In general, the book is well-written, thoughtful, and Michalopoulos successfully brings to life a period in Spartan history that is too often neglected. The greatest achievement of the study is that Michalopoulos convincingly shows that the reigns of Agis, Cleomenes and Nabis should be seen as a wider revolutionary phenomenon and that the mortal agony of one of the most important and influential city states of Ancient Greece was a continuous struggle beginning in the middle of the third century.

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BRYN MAWR CLASSICAL REVIEW

This is a fascinating look at an often neglected period, tracing the political and military chaos caused by Sparta's last attempts to regain her lost glories. Sparta's last battlefield triumphs and defeats are seen alongside the political events within the city itself, which were often equally as violent, and we follow the story to the end of Spartan independence and her transformation into something close to a Spartan theme park within the Roman Empire.

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History of War, John Rickard

With In the Name of Lykourgos, Militiadis Michalopoulos gives us a fascinating political-military history of a unique period in the history of Ancient Greece… Michalopoulos has done a fine job in explaining a very complex series of political and military events, using ancient sources (largely Plutarch and Polybius) that do not always agree. He deals effectively both with the modern historiography on Sparta and the ancient historical sources. To sum up, it’s worth reading if you have an interest in Ancient Greek warfare or politics.

New York Military Affairs

Michalopoulos has done a fine job in explaining a very complex series of political and military events, using ancient sources (largely Plutarch and Polybius) that do not always agree. He argues that the Spartan reform movement matches the characteristics of what we would now call a revolution, with the fundamental transformation of Spartan society being the result. His assessment of both politics and the military campaigns in this period is judicious, with careful attention to the geography of the important battles (the terrain of which has been walked by the author). He deals effectively both with the modern historiography on Sparta and the ancient historical sources. To sum up, it’s worth reading if you have an interest in Ancient Greek warfare or politics.

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Strategy Page

This book, awarded the 2008 Lakedaimonian Prize of the Academy of Athens, is political and military history at its best.

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UNRV, Martin Holmes

As reviewed in

Minerva, May/June 2017 – reviewed by Dominic Green

This is an excellent book to learn not only everything about the Spartan government and way of life in its glory years, but also its tumultuous history as it fades from sight.

A Wargamers Needful things

As featured by

VaeVictis, March-April 2017