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Sparta in Comparative Perspective: Ancient to Modern

Sanctuary of the Menelaion and Mt Taygetos 1988 cropped

Sanctuary of the Menelaion and Mt Taygetos (photo: Hilary and Stephen Hodkinson)

Sparta and Mt Parnon cropped

Sparta valley and Mt Parnon (photo: Hilary and Stephen Hodkinson)

 

Project summary

From antiquity to the present interpretations of classical Sparta have been infused with comparative perspectives. This long history of comparative appropriations has significantly distorted academic interpretations of Sparta. In the 20th century, in particular, the idea of Sparta's exceptional nature became deeply ingrained in historical scholarship.

Historical perspectives

Classical writers often emphasised Sparta͛s distinctive character, portraying it either as deviant from general Greek norms or as the closest example to an ideal polis. In Renaissance and early modern thought Sparta was viewed as a prime exemplar within classical republican thought. From the English Civil War to the French Revolution critics of the 'ancien regime' invoked Sparta as a model for constructing a new social order. In contrast, since the American and French Revolutions it has been viewed as the archetypal contrast to modern political and social systems, an analogue for totalitarian regimes such as Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. 

Project aims

Our long-term project to address these issues began in 2003 and has continuously evolved as new members have joined the project team. Our original aim was to develop more systematic and dispassionate comparative analyses of classical Sparta, informed by critical study of previous scholarly analogies and their political, intellectual and cultural contexts. It integrates three strands of academic enquiry:

  1. Substantive study of Spartan social institutions from the perspective of comparable institutions elsewhere in ancient Greece and at other times and places.
  2. Historiographical scrutiny of historical writings since the 18th-century which interpret Sparta through comparison with other societies. 
  3. Examination of comparative appropriations of Sparta in Western thought from antiquity to the present, which form the political, intellectual and cultural contexts of modern historical writing. We have subsequently added a fourth public engagement͛ strand:
  4. Active engagement with current appropriations of ancient Sparta in modern culture, including with creative practitioners involved in representing Sparta in modern media and with public and educational audiences for Spartan history.
By combining these strands within a single investigation, we aim to develop a more sophisticated contextualisation of Spartan institutions and a more integrated understanding of Spartan history, historiography and reception. We also aim to convey these new insights to academic and public audiences and to challenge distorted images of Sparta in contemporary politics and popular culture.

Publications

Ancient Sparta in Comparative Perspective
 
Sparta's receptions in the ancient world
 
Sparta's modern receptions and related broader topics
 
Public engagement with practitioners, wider audiences and political appropriations of Sparta
 

Who's involved

Prof. Stephen Hodkinson (Principal Investigator)

Emeritus Prof. William Cavanagh

Emeritus Prof. Jim Roy

Dr Lynn Fotheringham

Dr Chrysanthi Gallou

Dr Edmund Stewart

Former University of Nottingham doctoral and post-doctoral researchers

Dr Philip Davies (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich)

Dr Rosie Harman (University College London)

Dr Lydia Langerwerf (Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research) 

Dr Ian Macgregor Morris (Universität Salzburg)

Funding 

From 2004-2010 the project was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council 

From February to July 2012 the project was funded by a Loeb Classical Library Foundation Fellowship 

 

 

Department of Classics and Archaeology

University of Nottingham
University Park
Nottingham, NG7 2RD

Contact details
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