collection, unique in breadth and scope, will be an essential source for anyone interested in this idiosyncratic society.

Cartledge brings us up to date on what is known about the most important and intriguing aspects of Sparta: its military development, questions of gender and sexuality, and the difficult problem of artistic and literary aspects of Sparta. We learn about the institutions that distinguished Sparta from other city-states, including its religion, education process, degree of literacy, secret service, unusual system of servitude, and institutionalized pederasty. Throughout, Cartledge also makes important comparisons with Athens, helping us grasp what is really striking about Sparta.

Cartledge's writing is clear and engaging as he draws from myriad sources both ancient and modern, as well as from political and cultural theory. These essays, together with their magisterial bibliography, demonstrate his remarkable scholarly and intellectual range. Spartan Reflections will be an important source on the most pressing issues in Sparta scholarship today as well as a fascinating look at this culture for general readers.

Contents:

Part I Sparta-Watching

1. 'Sparta-Watching': General Introduction 3

Part II Polity, Politics and Political Thought

2. City and Chora in Sparta: Archaic to Hellenistic 9

3. The Peculiar Position of Sparta in the Development of the Greek City-State 21

4. Literacy in the Spartan Oligarchy 39

5. The Spartan Kingship: Doubly Odd? 55

6. Comparatively Equal: A Spartan Approach 68

Part III Society, Economy and Warfare

7. A Spartan Education 79

8. The Politics of Spartan Pederasty 91

9. Spartan Wives: Liberation or Licence? 106

10. Rebels and Sambos in Classical Greece: A Comparative View 127

11. The Birth of the Hoplite: Sparta's Contribution to Early Greek Military Organization 153

Part IV The Mirage Re-Viewed

12. The Mirage of Lykourgan Sparta: Some Brazen Reflections 169

13. The Importance of Being Dorian: An Onomastic Gloss on the Hellenism of Oscar Wilde 185.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 231-263) and indexes.

ISBN:

0520231236

OCLC:

46678013