A Spartan lifestyle proverbially describes austerity; ancient Greek luxury was associated with Ionia and the oriental world. The contributions to this book, first presented at a conference held by the University of Nottingham's Centre for Spartan and Peloponnesian Studies, reverse the stereotype and explore the role of luxury and wealth at Sparta and among its Peloponnesian neighbours from the Iron Age to the Hellenistic period.

Using literary, archaeological, epigraphic and numismatic evidence, an international team of specialists investigates the definition and changing meanings of the term luxury and its nearest ancient Greek equivalents, providing new insights into Sparta's supposed abstention from luxury, and the way that this was portrayed by ancient writers. They analyse wealth production and private and public spending, emphasising features that were distinctive to Sparta and the Peloponnese compared with other parts of ancient Greece. Other chapters investigate issues still familiar in the contemporary world: economic crisis and debt, austerity measures, and relief provisions for the poor.

Stephen Hodkinson is an internationally recognised authority on Sparta and the founder of the University of Nottingham's Centre for Spartan and Peloponnesian Studies. Author of numerous influential studies on Greek history, his Property and Wealth in Classical Sparta (2000) is the leading work in its field. He has been made an Honorary Citizen of modern Sparta for his contributions to the global understanding of Spartan history. He is currently Emeritus Professor of Ancient History at the University of Nottingham.

Chrysanthi Gallou is a leading specialist in Aegean prehistory, especially in the archaeology of Sparta and Lakonia. She is Director of the University of Nottingham's Centre for Spartan and Peloponnesian Studies. Author of many studies on the Greek Bronze and Early Iron Ages, her monograph Death in Mycenaean Laconia: A Silent Place (2020) is the first book-length study of the Late Bronze Age burial tradition in the south-eastern Peloponnese. She is currently Associate Professor of Archaeology at the University of Nottingham.