Lakedaimon: Territory, Economy and Society in the southern Peloponnese, c.800-371 BC

Abstract

Sparta was one of a few Greek poleis to possess an extensive territory, larger than any other mainland Greek community at c.8500 sq. km. This thesis seeks to understand the extent to which Sparta controlled this large area which incorporated all of the southern Peloponnese. Previous studies have reflected on the areas which comprised Spartan territory at various periods of its history, as well as the ways in which Sparta incorporated its subject populations, the perioikoi and the helots. Building upon this work, this thesis seeks to reassess critically the concept of territory and to systematise distinct processes into a single explanatory schema. Chapter One provides theoretical discussion of recent archaeological, historical, and geographical literature, emphasising the need for an analytical distinction between territory and territoriality. It also examines generally ideologies and practicalities of territory in Ancient Greece, examining literary perceptions of territory, before providing some epigraphic and archaeological case studies to show how land was managed in practice. Chapter Two is a study of what is referred to as the ‘Spartan socio-spatial system’, which refers not to a clear governmental structure but rather to a range of techniques through which Sparta made claim to its territory. It begins with a discussion of the territorial weakness and near-social collapse of the Great Earthquake, before analysing other practices where Sparta made spatial claims. Chapter Three examines economic territoriality. It considers Spartan economic structures before examining the more heterarchical nature of Spartan economic structures, with a particular focus on the helots and the perioikoi. Chapter Four considers the historical interpretations of the results of the Laconia Survey and the Pylos Regional Archaeological Project. It considers the survey results with respect to a number of problems encountered in rural history: settlement, site function, and status. Chapter Five considers the relationship between the cultic landscape and territory, considering large sanctuaries, such as Artemis Orthia and Athena Chalkioikos, as well as smaller hero shrines, and ‘cult sites’ tentatively identified in the course of field survey. Chapter Six draws together the above studies;; acknowledging that it is not enough to suggest that all of these processes, economic, social, cultic, were ongoing throughout the period of study, but I argue that we must understand how they related to one another. With reference to some more comparative examples, this chapter considers how these various modes of territoriality supported one another or conversely contradicted and impeded each other.

Date of Award	1 Aug 2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The University of Manchester
Supervisor	Stephen Todd (Supervisor) & Ina Berg (Supervisor)