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The volume, jointly promoted by the Department of Classics of Sapienza University and the Institute of Sparta, intends to explore the multifaceted system of connections and interactions among ancient poleis by focusing on Sparta, which acts as an exemplary case study to understand the complex relations among Greek cities in the classical Hellenic world. The latter is indeed composed by an extended range of settlements based on specific jurisdictions, sets of laws and ethical principles, that are nevertheless connected by a common shared culture. The publication includes the Proceedings of the International Conference “International relations in Antiquity: the case of Sparta” held in Sparta in 2021 and further papers dealing with the ancient Laconian polis. The book aims to critically analyse the Spartan international network, through an open and constructive methodology, deprived of pre-arranged interpretative models. Moreover, it means to bring together scholars from different backgrounds and a variety of scientific disciplines (such as philology, epigraphy, history, archaeology, international relations) to foster a fruitful cross-sectorial dialogue, aimed at enabling a comprehensive understanding of ancient Hellas.

This issue of “The Historical Review of Sparta”, jointly promoted by the Department of Classics of Sapienza University of Rome and the Institute of Sparta, focuses on the battle of Sellasia, which occurred in the summer 222 BC and saw the clash between the Spartans led by Cleomenes III and the Achaean-Macedonian alliance guided by Antigonus III Doson. The several papers here collected address the historical incident from different and complementary perspectives, in the attempt to contextualize it in a wider framework. Hence, the articles carry out a thorough analysis of Hellenistic Sparta, by investigating the constitutional reforms implemented during the 3rd cent. BC, exploring the political (and sometimes conflictual) relations between the Laconian polis and other emerging powers in Greece and the Mediterranean basin, and discussing the changes occurred in the governmental, economic, military, educational and religious field. Furthermore, the contributions offer an in-depth study of the military strategies and tactics implemented in the battlefield, as well as an analysis on the final impact of the catastrophic defeat of Sparta on its internal societal structure and cultural system, and a reflection on the modern reception of the historical event.

A tale inspired by the battles of ancient Greek military leader Epaminondas is told through the eyes of a farmer who leaves his home to serve under the general and who is swept up against his better judgment in the fervor to bring democracy to regions oppressed by the Spartans. A first novel by the historian author of The Father of Us All. 40,000 first printing.

Spartans: A New History chronicles the complete history of ancient Sparta from its origins to the end of antiquity. Helps bridge the gap between the common conceptions of Sparta and what specialists believe and dispute about Spartan history Applies new techniques, perspectives, and archaeological evidence to the question of what it was to be a Spartan Takes into account new specialist scholarship and research published in Greek, which is not readily available elsewhere Places Spartan society into its wider Greek context

Images of ancient Sparta have had a major impact on Western thought. From the Renaissance to the French Revolution she was invoked by radical thinkers as a model for the creation of a republican political and social order. Since the 19th century she has typically been viewed as the opposite of advanced liberal and industrial democracies: a forerunner of 20th-century totalitarian and militaristic regimes such as the Third Reich and the Soviet Union. Yet positive images of Sparta remain embedded in contemporary popular media and culture. This is the first book in over 40 years to examine this important subject. Eleven ancient historians and experts in the history of ideas discuss Sparta's changing role in Western thought from medieval Europe to the 21st century, with a special focus on Enlightenment France, Nazi Germany and the USA. Images of ancient Sparta have had a major impact on Western thought. From the Renaissance to the French Revolution she was invoked by radical thinkers as a model for the creation of a republican political and social order. Since the 19th century she has typically been viewed as the opposite of advanced liberal and industrial democracies: a forerunner of 20th-century totalitarian and militaristic regimes such as the Third Reich and the Soviet Union. Yet positive images of Sparta remain embedded in contemporary popular media and culture. This is the first book in over 40 years to examine this important subject. Eleven ancient historians and experts in the history of ideas discuss Sparta's changing role in Western thought from medieval Europe to the 21st century, with a special focus on Enlightenment France, Nazi Germany and the USA.

A companion volume to The Spartan Regime and The Grand Strategy of Classical Sparta that explores the collapse of the Spartan-Athenian alliance During the Persian Wars, Sparta and Athens worked in tandem to defeat what was, in terms of relative resources and power, the greatest empire in human history. For the decade and a half that followed, they continued their collaboration until a rift opened and an intense, strategic rivalry began. In a continuation of his series on ancient Sparta, noted historian Paul Rahe examines the grounds for their alliance, the reasons for its eventual collapse, and the first stage in an enduring conflict that would wreak havoc on Greece for six decades. Throughout, Rahe argues that the alliance between Sparta and Athens and their eventual rivalry were extensions of their domestic policy and that the grand strategy each articulated in the wake of the Persian Wars and the conflict that arose in due course grew out of the opposed material interests and moral imperatives inherent in their different regimes.