Synopses & Reviews
Spartans: A New History chronicles the rise and fall of ancient Sparta, from its Bronze Age origins to the powerful Greek city-state's demise in Late Antiquity. Incorporating the latest archaeological evidence and scholarly research, Kennell's comprehensive historical account includes discussions of the Dorian invasion and Greek legend of the Return of the Heraclidae, the Spartan conquest of Messenia, and the origins of helot slavery. Also covered is Sparta's development as the foremost military power in Greece and its role in the Persian and Peloponnesian wars. Kennell punctuates the narrative with biographical sketches of important figures in Spartan history. Primarily focused on the Archaic and Classical periods, the book also surveys Spartan history during the Hellenistic and Roman ages, when Spartans crafted an image of their city as an unaltered relic from its earlier glory days.
Spartans: A New History challenges preconceptions about Spartan history and represents an important source on the most significant issues in Sparta scholarship today.
Review
"For those of us not experts in Sparta this is a useful and informative, but occasionally demanding, read." (Bryn Mawr, August 2010) |
"This is a book that one may with confidence ... place in the hands of anglophone undergraduate students." (
Anglo-Hellenic Review, Spring 2010)
Review
"Kennell displays admirable historical judgment, aided by a first-hand knowledge of Spartan landscapes and archaeology. His presentation of Spartan history is wide-ranging and his conclusions are informed by the very latest scholarly thinking."
Graham Shipley, University of Leicester
"Nigel Kennell provides an expert overview of Spartan history from the Archaic to the Roman periods. Spartans: A New History will be an essential tool for all serious students and teachers of ancient history."
Ellen Millender, Reed College
Review
In der Einleitung stellt Kennell zu Recht fest, dass es eine große Diskrepanz zwischen dem verbreiteten Spartabild und den Forschungsmeinungen und -debatten gibt. Diesen Graben will das Buch überbrücken, das in der Tat über eine "Einführung" hinausgeht, indem durchgängig auf antike Quellen verwiesen wird. Außerdem werden Forschungsdebatten nachgezeichnet [...] Die Kritik im Detail ändert nichts daran, dass der entworfene Überblick grundsolide ist. Kennell greift neuere Forschungspositionen auf und berücksichtigt jüngere Inschriften- und Papyrusfunde, was das Buch zu einer "Neuen Geschichte" macht. [...] diese detailreiche und umfassende Synopse kann dem Sparta-Interessierten nur empfohlen werden.
Synopsis
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
About the Author
Nigel M. Kennell is an Instructor at the International Center for Hellenic and Mediterranean Studies in Athens, Greece. He is the author of The Gymnasium of Virtue (1995), and has published numerous articles on Spartan history and Greek civic institutions – especially the gymnasium – in the Hellenistic and Roman periods.
Table of Contents
List of illustrations vi
Map vii
Introduction 1
1 The Name, the Land, and the Sources 4
2 Sons of Heracles 20
3 Conquest, Crisis, and Consolidation 39
4 From Cleomenes to Pausanias 54
5 Helots and Perioeci 76
6 Governing Sparta 93
7 Leotychidas to Lysander 115
8 Agesilaus and the Army 135
9 From Archidamus III to Nabis 159
10 From the Achaean League to the Roman Empire 181
Bibliography 195
Index 203