The Centre for Spartan & Peloponnesian Studies of the University of Nottingham and the City (Dimos) of Sparti are pleased to invite you on Thursday 19 January, at 17:00 (UK)/19:00 (GR) to the next Sparta Live! webinar, which will be delivered by Professor Massimo Nafissi (Università degli Studi di Perugia) on ‘The agones for Ortheia’.
You may register for this free event by following this link:
All welcome!
Webinar summary:
The whipping contest, the so-called diamastigosis, and the lesser agones known through the stelae with sickles dedicated by the victors are among the most significant and famous cultural events in Sparta. Yet the one and the other remain enigmatic in many ways. The talk examines the evolution and significance of the whipping contest and the relationship between the lesser agones for Ortheia and Spartan education. It will thus attempt to answer several questions about diamastigosis. In what context and for what reasons did the Spartans move from the cheese-stealing contest briefly described by Xenophon to all-out flogging? Is it correct to emphasize the religious character of the diamastigosis? How was it perceived by the public? As for the lesser agones, we will pause mainly on the prize of the sickle, and its relation to Spartan education