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 4
... perceptual filters.” For “structuring,” see Humphreys 1978; 2004. Cf. Siapkas 2003 on ethnicity in particular. 1.1 Framing the Problem: Defining Ethnography Before we proceed further 4 | The Invention of Greek Ethnography.
... perceptual filters.” For “structuring,” see Humphreys 1978; 2004. Cf. Siapkas 2003 on ethnicity in particular. 1.1 Framing the Problem: Defining Ethnography Before we proceed further 4 | The Invention of Greek Ethnography.
Page 12
... ethnic definition in Achaemenid art” (247). The manner in which Persians divided their empire into administrative units (satrapies) based on ethnic and cultural criteria has recently been linked to the earliest glimmerings of Greek ...
... ethnic definition in Achaemenid art” (247). The manner in which Persians divided their empire into administrative units (satrapies) based on ethnic and cultural criteria has recently been linked to the earliest glimmerings of Greek ...
Page 13
... ethnic types”: Persian riders and their commander, horse nomads, and what might reasonably be assumed to be Phrygian warriors.44 Like Sargon's Letter, these paintings represent something of an anomaly insofar as they are both one of the ...
... ethnic types”: Persian riders and their commander, horse nomads, and what might reasonably be assumed to be Phrygian warriors.44 Like Sargon's Letter, these paintings represent something of an anomaly insofar as they are both one of the ...
Page 19
... (ethnicity); Foxhall and Salmon 1998; Brulé 2003 (gender); Vlassopoulos 2007b (subaltern voices). For wide-ranging discussion of Mediterranean identities see now van Dommelen and Knapp 2011b. considerable controversy. Great stress has ...
... (ethnicity); Foxhall and Salmon 1998; Brulé 2003 (gender); Vlassopoulos 2007b (subaltern voices). For wide-ranging discussion of Mediterranean identities see now van Dommelen and Knapp 2011b. considerable controversy. Great stress has ...
Page 21
... ethnic identity (loosely defined or “aggregative”) to an oppositional one based upon cultural criteria. This ultimately results in the now-familiar platitudes highlighting the importance of “self” and “other” in defining Greek—or more ...
... ethnic identity (loosely defined or “aggregative”) to an oppositional one based upon cultural criteria. This ultimately results in the now-familiar platitudes highlighting the importance of “self” and “other” in defining Greek—or more ...
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