Professor Paul Cartledge, famous for his works on ancient Sparta and Alexander the Great, received one of Greece’s highest honors in a ceremony in London on March 25, the feast of the Annunciation (Evangelismos) and bicentenary of the start of the Greek Revolution.

The Order of Honour, established by the Hellenic Republic in 1975, has five classes. It is bestowed upon individuals, who, through their distinguished positions and endeavors, have contributed to the promotion of Greece.

The former A.G. Leventis Professor of Greek Culture and personal chair in Greek History at the University of Cambridge received the award from H.E. Ioannis Raptakis, the Greek Ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Professor Cartledge is a lifelong Philhellene and “Laconophile” – a lover of Spartan history and culture – and is recognized as a “Son of Sparta”, an honorary citizen of (modern) Sparta. He was previously awarded the Gold Cross of the Order of Honour in 2002.

During his long and distinguished academic career in ancient Greek history, Professor Cartledge has written, co-written, and edited over 25 books, including the best-selling The Spartans: An Epic History and Thermopylae: The Battle that Changed the World.

His latest work, Thebes: The Forgotten City of Ancient Greece, explores why Thebes, at one point the most powerful city in ancient Greece, has been overshadowed in classical scholarship by its better-known rivals, Athens and Sparta.