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Title: The Spartans: The World of the Warrior-Heroes of Ancient Greece, from Utopia to Crisis and Collapse by Paul Cartledge ISBN: 1-58567-402-8 Publisher: Overlook Press Pub. Date: 15 May, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 2.89 (9 reviews)
Rating: 1
Summary: But I digress...
Comment: At the narrow mountain pass of Thermopylae, the Greek army led by the Spartan king Leonidas faced the invading Persians in a fight to the death - did you know that Leonidas's wife was named Gorgo and was quite an extraordinary woman in her own right and "had a mind, and a voice, of her own"? It's true, "Gorgo was sharper and smarter than all the other Spartans, especially the men in authority." Anyway, where were we? Oh, yes ... - and won undying fame in defense of Western civilization.
That's my problem with this otherwise well-informed book: it digresses much too often. There's little compelling narrative drive to the writing and it appears more to be a collection of "snapshot biographies," etymological musings and Hellenic place names rather than a book one would read straight through. "The Spartans" reminds me of lecture notes in its discursive style - rambling, albeit authoritative - or notes designed to accompany the PBS TV series.
"Tell 'em what you're going to tell 'em; tell 'em; and then tell 'em what you've told 'em." We read on page 121 that Leonidas - who died with his entire command at Thermopylae - had a son with Gorgo, and we are reminded on page 258 that Leonidas - who died with his entire command at Thermopylae - had a son with Gorgo. Pausanius dies, returns, dies again. As does Lysander and Brasidas and Artilochus and... Events described in one chapter reappear two or three chapters later - with no added value.
I understand how some reviews say the book's "like a graduate student's thesis" and others claim it's "too general." Detailed information regarding a sculptor's birthplace or various alternate spellings for a Greek city lead one to believe an extended discussion of minutiae will follow but no, hold on, the author stops and moves on. Then is it a book for the general reader? In my opinion, not really: if you don't already have a basic knowledge of Greek geography, governments, politics, and a rough chronology of important events, you're likely to be swamped trying to make sense of all the book's information.
How did the Spartans avoid other city-states frequent civil wars? Was the Spartan's egalitarianism fundamental to their stability? What did other Greek's really feel of Spartan enslavement their fellow Greeks? How could a nation of citizen-soldiers survive with so few citizens to soldier? Why were there no other "Spartas" in Greece? Was Spartan society fundamentally flawed since it had to arm to the teeth even without external enemies? The author could have explored in depth speculative "opinion" questions like these thereby increasing the interest of probably both general and knowledgeable readers.
Long story short: Repetitive, poor ("cut-and-paste") narrative, and pedantic. Donald Kagan's Peloponnesian War is a far better model for historic writing than this volume. I read Cartledges' Spartan Reflections in the hope that the book would have what The Spartans lacked but no joy: it was even more academic. You might take a look at Wm. Forrest's A History of Sparta but it's a very dry, academic book - however it reads a bit more smoothly.
Rating: 2
Summary: Major Disappointment Indeed!
Comment: After reading about Paul Cartledge's credentials ("Professor at Cambridge University", "expert" and "authority" in the world of classics and ancient history, especially in regards to Sparta etc) one naturally expects excellence in relation to the quality of the study, and yet, what one gets is mediocrity instead.
To start with, the writer does not follow the basic guidelines in writing history, i.e. he uses the first ("in my opinion") and second ("we") person when writing which is highly unprofessional to say the least. One should NEVER get personal or emotional when writing history! Historians need to be objective and look at different perspectives when writing. It is common knowledge that when dealing with History essays/papers only the third person is accepted, anything else is a sign of amateur work. We are not in grade school, nor are we sitting in front of the fireplace listening to our grandfather telling stories; It is serious academic work!
On page 25, Cartledge states: "'Go tell the Spartans!' which has also been used as the title of a movie based on the Vietnam War" What is the point of this comment??? What could possibly compel the writer to bring Vietnam into this?
On page 119, Cartledge states: "It was the so-called Middle Gate that the loyalist Greek defense force took up its position; this is where the modern memorial has been erected, to the right of the National Highway as you drive north. On the other side of the highway there may be visited what has been designated, probably correctly, as the hillock where the Greeks made their stand." This is not a tourist guide, nor is it a "visit the sights" brochure. No one really cares if Cartledge has been to the sight so he really does not need to prove that he has.
Moreover, on page 244 "the Greek word for civil strife, faction-fighting or civil war was stasis (it's now the Modern Greek word for 'bus stop'...) Hello, Mr Cartlidge??? Is this an attempt at a joke that has no place in such a study or is it just completely useless information that has nothing to do with the topic? Either way, poor choice of words! In addition, "stasis", today is not only used to describe a "stop" (bus, train etc), but also a revolt or rebellion. Remember that unless one is 100% certain about something, they should refrain from using words that indicate absolute certainty.
Furthermore, throughout the book, the author refers to homosexual relationships between Spartans (Lysander and Agesilaus pp200) and Thebans (The Sacred Band) as proven fact ("among the innovations they presided over was the creation of an elite hoplite force of 300, consisting of 150 homosexual couples"pp225), when the existing evidence surrounding the issue of whether homosexuality in ancient Greece was more or less accepted than today is inconclusive and the issue itself is highly controversial; therefore, calling for the use of "alleged homosexuality" instead. The heroes themselves would be turning in their graves if they knew what is being written and said about them by people who are either misinformed or are purposely out to distort the truth in following their own personal agendas.
In conclusion, one could spend hours on end dissecting Cartledge's book, however, what is important to note is that the book fails to capture the readers' attention and imagination. It fails to transport the reader to Ancient Greece and to provide a feeling of familiriaty with the Spartans. Instead, the style used is dry, with the book being at times overly simplified while elsewhere overly packed with factual detail for the sake of including factual material as opposed to making a point efficiently or successfully.
Rating: 2
Summary: Too much Gender Studies, not enough raw information
Comment: If you're interested in reading a gender study of classical sparta, this may be the book for you. Plenty of information and discussion about Spartan women, various historic female Spartan characters, etc. Similarly, if you want a low-level, general audience overview of greek or spartan history, this book might be worth borrowing from your local library.
On the other hand, if you want detailed historical information about Sparta, what we know of Spartans life and culture, etc., then you'd almost certainly get more information from a google search. The author spends far more time rhapsodizing about gender issues than he does communicating detailed information, and readers with any prior familiarity with ancient Greek culture or history will find little here they don't already have a basic handle on.
This book is general audience and it shows. I was looking for an informative resource work on the Spartans and I did not find it here. Perhaps I was looking in the wrong place, but those of you who might be looking for what I was looking for, look elsewhere.
I should mention the bonus appendix, where the author apparently makes the argument that modern english foxhunting is evil because the Spartans "hunted" escaped slaves.
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Title: The Peloponnesian War by Donald Kagan ISBN: 0670032115 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: 08 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
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Title: Gates of Fire : An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae by Steven Pressfield ISBN: 0553580531 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 31 August, 1999 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Thermopylae: The Battle for the West by Ernle Bradford ISBN: 0306805316 Publisher: DaCapo Press Pub. Date: September, 1993 List Price(USD): $17.00 |
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Title: The Spartan Army (Osprey Military Elite Series, 66) by Richard Hook, Nicholas Victor Sekunda, Nick Sekunda ISBN: 1855326590 Publisher: Osprey Pub Co Pub. Date: September, 1998 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: Ripples of Battle : How Wars of the Past Still Determine How We Fight, How We Live, and How We Think by Victor Hanson ISBN: 0385504004 Publisher: Doubleday Pub. Date: 16 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $27.50 |
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