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
... widely assumed to have developed in tandem with the wider sense of (Greek) identity from which they took their cue. This collective sense of identity is generally thought to have remained hazy and loosely organized until the fifth ...
... widely assumed to have developed in tandem with the wider sense of (Greek) identity from which they took their cue. This collective sense of identity is generally thought to have remained hazy and loosely organized until the fifth ...
Page 4
... widely agreed to have paved the way for yet another great invention, however, a momentous development first conceived and expounded by the great German philologist and historian Felix Jacoby (1876–1959). 4 Inspired by recent events, an ...
... widely agreed to have paved the way for yet another great invention, however, a momentous development first conceived and expounded by the great German philologist and historian Felix Jacoby (1876–1959). 4 Inspired by recent events, an ...
Page 10
... widely documented) conventions for depicting foreign lands and peoples, the ideological bases of which can be traced back to as early as the third millennium b.c.33 According to these conventions, Egypt's neighbors were almost ...
... widely documented) conventions for depicting foreign lands and peoples, the ideological bases of which can be traced back to as early as the third millennium b.c.33 According to these conventions, Egypt's neighbors were almost ...
Page 17
... widely acknowledged in ethnographic studies—but discursive practices through which identities may actively be constructed.60 Far from being mere epiphenomena, discourses of identity and difference are in fact constitutive of identity.61 ...
... widely acknowledged in ethnographic studies—but discursive practices through which identities may actively be constructed.60 Far from being mere epiphenomena, discourses of identity and difference are in fact constitutive of identity.61 ...
Page 18
... widely subscribed-to) theory devised and expounded by Felix Jacoby charting the origins of the historical consciousness: the way in which Great Historiography came into being.66 While undoubtedly groundbreaking, Jacoby's thesis was ...
... widely subscribed-to) theory devised and expounded by Felix Jacoby charting the origins of the historical consciousness: the way in which Great Historiography came into being.66 While undoubtedly groundbreaking, Jacoby's thesis was ...
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