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. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 51
Page 12
... played a role in the ideologies and power structures of earlier Near Eastern empires and presents Ionian Greeks as lacking the imagination or originality necessary to devise systems of thought and understanding capable of accommodating ...
... played a role in the ideologies and power structures of earlier Near Eastern empires and presents Ionian Greeks as lacking the imagination or originality necessary to devise systems of thought and understanding capable of accommodating ...
Page 14
... played in a wider discursive process—a process through which Greek culture and identity were both invented and defined.49 1.3 Ethnography (re) Defined. If we turn our attention again to the ancient Mediterranean world, a lively and wide ...
... played in a wider discursive process—a process through which Greek culture and identity were both invented and defined.49 1.3 Ethnography (re) Defined. If we turn our attention again to the ancient Mediterranean world, a lively and wide ...
Page 17
... played a role in a “Hellenic convergence”: “Greek-Barbarian 'difference' consists . . . in the multi-polar differences among barbarians that Greeks could observe which seems to have been contrasted with what was recognizable, acceptable ...
... played a role in a “Hellenic convergence”: “Greek-Barbarian 'difference' consists . . . in the multi-polar differences among barbarians that Greeks could observe which seems to have been contrasted with what was recognizable, acceptable ...
Page 18
... played out and varied over time and space. In order to write a history of ethnographic activity and thought we will need to encompass multiple readings and perspectives, framing the problem in a very different manner from standard ...
... played out and varied over time and space. In order to write a history of ethnographic activity and thought we will need to encompass multiple readings and perspectives, framing the problem in a very different manner from standard ...
Page 29
... played an important role in deciding what it meant to be “Greek” in the first place. In order to fully appreciate the implications of this argument we must now retrace our steps to examine late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century ...
... played an important role in deciding what it meant to be “Greek” in the first place. In order to fully appreciate the implications of this argument we must now retrace our steps to examine late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century ...
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 |
Other editions - View all
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