Introduction

“For my part, I understand not the many words used by the Athenians”

Sthenelaidas, Spartan Ephor, 432 BCE
Thucydides, Book 1.86

SUMMER 2020: June 8 – 21

Athens and Sparta, the two greatest Greek city-states, clashed bitterly and have been perceived since Antiquity as opposites, yet both have forged the core values of Western civilization.

Athens, the birthplace of democracy, was a creative wonderland for arts, politics and science. Sparta, by comparison, worshipped discipline and military values, favoring actions over words.

The two-week program will cover subjects such as Athenian and Spartan history and political institutions, war and religion, art and archaeology from the Archaic Period to the end of the Peloponnesian War. The program will spend roughly equal time in both Athens and the Attica Region and the Peloponnese with a focus on Sparta and Laconia.

Emphasis will be given to the study of primary literary and archaeological sources (including inscriptions). Students will learn about Athenian and Spartan culture through direct contact with the material remains at archaeological sites, museums, and monuments.