CSPSCentre for Spartan and Peloponnesian Studies

Why did the Spartans dislike democracy?

Location
Microsoft Teams online event
Date(s)
Thursday 2nd February 2023 (17:00-18:00)
Registration URL
https://teams.microsoft.com/registration/7qe9Z4D970GskTWEGCkKHg,yAcG_Z5T8EmR13ugxiCwtQ,D2JueNqxWU-HjO91RtJb8Q,o5uDsyJ46EKFefl0uvOYsg,a6nDPvsC-0SE3mlgvF2Mpg,EyfW1H_m20GtmKSMjVE6AA?mode=read&tenantId=67bda7ee-fd80-41ef-ac91-358418290a1e
Description

Join Dr Matt Simonton (Arizona State University) for a discussion about Why did the Spartans dislike democracy?

Summary

Since antiquity, Sparta has been associated with oligarchy, the rule of the wealthy few. This connection now strikes us as obvious: Sparta was the great oligarchic power, in contradistinction to its chief rival, democratic Athens. But why exactly did the Spartans disparage democracy? After all, their founding constitutional document, the Great Rhetra, expressly granted power (kratos) to the people (damos). This talk studies comments about democracy made by, to, and in the presence of Spartans during the Classical period, in an attempt to determine what particular features of democracy they found distasteful.

Join leading academics for this week's lecture followed by a general discussion

All are very welcome. Free to attend.

Discussants:

Dr Matt Simonton (Arizona State University)

Dr Alberto Esu (University of Nottingham)

Dr Edmund Stewart (University of Nottingham)

Dr Petros Doukas (Mayor of Sparti)

Dr Chrysanthi Gallou (University of Nottingham)

The event will be hosted on Microsoft Teams. Register for this event on Microsoft Teams now to receive an email link for this event.

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