Sparta Live!

Join us for an online programme of lively workshops themed around the history, archaeology and legacy of ancient Sparta.

Learn the facts about this fascinating ancient culture that's inspired Hollywood films, documentaries, fiction and graphic novels
Challenge misconceptions that have led to its misappropriation
Celebrate the 2,500-year anniversary of the Battle of Thermopylae (480 BC)!

The programme is hosted jointly by the Centre for Spartan & Peloponnesian Studies and the City of Sparti, Laconia, Greece – the site of ancient Sparta.

Leonidas at Thermopylae, by French artist Jacques-Louis David, 1814 (oil on canvas). The work currently hangs in the Louvre in Paris, France. © Creative Commons

Sparta Live workshops

The current Sparta Live series will run in Autumn 2021 on selected Thursdays from 5-6 pm (UK time). We will be joined by international experts from the fields of Spartan history and archaeology to explore different aspects of the ancient Spartan civilisation and culture. Former participants include popular writers Steven Pressfield (author of the bestseller ‘Gates of Fire’) and Kieron Gillen, graphic novelist

We look forward to meeting you!

Upcoming events

Check back soon for details on upcoming events

Past events

Autumn 2022

Personifications of Natural Elements and Their Representations in the Mosaics of Sparta and the Peloponnese

Date: 15/12/2022
Description: Join leading academics for this week's lecture followed by a general discussion.

Beyond Reception: Rethinking the Spartan Tradition

Date: 08/12/2022
Description: Join leading academics for this week's lecture followed by a general discussion.

Sparta Reconsidered: Countering Myths and Misinformation with Common Sense in the Novels of Helena P. Schrader

Date: 01/12/2022
Description: Join leading academics for this week's lecture followed by a general discussion.

The Mentor Shipwreck

Date: 24/11/2022
Description: Join leading academics for this week's lecture followed by a general discussion.

Kythera and Laconia, a continuous dependent relationship

Date: 10/11/2022
Description: Join leading academics for this week's lecture followed by a general discussion.

Byzantine glazed tableware from Lakedaimon: the social, economic and historical context

Date: 03/11/2022
Description: Join leading academics for this week's lecture followed by a general discussion.

Beyond the Throne: the archaic finds of the Spartan sanctuary of Apollo Amyklaios

Date: 27/10/2022
Description: Join leading academics for this week's lecture followed by a general discussion.

Neolithic Alepotrypa Cave: a reassessment of past and current research

Date: 20/10/2022
Description: Join leading academics for this week's lecture followed by a general discussion.

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Autumn 2021 series

Sparta and Athens - A Classical Love Story

Date: 02/12/2021
Description: Join the SpartaLive team for the latest free event in this exciting series of public talks.

Dedicatory Patterns at the Hero Shrines of Sparta

Date: 25/11/2021
Description: Join the SpartaLive team for the latest free event in this exciting series of public talks.

Ritual employment at (inter)regional sanctuaries

Date: 18/11/2021
Description: Join the SpartaLive team for the latest free event in this exciting series of public talks.

Spartan Women at the Eleusinion

Date: 04/11/2021
Description: Join the SpartaLive team for the latest free event in this exciting series of public talks.

Sparta's monumental commemoration of the Persian Wars

Date: 28/10/2021
Description: Join the SpartaLive team for the latest free event in this exciting series of public talks.

Thermopylae and the Spartan Military Mystique

Date: 20/10/2021
Description: Join the SpartaLive team for the latest free event in this exciting series of public talks.

Displaying 1 to 6 of 6

Spring 2021 series

Adapting Slavery to Spartan Society

Date: 18/03/2021
Description: Join the SpartaLive team for the latest free event in this exciting series of public talks.

Spartan doctors and medical science in Sparta

Date: 04/03/2021
Description: Join leading experts for a discussion about Sparta and medical practice, the latest free event in the exciting SpartaLive series of public talks.

Sparta and the Internet

Date: 18/02/2021
Description: Join the SpartaLive team for the latest free event in this exciting series of public talks.

Displaying 1 to 3 of 3

Autumn 2020 series

Warlike Spartans? Competing memories on Spartan militarism

Date: 10/12/2020
Description: Join Elena Franchi for a discussion exploring competing memories on Spartan militarism.

"My Queen!": The reception of Gorgo in 300 (2006) and 300: Rise of an Empire (2014)

Date: 26/11/2020
Description: Join Carl Buckland for a discussion about "My Queen!": The reception of Gorgo in 300 (2006) and 300: Rise of an Empire (2014).

Music in Ancient Sparta

Date: 12/11/2020
Description: Join James Lloyd for a discussion about Music in Ancient Sparta

Angry, angry Spartans

Date: 22/10/2020
Description: Join Andrew Bayliss for a discussion about the 'Angry, angry Spartans'

Displaying 1 to 4 of 4

Summer 2020 series

The legacy of Sparta in modern politics

Date: 30/07/2020
Description: Join leading academics for a discussion about the legacy of Sparta in modern politics

Sparta and International Relations

Date: 23/07/2020
Description: Join leading academics for a discussion about Sparta and international relations

Sparta and philosophy

Date: 16/07/2020
Description: Join leading academics for a discussion about Sparta and philosophy

The 'Spartan Mirage'

Date: 09/07/2020
Description: Join leading academics for a discussion about the 'Spartan Mirage'

Spartan art before and after the time of the '300'

Date: 02/07/2020
Description: Join leading academics for a discussion about Spartan art before and after the time of the '300'

Unveiling Spartan Women

Date: 25/06/2020
Description: Join leading academic Professor Ellen Millender for a lively discussion about Spartan women

Sparta in graphic novels: THREE

Date: 18/06/2020
Description: Join the writer and publisher of the graphic novel 'Three' that explores Spartan history and culture a century after Thermopylae.

The '300' in historical novels

Date: 11/06/2020
Description: Join Steven Pressfield for a discussion about the '300' at Thermopylae

Death and Commemoration around the time of the '300' Spartans

Date: 04/06/2020
Description: Join leading academics for a discussion about death and commemoration rituals around the time of the '300'

Before the '300'

Date: 28/05/2020
Description: Join leading academics for a discussion about the 'Lord of Vapheio' and the warriors of Bronze Age Greece

Sparta at War

Date: 21/05/2020
Description: Join leading academics for a discussion about Sparta at war

Displaying 1 to 11 of 11

Exciting topics we are covering include the Battle of Thermopylae, Spartan women, and the legacy of ancient Sparta in modern politics.

We are thrilled that the Mayor of the modern-day city of Sparti will be joining us to give their unique insight into these famous ancestors.

Dr Chrysanthi Gallou
Director of the Centre for Spartan and Peloponnesian Studies

Centre for Spartan and Peloponnesian Studies

University of Nottingham
University Park
Nottingham, NG7 2RD

telephone: +44 (0)115 951 4800
fax: +44 (0)115 951 4811
email: csps@nottingham.ac.uk