Synopses & Reviews
The name "Helots" evokes one of the most famous peculiarities of ancient Sparta, the system of dependent labor that guaranteed the livelihood of the free citizens. The Helots fulfilled all the functions that slaves carried out elsewhere in the Greek world, allowing their masters the leisure to be full-time warriors. Yet, despite their crucial role, Helots remain essentially invisible in our ancient sources and peripheral and enigmatic in modern scholarship.
This book is devoted to a much-needed reassessment of Helotry and of its place in the history and sociology of unfree labor. The essays deal with the origins and historical development of Helotry, with its sociological, economic, and demographic aspects, with its ideological construction and negotiation.
Review
Altogether, these papers provide a stimulating overview of the majorquestions, debates, and methodologies in current scholarship onhelotage in one accessible volume. This collection of engaging andoften provocative papers should realize its editors' interest inpromoting future research on the history of the helots. -- Simon Hornblower - < -="" a="" href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/bmcr/199/199-05-24.html" target="NEW" -=""> - Bryn Mawr Classical Review
About the Author
Nino Luraghi is Professor of the Classics at Harvard University.Susan Alcock is John H. D'Arms Collegiate Professor of Classical Archaeology and Classics at the University of Michigan.Paul Cartledge is Professor of Greek History at Clare College, Cambridge.Thomas J. Figueria is a Professor at Rutgers University.Jonathan M. Hall is Professor of Ancient Greek History at the University of Chicago.Stephen Hodkinson is Professor of Ancient History at the University of Nottingham.N. M. Kennell is a Senior Associate Member of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Greece.Kurt A. Raaflaub is Professor of Classics and History at Brown University, and Joint Director of the Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington, D.C..Walter Scheidel is Associate Professor of Classics at Stanford University.Hans van Wees is Professor at the University College London.
University College London