Herculean Task

Paul Christesen ’88 leads an all-star cast of Greek scholars.

One million words. Six volumes. That’s the size of what some scholars are calling “a once-in-a-generation effort.” Classics department chair Christesen and coeditor Paul Cartledge, a former Cambridge University professor, have the Olympian job of editing the Oxford History of the Archaic Greek World (due by 2021). Together they are writing the volume Spartan Origins.

In May, Dartmouth hosts the other authors, 30 scholars from eight nations, a group Christesen calls “a pretty spectacular all-star cast.”

A crucial period in Greek history, the Archaic years (750-480 B.C.) saw the creation of the world’s first democracy and the spread of 900 Greek communities from present-day Spain to Afghanistan. Prepare to be surprised by what Christesen has to say about Spartans. “They almost never fought,” he says. “And they made specific efforts to avoid fighting.”

Portfolio

Book cover Original Sin with photo of hands over face
Alumni Books
New titles from Dartmouth writers (July/August 2025)
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Inspiration in the Adirondacks
Artist Catherine Ross Haskins ’94 transforms an old grain mill into a vibrant arts hub.
Comeback Story

Alumni first returned to campus for official reunions in 1855.

Illustration of woman in movie theater eating popcorn
Katie Silberman ’09
A screenwriter on storytelling in Hollywood

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