James Lloyd’s review of  M. G. L. Cooley (ed.) nook, Sparta. LACTOR, 21..in BMCR(2018.03.30), provides wonderful insight to know ancient Sparta.  This volume easily shows how academic scholarship pursues a wrong path in its study of the classical world.

This volume is the twenty-first in the LACTOR series, known to students and teachers as focused source-books on the ancient world; according to the reviewer this ‘volume is described as ‘invaluable for school and university teaching of ancient Sparta’. The reviewer again says that the ‘volume is groundbreaking, without doubt a milestone in Spartan studies, and I will certainly be using it for my own teaching’; several authors contributed to this volume that includes 18 illustrations, 7 maps, and 5 tables.

Works of Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon Const. Lac., and Plutarch  Lycurg.,  and translated works on Tyrtaeus, Alcman and Aristophanes, are included in this volume to show that they reflect Spartan history.

Not only Spartan studies alone, studies relating to both classical and biblical area suffer from historical deficiencies as whole of Europe and Middle East are not seen as the ‘second settlements’ of ancient migrants; this is truth. So LACTOR 21 cannot stand as a historical source book for world history. It only misleads like its other earlier series. This is what academic scholarship is doing for more than two centuries.

Cavanagh’s views that “uncertainties make the study of archaeology both frustrating and stimulating’ is a reflection of the real situation for the classical studies. The difficulties of interpreting epigraphic and archaeological materials relate not only to Sparta but to all ancient regions. So the truth is that everything said and done in the last few centuries on classics and on biblical areas ‘need to be rewritten in the future’. That provides the reason why the sources are ‘presented rather than interpreted’. The controversial or otherwise problematic sources have not been touched in scholarly works for which reason the published works till date represent a false image of the classical world.

The original meaning of the Spartan executives reflects the geographical royal seat of Sparta; ‘gerousia’ is same as “Gouri’ or Goury country; the ‘ephorate’,  identifies ‘Bharata’ ; name of Sparta originated from the name of the crystal it produced then called ‘sphatika’; the name of the country known to Chinese was  Sphita-varas, or the country of the Sphatika

Spartiates-Parita

Mothakes-Mathura(Mathers’ Country)

Helots-Harita or the Green Sea region; mark this name in Vergil’s epics; Fertile Crescent of the Bible identifying  country of Agamemnun as Surasena

Messenians-Followers of Essenes or Issan

Peloponnesian- Pariplaba in the Erythranean Sea

The reigns of the Agiad and Eurypontid kings mark the region of Mt Caucasus;  Agiad as ‘Goury’, and Eury-pontid as country in the Erythraean Sea or the Red Sea defines a complete geography.

The second battle of Mantineia exactly identifies Mathura, and its geographical situation as neighbourly to Monkey kingdom also known as Mantua country.

The regency of Pausanias refers to Persians whose ancient origin is identified with Parsuram or Parsum.

It is unfortunate that scholars failed to connect Tyrtaeus with Tyre which is a biblical name and its historical position is well reflected in Alexander’s Indian invasion accounts. It is as same as Troy of Homeric epics. Name of Alcman identifies Rhadamanthys of the Greek who migrated to ‘East’ and became a ‘Judge’ there;  he was younger brother of Minos; he married Alcman. And the latter identifies name of a goddess in the East.

Meaning of words like agathoergoi and xenos should be referred to either through Indian puranic tradition or through Pali literature. Agathoetgoi should be read as a Gothic country of the tribe of ergoi people, a Skythian tribe. Simonides refers to Simodoi; Ptolemy’s Maps give a real picture of ancient Sparta; name of Plataea is same as Lata region itself.

Artemis Orthia, the Damonon stele, and the Xanthus pillar again pinpoints a region with Xanthus river which is as same as the river Sindhu/Indus.

The Lycian inscription from c.400 BCE that records the Persia-Sparta treaty of 412/1 at Caunus offers the best prescription for Sparta’s ancient identity; here Caunus is exactly the same as Kanauj,  a wonderful historical identity of the ancient world.  .

The Xouthis inscription, a bronze plaque from Tegea, c.450 BCE, refers to Tagar, one of the largest cities of the ancient world.

The Rylands Papyrus which credits Chilon and Anaxandridas with removing the tyrants Aeschines from Sikyon, and Hippias from Athens, similarly describe the regions like :

Chilon-Kolhan,

Anaxandridas –refers to Scamander or Chandi Das

Aeschines-Ashakanas

Sykyon-Sri-kantha(Shechem)

Hippias-Appians

Athens-Thuna/Upathuna(name of a ‘Tree’)