"Myth, Text, and History at Sparta unites three studies that offer close readings concerning the interaction of the source material on Spartan history with the unfolding of actual historical events. These contributions take the position that not only political, but also social, policies at Sparta, as well as the historical actors giving them shape, were intensely--and to an unusual degree--influenced by myth, tradition, and popular memory about the Laconian past. Sparta drew strength from its professed adherence to the legacy of the Dorian conquest and to the legislative program of Lykourgos. And, objectively, Sparta represented the most tightly articulated instance of an archaic Greek sociopolitical order. However, past and present at Sparta co-evolved. The reader will find in the studies brought together in this volume that ideology, recollection, and wish-fulfillment stood in dynamic tension not only with practical decision-making, but also with the enthralling, centuries-long quest by individual Spartans for authority, legitimacy, and authenticity"--Provided by publisher.

Examines the use of mythology to justify conquest and colonization across the Spartan Mediterranean in the archaic and Classical periods.

Many have heard of the heroic stand of the three hundred Spartans at Thermopylae but what happened to the Spartans after that battle? The Myth of Sparta begins with the death of Leonidas, the Lion of Sparta, and the famous three hundred Spartans, at the battle of Thermopylae and culminates in a dramatic retelling of the battle of Sphacteria, a battle which dramatically deals with the question of Spartan invincibility. It tells the story of the relations between the Spartans and the Athenians who turned from being the closest of allies into implacable enemies. It follows the lives of many of the Spartans during this period, meeting its Kings and Regents, as well as lesser known characters such as Styphon, a young Spartan, whose life we follow through the mysteries of the brutal training at the Agoge, the Spartan school for warriors. The novel describes the machinations of the Athenian politicians such as Pericles and Cleon who seek to control Athens as near dictators, forcing their will upon the people, acting through the power and guise of a Democratic society. The author follows the lives of lesser known Athenians, such as Demosthenes, who becomes a General and changes forever the strategy that the Athenians follow in their confrontations with Sparta. The book explores the life of the Helots, Greek citizens who were long ago subjugated by the Spartans and turned into slaves. In particular, we meet Kallistos, who waits until a great Earthquake brings Sparta to her knees before he strikes violently to challenge the serfdom he detests so much. The Myth of Sparta covers all of this and more, breathing life into historical characters and describing in dramatic detail, a period of history long forgotten.

Greek mythology and cult often served both as expressions of collective, historical identity and of attitudes to lands and territories. Functioning historically, myths provided justifications and legitimations of conquest, displacement, and settlement. Focusing on the Spartan Mediterranean--the world of Sparta and its colonies--this book examines the spectrum of the uses of myth. Extending beyond the Greek world, the book also raises the important question of how peoples relate to and justify their national and territorial identities.

Covering Sparta's full classical history, The Bronze Lie examines the myth of Spartan warrior supremacy. The last stand at Thermopylae made the Spartans legends in their own time, famous for their toughness, stoicism and martial prowess – but was this reputation earned? This book paints a very different picture of Spartan warfare – punctuated by frequent and heavy losses. We also discover a society dedicated to militarism not in service to Greek unity or to the Spartan state itself, but as a desperate measure intended to keep its massive population of helots (a near-slave underclass) in line. What successes there were, such as in the Peloponnesian Wars, gave Sparta only a brief period of hegemony over Greece. Today, there is no greater testament to this than the relative position of modern Sparta and its famous rival Athens. The Bronze Lie explores the Spartans' arms and armor, tactics and strategy, the personalities of commanders and the common soldiery alike. It looks at the major battles, with a special focus on previously under-publicized Spartan reverses that have been left largely unexamined. The result is a refreshingly honest and accurate account of Spartan warfare.

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.