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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From Homer to Herodotus Joseph E. Skinner. Map of the ancient Mediterranean with principal sites mentioned in the text. Map by the author. The Invention of Greek Ethnography This page intentionally left blank.
From Homer to Herodotus Joseph E. Skinner. Map of the ancient Mediterranean with principal sites mentioned in the text. Map by the author. The Invention of Greek Ethnography This page intentionally left blank.
Page 3
... . No explanation of this impressive Hellenic mental trait is required.” (The author is responding to Schwabl 1962, 23.) imperial practices.3 The “invention” of Greek ethnography is widely agreed CHAPTER 1 Ethnography before Ethnography.
... . No explanation of this impressive Hellenic mental trait is required.” (The author is responding to Schwabl 1962, 23.) imperial practices.3 The “invention” of Greek ethnography is widely agreed CHAPTER 1 Ethnography before Ethnography.
Page 5
... authors elsewhere being referred to simply as logopoioi (“writers of logoi”).12 Indeed, while it would later become standard practice to refer to early ethnographic works using an adjective derived from the lands/peoples upon which they ...
... authors elsewhere being referred to simply as logopoioi (“writers of logoi”).12 Indeed, while it would later become standard practice to refer to early ethnographic works using an adjective derived from the lands/peoples upon which they ...
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... author. design?30 (See fig. 1.1.) The figures in question wear pointed caps and are, in a number of cases, depicted delivering what would later be referred to as a “Parthian shot”—turning in the saddle to loose an arrow while still at ...
... author. design?30 (See fig. 1.1.) The figures in question wear pointed caps and are, in a number of cases, depicted delivering what would later be referred to as a “Parthian shot”—turning in the saddle to loose an arrow while still at ...
Page 10
... authors is far from straightforward, however, and raises a very important question: to what extent were both Greek ethnography and any associated discourse regarding the habits and cultures of foreign peoples a specifically Greek ...
... authors is far from straightforward, however, and raises a very important question: to what extent were both Greek ethnography and any associated discourse regarding the habits and cultures of foreign peoples a specifically Greek ...
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 |
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activity ancient appear approach Archaic argued argument associated Athens attributed authors barbarian Cambridge century b.c. chapter Classical coins concepts concerning constructed context cult cultural customs 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 Greece 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 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