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Literature
and Tips for Further Research
Historical
Fiction
Nothing
gives the feel of a strange or distant environment more effectively
than
a well-researched novel. Therefore I want to give prominence here to
historical
novels set in ancient Greece which are based on solid research and
understanding
of the period—not fantasy or modern novels in "fancy dress."
Recommended
novels:
I have written a series of novels based on my own
research. Three novels in the series are currently published
and available for purchase.
The novel uses primarily fictional
characters to describe the Spartan Revolution, which produced the first
democratic constitution in recorded history.
View
Sparta as seen through the eyes of the lame Athenian poet, Tyrtaios,
who is appointed as Sparta’s supreme commander in the war
against Messenia.
Relive
history as seen through the eyes of Agesandros, the son of a notorious
drunk and brawler, who has only attained his citizenship as result of
the Great Reforms following the Revolution.
The
female perspective of the era is vividly portrayed through the eyes of
the widow Alethea. Alethea’s is the daughter of a
wealthy aristocrat and lived through the Time of Troubles
that led to the Great Reforms. Alethea is sent to Athens for
safety, and learns first hand the contrasts between women in Athens and
Sparta.
Are They Singing in
Sparta? describes the Revolution which led to the
introduction of Sparta's unique constitution (the first democracy in
recorded history) and the Second Messenian War (critical to the
understanding of all subsequent Spartan foreign policy). Read excerpts from Are
They Singing In Sparta?.
Are
They Singing In Sparta? can be ordered from
bookstores or on-line retailers such
as amazon.com. Order
now .
Antyllus of Tegea
had everything – wealth, power and respect—until
his son was killed
defending Tegea against Sparta. Now Tegea is on the rise, but Antyllus
can find pleasure in nothing—not even his magnificent
racehorses.
While all Tegea believes Antyllus’ chariot could bring Tegea
an
unprecedented Olympic victory, Antyllus knows that he lacks a driver
capable of coaxing the best out of his team. More disturbing, Antyllus
worries that Tegea’s victory over Sparta is being used by
certain
radicals to undermine the democratic constitution. The Strategos that
won the decisive victory is a demagogue—and he wants to
increase the
franchise to landless men.
Out of spontaneous pity, Antyllus
purchases an
abused quarry slave. The slave not only carries the seemingly prophetic
name of ‘Philip’ (Lover of Horses), but has an
uncanny affinity for
horses as well. While Tegea slips into tyranny, Antyllus turns his back
on politics and focuses his hopes and dreams on an Olympic victory.
This is the story of a slave and a
charioteer in
Archaic Greece. Based on ancient sources but using predominantly
fictional characters, The
Olympic
Charioteer describes the events leading to the
establishment of
the first non-aggression pact in recorded history.
A free teacher supplement
is also available for teacher's using this novel in their class. Read excerpts from The
Olympic
Charioteer. View the book's
video trailer.
The
Olympic
Charioteer can be ordered from bookstores or
on-line retailers such
as amazon.com. Order
now.
In ancient Sparta during the Second
Messenian War, two women, one beautiful and one ugly, are captured and
enslaved in the same raid. This is the story of how each responds to
their new situation and the women they meet in Sparta.
Niobe's
beauty is so great that it captures the attention of the Messenian
leader, Aristomenes. He makes her a cherished concubine-until the
Spartan "Scourge of Messenia," Agesandros, captures Aristomenes'
palace. Niobe suddenly finds herself a slave, and the spoils of the
Spartan prince Anaxilas.
Unlike
the beautiful and coveted Niobe, Mika is so disfigured by warts that
her own uncles sold her into slavery. She becomes the spoils not of a
prince but of Agesandros' squire, Leon, a slave himself. He sends her
back to serve his master's wife, Alethea, in Sparta.
While
Niobe provokes the hostility of the Spartan Queen; Mika encounters the
kindness of Alethea, and her beautiful but spirited daughter, Kassia.
Soon Anaxilas turns his affections from Niobe to Kassia, while Mika
falls hopelessly in love with Leon, and Leon covets only the affection
of Niobe.
This book
picks up where Are
They Singing in Sparta? left off, and although the novel
revolves around unrequited love on all sides, it is really a reflection
on what beauty is and how it affects human interactions-with a surprise
ending. Read
a review
of Spartan
Slave, Spartan Queen.
Spartan
Slave, Spartan Queen can be ordered from bookstores
or on-line retailers such
as amazon.com. Order
now .
 In
Kithairon's Shadow: A Novel of Ancient Greece and the Persian War,
Jon Martin, iUniverse, 2003
Shades
of Artemis: A Novel of Ancient
Greece and the Spartan Brasidas,
Jon Martin, Publish America, 2005
The Headlong God of War: A Tale
of
Ancient Greece and the Battle of Marathon,
Jon Martin, Publish America, 2007
Gates
of Fire, by Steven Pressfield,
Doubleday, New York, 1998.
Tides
of War, by Steven Pressfield, Doubleday,
New York, 2000.
Death
in Olympia, by Robert Gordian,
Rowohlt, Munich, 2000.
The
Walled Orchard, by Thomas Holt,
Macmillan, London, 1990.
Die
Söldner von Kyros, Otto Lendle,
Primus Verlag, 1999.
Ancient
Historical
Sources:
A
number of works by ancient historians are readily available to us today
in translation. For anyone with a serious interest in ancient history,
these works are a "must."
Pausanias, Guide to
Greece, 2nd
century
AD.
Xenophon,
Spartan
Society, 5th
century
BC.
Plutarch,
On Sparta,
2nd century AD.
Herodotus,
The
Histories, early 5th
century BC.
Thucydides,
History of
the Peloponnesian
War, 5th
century BC.
All of the above historical
sources are available from Penguin Books.
Modern
Historical
Sources:
Modern
research on Sparta has been greatly enriched by the use of
archaeological
sources and by trends, such as women's studies, that cast a completely
new
light on society. Unfortunately, historians tend to get mired in the
mud
of "facts," "sources," and "evidence," and sometimes seem to completely
lose
sight of the fact that they are writing about human beings. This leads,
for example, to the kind of ridiculous argument (put forward by Paul
Cartledge)
that the Spartans did not believe in "one man, one vote" because they
voted
orally rather than by secret ballot. It is certainly possible to claim
that oral voting can be manipulated (but then so can counting black and
white pebbles, if you ask me), and it can be claimed that oral voting
is
"childish" (as Aristotle did), but it is absurd to say it denies the
principle
of one man, one vote, since no man has two voices. Furthermore, when a
vote
was close, the Spartans were asked to stand on one side or another of a
line: As one man can only be in one place at one time, this too
demonstrates
that the principle of one man, one vote was clearly understood and
respected.
But logic is irrelevant to Mr. Cartledge in his polemics and,
unfortunately,
to many of his colleagues as well. The only remedy for a reader with
common
sense is to read as many sources as possible—and to
constantly
compare
what is claimed to human behaviour in our own time. When reading about
Sparta—or Athens or Rome—we are reading about
people incredibly
similar
to ourselves, and that is what makes it so fascinating and delightful.
The books I personally found most enlightening were:
Stibbe,
Conrad M., Das
Andere Sparta, Philipp v.
Zabern Verlag, Mainz am Rhein, 1996.
Forrest,
W.G., A
History
of Sparta: 950 - 192 BC, W.W.
Norton & Co., New York, 1968.
Hodkinson
and Powell (ed.), Sparta:
New Perspectives, The Classical
Press of Wales, 2000.
Jones,
A.H.M., Sparta,
Barnes and Noble, New York, 1993
Baltrusch,
Ernst, Sparta:
Geschichte,
Gesellschaft, Kultur, C.H.
Beck Verlag, München, 1998.
Chrimes,
K.M.T., Ancient
Sparta:
A Re-Examination of the Evidence, Manchester
University Press, Manchester, 1949.
Kennel,
Nigel M., The Gymnasium of
Virtue:
Education & Culture in Ancient Sparta, Univ.
of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill & London, 1995.
Murray,
Powyn, Early Greece,
William Colins and Sons, London,
1980.
Link,
Stephan, Der Kosmos Sparta,
Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft,
Darmstadt, 1994.
Blundell,
Sue, Women
in Ancient
Greece, British Museum Press,
London, 1995.
Deltenhofer,
Maria (ed.), Reine
Männersache?
Frauen in Männerdomänen der antiken Welt,
Deutsche
Taschenbuch Verlag, 1994.
Sealey,
Raphel, Women and Law in
Classical
Greece, University of North
Carolina Press, Chapel Hill & London, 1990.
Hodkinson,
Stephen, Property
and
Wealth in Classical Sparta, Duckworth
and the Classical Press of Wales, 2000.
Pomeroy,
Sarah, Spartan
Women, Oxford
University Press, 2002.
 
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