Former IASH Fellow Professor David M. Pritchard (University of Queensland) has been appointed Leverhulme Visiting Professor for 2026-27. Before embarking on a UK speaking tour, he will deliver the first of his Leverhulme Lectures:
Children of Athena: The armed forces of ancient democratic Athens
Ancient Athens perfected democracy. The plays of this Greek state are still staged today. Athens is famous for these democratic and cultural successes. It is a matter of real national pride that the United Kingdom remains at the forefront of the study of them. It is ancient historians here who have written the best comprehensive studies of the democracy and the cultural festivals of classical Athens. Less well known is the other side of this success story.
On the eve of the Peloponnesian War, Pericles famously advised the Athenians how they could win. This political leader reassured assembly goers that they already had the required funds and armed forces for victory. The first corps that Pericles mentioned was the 13,000 hoplites. The next two were the 1,200-strong cavalry and the 1,600 archers. The last military branch of which he spoke was the navy of 300 triremes. This paper’s primary aim is to go behind Pericles’s famous numbers. For each corps that he mentioned, it studies the legal status of corps-members and their social background. This paper explores how they were recruited into their corps and subsequently mobilised for campaigns. It establishes each corps’ history and specific organisation. By treating these four military branches together for the first time, the paper reveals the common practices that the dēmos (‘people’) used to manage their armed forces. It concludes by detailing the common assumptions that they brought to this management.
There will be a reception following the lecture. See https://hca.ed.ac.uk/updates-events/events/children-of-athena-the-armed-forces-of-ancient-democratic-athens for more information
Professor Pritchard's permanent position is at the University of Queensland (Australia), where he has chaired the Department of Classics and Ancient History. He has obtained 16 research fellowships in Australia, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom (including IASH in 2013) and the United States of America. Professor Pritchard is currently the lead chief investigator on a large project that is funded by the Australian Research Council.