Matthew A. Sears
Assistant Professor
Matthew Sears joined the department of Classics and Ancient History in July, 2013. Prior to coming to UNB, he taught for two years at Wabash College, a liberal arts college in Indiana. He is broadly interested in ancient Greek politics, society, and culture; cross-cultural contact in the ancient Mediterranean; ancient historiography; and the history of classical warfare. His doctoral work focused on the inter-state and cross-cultural relationship between Athens and Thrace (a region on the northern periphery of the Greek world), particularly the experiences of a number of prominent Athenian military leaders. His book on this topic, Athens, Thrace, and the Shaping of Athenian Leadership, has been published by Cambridge University Press. Currently, Sears is working on two book projects. The first explores the importance of the Spartan general Brasidas' campaign in Thrace during the Peloponnesian War. Brasidas inaugurated what we might call the "Spartan tradition of imperialism," the central idea of which is that it is a moral good to force peoples and states to be free, even by military means. Such ideas have continued on to the present day where they are routinely dismissed as mere hypocrisy. For Brasidas and the Spartans in the fifth-century BCE, however, there was no practical or philosophical contradiction in liberation even against the will of the liberated. The other book, tentatively titled Battles and Battlefields of Ancient Greece: A Guide to their History, Topography, and Archaeology, is being co-written by Jake Butera of the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and is under contract with Pen & Sword books. This book, a traveller’s guide, will include historical overviews, site descriptions, and detailed guides to further reading for twenty of Greece’s most important and evocative ancient battles. Sears has published articles and presented papers on many aspects of the ancient world, including the depiction of soldiers in the Iliad, the diplomatic techniques employed by the Persians during their invasion of Greece, and Thucydides’ literary treatment of the Battle of Pylos.
Sears has taught across the spectrum of Classics and Ancient History, including all levels of Greek and Latin language, and courses in-translation on ancient history, literature, society, and culture. He has led students abroad to Italy, and looks forward to participating in UNB’s intersession tours of Greece, Rome, and Turkey. A highlight of his teaching career was the detailed mock ancient battle he organized at Wabash College, which yielded a surprising number of insights not afforded by literary evidence alone.
Education
BA (UNB), Seymour Fellow (American School of Classical Studies at Athens), PhD (Cornell)
Recent Publications
Books
- Battles and Battlefields of Ancient Greece: A Guide to their History, Topography and Archaeology (co-author with C. Jacob Butera). Forthcoming, under contract with Pen & Sword Books.
- Athens, Thrace, and the Shaping of Athenian Leadership. Cambridge University Press, March 2013.
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- “The Topography of the Pylos Campaign and Thucydides’ Literary Themes.” Hesperia 80.1 (2011) 157-168.
- “Warrior Ants: Elite Troops in the Iliad.” Classical World 103.2 (2010) 139-155.
- “A Note on Mardonius’ Emissaries.” Mouseion 9.1 (2009) 21-28.
Book Chapter
- “Athens (Influence and Interaction).” In C. D. Graninger, J. Valeva and E. Nankov, eds., A Companion to Ancient Thrace. Forthcoming, under contract with Wiley-Blackwell.
Book Reviews
- Frank L. Holt, Lost World of the Golden King: In Search of Ancient Afghanistan, Berekely, 2012; The Journal of Military History 77.2 (2013) 679-680.
- Sara Forsdyke, Slaves Tell Tales: And Other Episodes in the Politics of Popular Culture in Ancient Greece, Princeton, 2012; Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2013.02.24.
- Robert D. Luginbill, Author of Illusions: Thucydides’ Rewriting of the Peloponnesian War, Newcastle upon Tyne, 2011; Journal of Hellenic Studies 132 (2012) 208-209.
- Larissa Bonfante, ed., The Barbarians of Ancient Europe, Cambridge, 2011; Journal of Hellenic Studies 132 (2012) 200-201.
- Richard A. Gabriel, Philip II of Macedonia: Greater than Alexander, Washington, 2010; Classical Review 61.2 (2011) 540-542.
- Peter Krentz, The Battle of Marathon, New Haven, 2010; Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2010.11.02.
Teaching (2013-2014)
- ARTS 1000 The Development of Western Thought (Fall Lecturer)
- CLASS 3003 Ancient History: The Greeks from the Bronze Age to the Persian Wars
- GRK 2203/3203 Intermediate Greek
- GRK 4233 Reading Greek Authors II: Homer
Contact Information:
Office: Carleton 241
Phone: (506) 458-7399
