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 39
Page x
... remains incalculable: a collection of often bemused and long-suffering individuals without whose companionship this project would have seemed overwhelmingly daunting. For support and camaraderie in the face of adversity, including much ...
... remains incalculable: a collection of often bemused and long-suffering individuals without whose companionship this project would have seemed overwhelmingly daunting. For support and camaraderie in the face of adversity, including much ...
Page 7
... remains a very clear tension, therefore, between James Clifford's broader definition of ethnography and the 21 For valuable insights, however, see Kim 2009; Dougherty 2001; Malkin 1998a; Murray 1988–1989. 22 A selection includes: Hartog ...
... remains a very clear tension, therefore, between James Clifford's broader definition of ethnography and the 21 For valuable insights, however, see Kim 2009; Dougherty 2001; Malkin 1998a; Murray 1988–1989. 22 A selection includes: Hartog ...
Page 13
... remains something of a rarity and, as such, a comparatively unique response to the experience of intercultural contact. Explaining this apparent singularity is rather more difficult, however. So-called anomalies such as Sargon's Letter ...
... remains something of a rarity and, as such, a comparatively unique response to the experience of intercultural contact. Explaining this apparent singularity is rather more difficult, however. So-called anomalies such as Sargon's Letter ...
Page 15
... remains the subject of debate. It is unclear whether Herodotus's citation referred to this paean in particular or another espousing similar sentiments: “d A\a ö, äAAotov woupwa, Odetépav Š' aivet Öikav dwópóv čkaoTos” (Customs vary ...
... remains the subject of debate. It is unclear whether Herodotus's citation referred to this paean in particular or another espousing similar sentiments: “d A\a ö, äAAotov woupwa, Odetépav Š' aivet Öikav dwópóv čkaoTos” (Customs vary ...
Page 17
... remains a far cry from the idea of an elevated, rational, or scientific discourse (nascent or otherwise) of the kind attributed to the Ionian logographers in general, and individuals like Hecataeus and Herodotus in particular—largely ...
... remains a far cry from the idea of an elevated, rational, or scientific discourse (nascent or otherwise) of the kind attributed to the Ionian logographers in general, and individuals like Hecataeus and Herodotus in particular—largely ...
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