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 3
... recently been down-dated to the late sixth–early fifth century b.c., a period of mounting tension between Ionian ... recent commentators who see Ionia as the locus of the Greek–barbarian antithesis): “Early ethnography is marked by a ...
... recently been down-dated to the late sixth–early fifth century b.c., a period of mounting tension between Ionian ... recent commentators who see Ionia as the locus of the Greek–barbarian antithesis): “Early ethnography is marked by a ...
Page 4
... recent events, an accomplished exponent of the genre underwent a dramatic conversion: Herodotus the ethnographer gave way to Herodotus the historian, and an entirely new genre emerged in the form of so-called Great Historiography.5 ...
... recent events, an accomplished exponent of the genre underwent a dramatic conversion: Herodotus the ethnographer gave way to Herodotus the historian, and an entirely new genre emerged in the form of so-called Great Historiography.5 ...
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... recent years following a profound shift in attitudes that marked the gradual stagnation and ultimate disintegration of “old world” colonial empires.15 In fact, traditional definitions of ethnography do little justice to a field of ...
... recent years following a profound shift in attitudes that marked the gradual stagnation and ultimate disintegration of “old world” colonial empires.15 In fact, traditional definitions of ethnography do little justice to a field of ...
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... recent years.23 It follows, therefore, that while modern anthropologists now concern themselves with recounting ethnographies of television, popular literature, and inner-city youth culture, Greek ethnographers are still restricted—by ...
... recent years.23 It follows, therefore, that while modern anthropologists now concern themselves with recounting ethnographies of television, popular literature, and inner-city youth culture, Greek ethnographers are still restricted—by ...
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... recent critique of “extreme cultural constructionist readings of ancient ethnography” (211) and an alternative, prose-orientated approach highlighting the importance of the middle ground as a source of ethnographic data. 29When ...
... recent critique of “extreme cultural constructionist readings of ancient ethnography” (211) and an alternative, prose-orientated approach highlighting the importance of the middle ground as a source of ethnographic data. 29When ...
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