# David Pritchard

**Source**: https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/2082
**Parent**: https://about.uq.edu.au/faculties-institutes/hmbs/schools-institutes-centres/qcops/our-people

Dr

# David Pritchard

Email:
:   [d.pritchard@uq.edu.au](mailto:d.pritchard@uq.edu.au)

Phone:
:   [+61 7 336 53338](tel:+61 7 336 53338)

Mobile:
:   [0401 955 160](tel:0401 955 160)

## Positions

Associate Professor
:   School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry
:   Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences

## Overview

### Background

David M. Pritchard is Associate Professor of Greek History at the University of Queensland (Australia), where he has chaired the Discipline of Classics and Ancient History. He has obtained 15 research fellowships in Australia, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. In 2022-3, he was a research fellow in the Nantes Institute for Advanced Study (France). Associate Professor Pritchard is currently the lead chief investigator on a large project that is funded by the Australian Research Council. He is the author of *Athenian Democracy at War* (Cambridge University Press 2019), *Sport, Democracy and War in Classical Athens* (Cambridge University Press 2013) and *Public Spending and Democracy in Classical Athens* (University of Texas Press 2015). Associate Professor Pritchard has edited *The Athenian Funeral Oration: After Nicole Loraux* (Cambridge University Press 2024) and *War, Democracy and Culture in Classical Athens* (Cambridge University Press 2010), and co-edited *Sport and Festival in the Ancient Greek World* (Classical Press of Wales 2003). He has also published 65 journal articles and book chapters. Associate Professor Pritchard has an *h-*index of 21 and more than 1600 known citations. He has obtained the equivalent of 2 million Australian dollars in research funding. Associate Professor Pritchard speaks on the radio and regularly writes for newspapers around the world. His 50 op.-eds have appeared in, among other outlets, *Die Süddeutsche Zeitung* (Germany), *Le Monde* (France), *Le Figaro* (France), *Ouest-France*, *The Conversation* (France), *Kathimerini* (Greece), *Scroll.in* (India), *The Age* (Australia), *The Australian* and *Politike* (Brazil). He obtained his PhD in Ancient History from Macquarie University (Australia).

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### Availability

Dr David Pritchard is:
:   Available for supervision
:   Media expert

### Fields of research

[Classical Greek and Roman history](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/search?research-field=6801)
[Historical studies](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/search?research-field=4909)
[History, Heritage and Archaeology](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/search?research-field=4769)

### Qualifications

- Doctor of Philosophy of Ancient History, Macquarie University
- Doctor of Philosophy, Macquarie University

### Research interests

- #### Fourth-Century Athens at War: After Claude Mossé

  This co-edited volume is a major contribution to the rewriting of Athenian history after 404 BC. Traditionally, historians of classical Greece understood the fourth century as a period of steep decline. Claude Mossé – the pioneering French ancient historian – did the most promote the view that fourth-century Athens never recovered from its crushing defeat in the Peloponnesian War. For Mossé, this decline had a clear military dimension: postwar Athens was no longer a military success and hence could not stop the rise of Philip II and Alexander the Great. In the last 40 years, there has been a general rewriting of this traditional view. We now know that fourth-century Athens quickly recovered economically and politically. Nonetheless, we still do not have a new comprehensive assessment of the military record of postwar Athens. Fourth-Century Athens at War provides this new detailed picture. It brings together 18 leading Hellenists to study all aspects of Athenian warfare between 404 and 322. Project-members met at a major conference in Nantes (France) in 2023. Routledge has already expressed the firmest-possible interest in publishing our volume. Fourth-Century Athens at War will probably appear in 2025. This project is also funded by the Australian Research Council.

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- #### Society and Democracy in Classical Athens

  The major project on which I will focus after 2023. I will seek up to 2.5 million € of funding for this major 5-year project from the Australian Research Council, the European Research Council, the British Academy and/or the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council. The project will include 2 postdoctoral research fellows and 2 doctoral students. It will thoroughly explore the symbiosis of society and democracy in classical Athens. Classical Athenians generally divided themselves into 2 social classes: the rich and the poor. They did not use these terms vaguely to describe the prosperity of some relative to others. Rather the terms described 2 distinct social groups who, in reality, had different ways of life and public obligations. Vital as this class distinction was, ancient historians have not thoroughly analysed how it operated practically and how it interacted with democratic politics. Drawing especially on the sociology of Pierre Bourdieu, I will analyse how individual Athenians carefully performed their respective class positions and how some of them successfully moved from one class to another. My monograph will also study how democratic politics allowed the poor to redefine this social distinction and to enact public policies in tune with their evolving class-related perceptions. The project’s 4 other members will study afresh the other social groups of classical Athens: Attic women, metics and slaves. In addition to 3 monographs and 2 doctoral theses, there will be a major international conference leading to an edited volume of 20 or so chapters.

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- #### The Athenian Funeral Oration: After Nicole Loraux

  Classical Athens staged a funeral oration almost every year for dead combatants. In 1981, Nicole Loraux transformed our understanding of this literary genre. Her The Invention of Athens showed how it reminded the Athenians who they were as a people. Loraux demonstrated how each funeral speech helped them to maintain the same self-identity for more than a century. In spite of this, The Invention of Athens was far from complete. Loraux played down authorship as a subject because it made it easier for her to prove that the funeral speeches were part of a long-stable tradition. But it also meant that her book ignored important questions about all of them. The funeral oration was striking for being thoroughly pro-war. The Invention of Athens never compared it to the other literary genres that Athenian democracy sponsored. Consequently, Loraux could not prove whether they ever counterbalanced the funeral oration’s cultural militarism. I have brought together 20 Hellenists from across the world to finish Loraux’s book. Cambridge University Press published our edited volume of 554 pages in 2024. The Athenian Funeral Oration: After Nicole Loraux answers the important questions that Loraux ignored. It completes the intertextual analysis that is simply missing in The Invention of Athens. What emerges is a speech that had a much greater political impact than Loraux ever imagined. This edited volume puts the study of war in Athenian culture on a completely new footing.

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- #### The Children of Athena: The Armed Forces of Classical Athens

  Classical Athens perfected participatory democracy, while many plays from there are still staged today. This ancient Greek state is rightly famous for these remarkable political and cultural successes. Much less well known is the other side of Athenian history. Classical Athens completely transformed warfare and quickly became a superpower. The Athenian armed forces were simply unmatched in their size and professionalism. In spite of this striking military success, there is still no book-length study of how the Athenian people waged their almost nonstop wars. I have signed a contract with CUP to publish this monograph. In 431 BC, Pericles famously spoke about the numbers in each branch of the Athenian armed forces. The Armed Forces of Classical Athens fills this significant gap in Athenian historiography by going behind this political leader’s famous numbers. My book studies the institutional history of each of Athens’s 4 military corps as well as the legal and social background of corps-members. It explores how they were recruited and generally thought about their military service. The book reveals for the first time the common concepts and practices that the Athenian people used to manage their armed forces. I have already written two thirds of The Armed Forces of Classical Athens. Cambridge University Press will publish this fourth monograph of mine in 2025. This project is funded by the Australian Research Council.

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### Research impacts

Democratic Athens was the most important Greek state of the classical world. The major public activities of the classical Athenians were politics, religious festivals and wars. In each activity, Athens was a runaway success. It developed democracy to a far higher level than any other ancient state. It became one of the ancient world’s superpowers. It staged more festivals than any other *polis*. My research has significantly advanced our knowledge of all 3 activities. I have studied extensively how the Athenians waged their almost nonstop wars. I have published the most detailed analysis of the extent of participation in their games. I have investigated how the conception of sport and war with a common set of concepts impacted on the public standing of both activities. I have shown how the military and the cultural innovations of the Athenians were direct products of their democracy. I have completed the first exhaustive investigation, since August Böckh, of how much they spent on their 3 major public activities.

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## Works

[Search Professor David Pritchard’s works on UQ eSpace](http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/list/author_id/75287)

[All
(151)](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts-publication/2082/all)
[Book
(6)](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts-publication/2082/4747)
[Journal Article
(52)](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts-publication/2082/4748)
[Other Outputs
(68)](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts-publication/2082/4749)
[Conference Publication
(2)](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts-publication/2082/4751)
[Book Chapter
(23)](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts-publication/2082/4752)

Featured

2024

Book

##### The Athenian Funeral Oration: After Nicole Loraux

David M. Pritchard ed. (2024). The Athenian Funeral Oration: After Nicole Loraux. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/9781009413053

[The Athenian Funeral Oration: After Nicole Loraux](https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:89da61d)

Featured

2022

Book

##### A Democracia Ateniense em Guerra

Pritchard, David M. (2022). A Democracia Ateniense em Guerra. Coimbra, Portugal: Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra. doi: 10.14195/978-989-26-2179-1

[A Democracia Ateniense em Guerra](https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:ca55dd6)

Featured

2019

Book

##### Athenian democracy at war

Pritchard, David M. (2019). Athenian democracy at war. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/9781108525572

[Athenian democracy at war](https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:66c7349)

Featured

2015

Book

##### Public Spending and Democracy in Classical Athens

Pritchard, David M. (2015). Public Spending and Democracy in Classical Athens. Austin, TX, United States: University of Texas Press. doi: 10.7560/772038

[Public Spending and Democracy in Classical Athens](https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:372949)

Featured

2013

Book

##### Sport, Democracy and War in Classical Athens

Pritchard, David M. (2013). Sport, Democracy and War in Classical Athens. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/CBO9781139030519

[Sport, Democracy and War in Classical Athens](https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:299542)

Featured

2010

Book

##### War, Democracy and Culture in Classical Athens

David Pritchard ed. (2010). War, Democracy and Culture in Classical Athens. Cambridge, U.K .: Cambridge University Press.

[War, Democracy and Culture in Classical Athens](https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:238179)

2026

Other Outputs

##### 'The Cadetship of Classical Athens’ David M. Pritchard 2026 (in press), in T. H. Nielsen, L. Rubenstein and A. Schwartz (eds.), Studies in Memory of Mogens Herman Hansen, Copenhagen

Pritchard, David M. (2026). 'The Cadetship of Classical Athens’ David M. Pritchard 2026 (in press), in T. H. Nielsen, L. Rubenstein and A. Schwartz (eds.), Studies in Memory of Mogens Herman Hansen, Copenhagen.

['The Cadetship of Classical Athens’ David M. Pritchard 2026 (in press), in T. H. Nielsen, L. Rubenstein and A. Schwartz (eds.), Studies in Memory of Mogens Herman Hansen, Copenhagen](https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:d8d19e1)

2025

Other Outputs

##### David M. Pritchard 2026, 'The Military Reforms of Fourth-Century Athens', in D. M. Pritchard and I. Worthington (eds.), Waging War in Fourth-Century Athens: New Appraisals, 66-90, Oxford (Routledge)

Pritchard, David M. (2025). David M. Pritchard 2026, 'The Military Reforms of Fourth-Century Athens', in D. M. Pritchard and I. Worthington (eds.), Waging War in Fourth-Century Athens: New Appraisals, 66-90, Oxford (Routledge).

[David M. Pritchard 2026, 'The Military Reforms of Fourth-Century Athens', in D. M. Pritchard and I. Worthington (eds.), Waging War in Fourth-Century Athens: New Appraisals, 66-90, Oxford (Routledge)](https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:62f7a70)

2024

Book Chapter

##### The Funeral Oration after Loraux

Pritchard, David M. (2024). The Funeral Oration after Loraux. The Athenian Funeral Oration: After Nicole Loraux. (pp. 1-55) edited by David M. Pritchard. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/9781009413053.003

[The Funeral Oration after Loraux](https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:1690fad)

2024

Book Chapter

##### Sailors in the Funeral Oration and Beyond

Pritchard, David M. (2024). Sailors in the Funeral Oration and Beyond. The Athenian Funeral Oration: After Nicole Loraux. (pp. 376-413) edited by David M. Pritchard. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/9781009413053.020

[Sailors in the Funeral Oration and Beyond](https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:f9fec94)

2023

Other Outputs

##### An ancient reason for hope in Ukraine

Pritchard, David M. (2023, 07 01). An ancient reason for hope in Ukraine Neos Kosmos 21-21.

[An ancient reason for hope in Ukraine](https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:ae59da2)

2023

Other Outputs

##### An ancient reason for hope in Ukraine

Pritchard, David M. (2023, 06 02). An ancient reason for hope in Ukraine Kathimerini, English-Language Edition

[An ancient reason for hope in Ukraine](https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:919f529)

2023

Other Outputs

##### The children (and men) of the Piraeus

Pritchard, David M. (2023, 05 02). The children (and men) of the Piraeus Kathimerini, English-Language Edition

[The children (and men) of the Piraeus](https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:6d98964)

2023

Other Outputs

##### David M. Pritchard 2023 (in press), 'Sailors in the Funeral Oration and Beyond', in D. M. Pritchard (ed.), The Athenian Funeral Oration: After Nicole Loraux, Cambridge (Cambridge University Press)

Pritchard, David M. (2023). David M. Pritchard 2023 (in press), 'Sailors in the Funeral Oration and Beyond', in D. M. Pritchard (ed.), The Athenian Funeral Oration: After Nicole Loraux, Cambridge (Cambridge University Press).

[David M. Pritchard 2023 (in press), 'Sailors in the Funeral Oration and Beyond', in D. M. Pritchard (ed.), The Athenian Funeral Oration: After Nicole Loraux, Cambridge (Cambridge University Press)](https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:87a0c5c)

2023

Other Outputs

##### David M. Pritchard 2023 (in press), 'The Funeral Oration after Loraux', in D. M. Pritchard (ed.), The Athenian Funeral Oration: After Nicole Loraux, Cambridge (Cambridge University Press)

Pritchard, David M. (2023). David M. Pritchard 2023 (in press), 'The Funeral Oration after Loraux', in D. M. Pritchard (ed.), The Athenian Funeral Oration: After Nicole Loraux, Cambridge (Cambridge University Press).

[David M. Pritchard 2023 (in press), 'The Funeral Oration after Loraux', in D. M. Pritchard (ed.), The Athenian Funeral Oration: After Nicole Loraux, Cambridge (Cambridge University Press)](https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:fbeeebc)

2022

Book Chapter

##### Sold: Griechisch

Pritchard, David M. (2022). Sold: Griechisch. Militärgeschichte der griechisch-römischen Antike Lexikon. (pp. 969-973) edited by L. A. Burckhardt and M. A. Speidel. Stuttgart, Germany: J. B. Metzler.

[Sold: Griechisch](https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:3446f33)

2022

Other Outputs

##### Athenian democracy makes us reflect on war and peace

Pritchard, David M. (2022, 11 11). Athenian democracy makes us reflect on war and peace Kathimerini, English-Language Edition

[Athenian democracy makes us reflect on war and peace](https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:cd7e9be)

2022

Other Outputs

##### Athenian democracy makes us reflect on war and peace

Pritchard, David M. (2022, 11 11). Athenian democracy makes us reflect on war and peace Neos Kosmos

[Athenian democracy makes us reflect on war and peace](https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:86d4715)

2022

Other Outputs

##### La démocratie athénienne nous fait réfléchir sur la guerre et la paix

Pritchard, David M. (2022, 11 11). La démocratie athénienne nous fait réfléchir sur la guerre et la paix Ouest-France 21-21.

[La démocratie athénienne nous fait réfléchir sur la guerre et la paix](https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:910fecd)

2022

Journal Article

##### Book review of M. Barbato 2020, The Ideology of Democratic Athens: Institutions, Orators and the Mythical Past, Edinburgh

Pritchard, David M. (2022). Book review of M. Barbato 2020, The Ideology of Democratic Athens: Institutions, Orators and the Mythical Past, Edinburgh. Topoi: Orient-Occident, 24, 519-524.

[Book review of M. Barbato 2020, The Ideology of Democratic Athens: Institutions, Orators and the Mythical Past, Edinburgh](https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:8b0a72e)

## Funding

### Current funding

- 2020 - 2026

  From Where the Fine Warships Come: Democratic Athens at War

  ARC Discovery Projects

  [Open grant](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/project/38807)

### Past funding

- 2019 - 2020

  'From Where the Fine Warships Come': Democratic Athens at War

  The Collegium de Lyon Research Residency

  [Open grant](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/project/37813)
- 2017 - 2018

  Democracy and War in Ancient Athens

  University of Strasbourg Institute of Advanced Study

  [Open grant](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/project/33417)
- 2017 - 2018

  The Athenian Funeral Oration Project

  Fritz Thyssen Foundation Travel Subsidies

  [Open grant](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/project/33416)
- 2015 - 2016

  War and Democracy in Ancient Athens and Today

  University of Strasbourg Institute of Advanced Study

  [Open grant](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/project/26583)
- 2014

  Cultural perceptions of violence in the Hellenistic world

  UWA-UQ Bilateral Research Collaboration Award

  [Open grant](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/project/20848)
- 2011 - 2012

  ResTEach 2011 0.2 FTE School of History, philosophy, Religion and Classics

  UQ ResTeach

  [Open grant](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/project/46288)
- 2009

  The Impact of Democracy on the War-Making of Fifth-Century Athens

  UQ Early Career Researcher

  [Open grant](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/project/10732)
- 2008 - 2010

  Sport, War and Democracy in Classical Athens

  UQ New Staff Research Start-Up Fund

  [Open grant](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/project/44812)

View all 8 past funded projects
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## Supervision

### Availability

Dr David Pritchard is:
:   Available for supervision

Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on [how to choose a supervisor](https://study.uq.edu.au/study-options/phd-mphil-professional-doctorate/how-to-choose-a-supervisor).

### Supervision history

#### Current supervision

- Doctor Philosophy

  ##### Archaic Athens at War: The Polis, the Elite and the Demos

  Principal Advisor

  Other advisors:
  [Professor Alastair Blanshard](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/9451)
- Doctor Philosophy

  ##### Democracy and Religion in Classical Athens

  Principal Advisor

  Other advisors:
  [Professor Alastair Blanshard](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/9451)
- Master Philosophy

  ##### Democracy at War: The Military Reforms of Fourth Century Athens

  Principal Advisor

  Other advisors:
  [Dr Annabel Florence](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/33467)
- Doctor Philosophy

  ##### For the New Age to Rise, the Old Must Fall: Greek Mythological and Philosophical Creation from Destruction, Chaos and Absence

  Principal Advisor

  Other advisors:
  [Dr Annabel Florence](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/33467)
- Master Philosophy

  ##### Democracy and Food Security in Fourth Century Athens

  Principal Advisor

  Other advisors:
  [Dr Annabel Florence](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/33467)

View all 5 current supervisions
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#### Completed supervision

- 2025

  Master Philosophy

  ##### [Peace and War in the Public Discourse of Democratic Athens](https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:d2a3a82)

  Principal Advisor

  Other advisors:
  [Professor Alastair Blanshard](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/9451)
- 2020

  Doctor Philosophy

  ##### [Athens After Defeat: Warmaking and Public Finance from 404/3 to 370/69 BC](https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:4dab34a)

  Principal Advisor
- 2018

  Master Philosophy

  ##### [Gods on the Comic Stage](https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:d8975af)

  Principal Advisor
- 2014

  Master Philosophy

  ##### [Attic Women and Goddesses: Democracy, Patriarchy and Religion](https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:334824)

  Principal Advisor
- 2023

  Master Philosophy

  ##### [Domestic Violence in the Athenian Law-Court Speeches: Perception, Procedure and Punishment](https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:aee1a71)

  Associate Advisor

  Other advisors:
  [Professor Alastair Blanshard](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/9451)

View all 5 completed supervisions
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## Media

### Enquiries

Contact Dr David Pritchard directly for media enquiries about:

- Ancient Democracy
- Ancient Greece
- Ancient History
- Ancient Sport
- Ancient Warfare
- Classical Athens
- Democracy
- The Ancient Olympics

#### Need help?

For help with finding experts, story ideas and media enquiries, contact our Media team:

[communications@uq.edu.au](mailto:communications@uq.edu.au)

## External profiles

- [ORCID](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1405-6852)
- [ResearcherID](https://www.webofscience.com/wos/author/record/U-9462-2017)
- [Scopus](https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=54925861900)
- [Google Scholar](https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=E8xupO0AAAAJ)

## Personal links

- [Personal profile](https://hapi.uq.edu.au/profile/765/dr-david-pritchard)
- [L’Institut d’études avancées de Nantes](https://www.iea-nantes.fr/fr/chercheurs/pritchard-david_527)
- [Le Collegium de Lyon](https://collegium.universite-lyon.fr/m-david-pritchard--84258.kjsp?RH=1544607591835)
- [L’Institut d’études avancées de l’Université de Strasbourg](http://www.usias.fr/fr/fellows/fellows-2015/david-pritchard/)
- [UQ Open-Access Collection](http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/collection/UQ:152015)
- [Durham University's Institute of Advanced Study](https://www.dur.ac.uk/ias/fellows/iasfellows/1415/pritchard/)
- [Academia.edu website](https://davidpritchard.academia.edu/)

View all links
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## Social media

- [Linkedin](https://uq.academia.edu/DavidPritchard)
- [X](https://twitter.com/DMPritchardUQ)
- [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551540830751)

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