The Riddle of Ancient Sparta: Unwrapping an Enigma Professor Paul Cartledge

Ancient Sparta has been handed down in a tradition radically conflicted and confused by rival political and social ideologies. A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, one might say. This Spartan tradition is still alive and lively today. This lecture seeks to shed light rather than heat, by assessing just how odd (different, exceptional, peculiar) Sparta really might have been. The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: