The Invention of Greek Ethnography: From Homer to HerodotusGreek ethnography is commonly believed to have developed in conjunction with the wider sense of Greek identity that emerged during the Greeks' "encounter with the barbarian"--Achaemenid Persia--during the late sixth to early fifth centuries BC. The dramatic nature of this meeting, it was thought, caused previous imaginings to crystallise into the diametric opposition between "Hellene" and "barbarian" that would ultimately give rise to ethnographic prose. The Invention of Greek Ethnography challenges the legitimacy of this conventional narrative. Drawing on recent advances in ethnographic and cultural studies and in the material culture-based analyses of the Ancient Mediterranean, Joseph Skinner argues that ethnographic discourse was already ubiquitous throughout the archaic Greek world, not only in the form of texts but also in a wide range of iconographic and archaeological materials. As such, it can be differentiated both on the margins of the Greek world, like in Olbia and Calabria and in its imagined centers, such as Delphi and Olympia. The reconstruction of this "ethnography before ethnography" demonstrates that discourses of identity and difference played a vital role in defining what it meant to be Greek in the first place long before the fifth century BC. The development of ethnographic writing and historiography are shown to be rooted in this wider process of "positioning" that was continually unfurling across time, as groups and individuals scattered the length and breadth of the Mediterranean world sought to locate themselves in relation to the narratives of the past. This shift in perspective provided by The Invention of Greek Ethnography has significant implications for current understanding of the means by which a sense of Greek identity came into being, the manner in which early discourses of identity and difference should be conceptualized, and the way in which so-called "Great Historiography," or narrative history, should ultimately be interpreted. |
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Page x
... attempts to pass on their knowledge and expertise and the School's librarians for their utter brilliance, patience, and resourcefulness. For assistance with matters technical I am variously indebted to Andrew Wilson, Jennifer Mirdamadi ...
... attempts to pass on their knowledge and expertise and the School's librarians for their utter brilliance, patience, and resourcefulness. For assistance with matters technical I am variously indebted to Andrew Wilson, Jennifer Mirdamadi ...
Page 14
... attempt to catalogue them with a view to identifying qualities intrinsic to one group in particular would take us far beyond the remit of the present volume.48 Instead of emphasizing the apparent singularity of Greek ethnography as a ...
... attempt to catalogue them with a view to identifying qualities intrinsic to one group in particular would take us far beyond the remit of the present volume.48 Instead of emphasizing the apparent singularity of Greek ethnography as a ...
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... attempt to conceptualize—and on some levels explain— complex historical processes and the overarching narratives through which they are interpreted.63 The comparative ease with which Greek ethnography is defined as a genre is a direct ...
... attempt to conceptualize—and on some levels explain— complex historical processes and the overarching narratives through which they are interpreted.63 The comparative ease with which Greek ethnography is defined as a genre is a direct ...
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... Attempts to identify the point at which the ethnogenesis of “the community of the Hellenes” actually occurred have provoked 67On “Greek difference”: Brock and Hodkinson 2000; Redfield 2003; Morgan 2003; Hornblower 2008; Zacharia 2008 ...
... Attempts to identify the point at which the ethnogenesis of “the community of the Hellenes” actually occurred have provoked 67On “Greek difference”: Brock and Hodkinson 2000; Redfield 2003; Morgan 2003; Hornblower 2008; Zacharia 2008 ...
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... attempt at a more even-handed approach to ancient identity construction was long overdue and should be heartily ... attempts have been made to apply theoretical frameworks imported from outside the discipline, these have proved ...
... attempt at a more even-handed approach to ancient identity construction was long overdue and should be heartily ... attempts have been made to apply theoretical frameworks imported from outside the discipline, these have proved ...
Contents
3 | |
CHAPTER 2 Populating the Imaginaire | 59 |
CHAPTER 3 Mapping Ethnography | 111 |
CHAPTER 4 Mapping Identities | 151 |
CHAPTER 5 The Invention of Greek Ethnography | 233 |
Abbreviations | 259 |
Bibliography | 263 |
Index | 327 |
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The Invention of Greek Ethnography: From Homer to Herodotus Joseph E. Skinner No preview available - 2012 |
Common terms and phrases
activity ancient appear approach Archaic argued argument associated Athens attempt attributed authors barbarian Cambridge century b.c. chapter Classical coins concepts concerning constructed context cult cultural Cyrene dating defined depicted described detailed difference discourse discussion early effectively emergence engagement entirely equally ethnic ethnographic evidence example extent fact fifth century figure foreign further Greek groups Hall Hellenic Herodotus Homeric ideas identity images imagined important indicative individuals interest interpreted Italy knowledge lands largely least linked Malkin manner material matter means Mediterranean myth narrative nature objects Olbia origins Oxford particular perhaps period Persian played political populations practice prose questions range recent references reflect regarding region relating remains represent result role sanctuaries Scythian sense significant sixth social society suggests thought tion trade traditions University Press variety various widely wider