The Centre for Spartan and Peloponnesian Studies (CSPS) at the University of Nottingham, through its global early career network SPECS, is delighted to announce an upcoming online workshop titled ‘Sparta and the Peloponnese at War’.
The event will take place online on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, at 13:00 BST (14:00 Vienna time / 15:00 Athens time) via Microsoft Teams.
The purpose of this international workshop is to provide early career researchers from leading academic institutions worldwide an opportunity to showcase their latest work in a supportive environment and receive constructive feedback. The distinguished Professor Hans van Wees (University College London – UCL) will serve as the invited expert respondent for the event.
Attendance is free and open to all scholars, students, and history enthusiasts, but advanced registration is mandatory.
For Registration click here
Programme
13.00 Welcome and Introductory Remarks
13.05 Kyriakos Velos (Monash University)
Strangers in a Spartan land: the resettlement of foreigners in Spartan territory
13.35 Natasha Bershadsky (Harvard University)
A Strange Proposal: Reconstructing Mimetic Battles between Argos and Sparta in the Archaic Period
14.05 Cezary Kucewisz (University of Gdansk)
Discipline in Archaic Spartan armies
14.35 BREAK
14.45 Alessandro Carli (University of Siena)
That’s how a hegemon should behave: Spartan leadership in the early Peloponnesian War (431-425BCE)
15.15 Tyler M Miller (Florida State University)
The Last Fleet of Sparta: Nabis and the Navy
15.45 Matt Thompson (University of Nottingham) and Paul M Bardunias (Florida Atlantic University)
The unsung contribution of Helots in Archaic and Classical Spartan armies
16.15 Closing remarks
SPECS (Spartan and Peloponnesian Early Career Scholars) is a new global network seeking to bring together early career scholars studying any aspect of the history, archaeology, or reception of Sparta and the Peloponnese in any period. SPECS is a new initiative of the Centre for Spartan and Peloponnesian Studies, based at the University of Nottingham. The network has already launched a new webinar series, Being Peloponnesian, and is planning more events and activities in the near future.
If you would like to know more about our activities, to join or mailing list, or to learn about getting involved with the new SPECS network, please email [email protected] or [email protected]