Last December, Topic hosted its first public event at Border's Cambridge. Over 85 people packed the room to hear Paul Cartledge, Professor of Greek History at Cambridge and contributor to Topic's Fantasy Issue, speak on the subject: "From Sparta to al Qaeda: The Difficult Question of Dying for a Cause."

Cartledge talk included an in depth look at Spartan society, from its women to its value systems. He challenged the popular conception of martyrdom, and suggested that Sparta is worth remembering now more than ever.

Middle: The talk was a resounding success: next time we'll have to find a larger venue.
Bottom: Paul Cartledge and Topic Editor in Chief David Haskell

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Paul Cartledge is a Professor of Greek History in the University of Cambridge and Director of Studies in Classics at Clare College, Cambridge. He is also a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London. In addition to numerous articles and reviews on Greek and Roman history and historiography, Cartledge is the editor of four books and the author of seven. His work has been translated into many languages, including German, Japanese, Greek, Spanish, Finnish, and Hebrew.

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