An upcoming lecture is set to delve deep into Spartan history, unpacking the legal culture of the ancient society that was devised to promote its political morality in an enlightening discussion.
The lecture is part of the Greek History and Culture seminars of the Greek Community of Melbourne and will be held on Thursday evening (6 March) at the Greek Centre.
The talk will be delivered by Miltiadis Paikopoulos, a lawyer, author and classicist well-versed in international and cultural repatriation law, Ancient Greek law and political theory, and Spartan history.
The seminar itself will centre on the legal culture of Sparta during Classical Period (5th to 4th centuries BCE) to put a spotlight on another ancient Greek society, with existing scholarship on Ancient Greek Law focusing heavily on Athens.
Studies that do exist on Sparta are often hindered by misconceptions, which the presentation aims to combat.
Sparta had four major legal institutions which the talk will delve into, those being 1. the Diarchy, 2. Gerousia, 3. Ephorate and 4. Ekklesia.
Paikopoulos will share valuable insights into the unique legal culture that developed in Sparta, arguing that Spartan Rule of law meant arranging their legal system so as to promote the city’s political morality.
The seminar will further describe what Sparta’s political morality was, and how the city-state’s legal institutions promoted that political morality to better understand what Spartan Rule of Law actually meant.
