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More About This Title Archaic Greece - The Age of New Reckonings
English
An introductory guide to the Archaic period in ancient Greece—the people, their society, and their culture. Excerpts from literary and other texts give voice to the interests, concerns, and emotions of the Archaic Greeks themselves.
This book provides a brief but comprehensive introduction to the society and culture of the Archaic period in the Greek world from c. 750 to c. 480 BCE. It focuses on the persistent and often-conflicting themes, topics, and controversies of the Archaic Age (e.g., elite and non-elite, religion and science, tradition and humanism). It seeks to lead the reader to a broader and deeper understanding of the period by placing themes and topics in a mutually supportive contextual network that will underscore their significance.
Archaic Greece: The Age of New Reckonings begins with a chapter on how sources for the period are evaluated and deployed, and goes on to offer a concise yet thorough historical overview of the Archaic period. Subsequent chapters cover polis and politics; war and violence; religion; science; philosophy; art; literature; festivals and games; social forces, values, and behaviors; and gender and sex.
The book:
- Offers a novel approach to a very significant period that foregrounds literary evidence and the words voiced by Archaic Greeks, combining scholarship with readability;
- Conceptualizes Archaic Greek culture and society by focusing substantially on topics that supplement the history of the period;
- Combines diverse elements of society and culture, including religion, art, literature, games and festivals, gender, sexuality, and politics in order to develop a unique picture of Greece during the Archaic period;
- Includes a summarizing essay that draws chapters together, emphasizing the implications of their topics and themes.
Archaic Greece: The Age of New Reckonings should appeal to college-level instructors as a book to assign to students enrolled in courses involving Archaic Greece and to others interested in this intriguing and pivotal period in ancient Greece.
English
Images and Acknowledgments
Preface
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations and Citations
Maps
1 Sources for the Archaic Period
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Archaeology and the Material Remains
1.2.1 Pottery
1.2.2 Burials
1.2.3 Inscriptions
1.2.4 Other Types of Material Evidence
1.2.5 Problems of Interpretation
1.3 Literary Sources
1.3.1 Archaic Greek Poets
1.3.2 Prose Writers
1.4 Managing the Muses
1.4.1 Evaluating and Deploying the Evidence
Notes
Further Reading
2 A Brief Overview of the Archaic Period
2.1 Introduction
2.2 The Environment and Greek Life
2.2.1 The Land and the Sea
2.2.2 The Greeks and Others
2.3 The Early Archaic Period
2.4 The Seventh Century BCE: Expansion and Change
2.4.1 Colonies
2.4.2 Law Codes
2.4.3 Tyranny
2.5 The Sixth Century BCE: Conflict and Creation
2.5.1 The Kingdom of Lydia
2.5.2 The Empire of the Persians
2.5.3 Greek Culture in the Sixth Century BCE
2.6 The Early Fifth Century BCE: The Defeat of Persia
2.7 Sparta and Lakonia
2.8 Athens and Attika
Notes
Further Reading
Brief Timeline for the Archaic Period
3 Polis and Politics in Archaic Greece
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Origins and Nature of the Early Polis
3.3 Transformations of Leadership and Governance in the Archaic Polis
3.3.1 Basileis and Aristoi
3.3.2 Archaic Greek Tyrants and Tyranny
3.3.3 Lawgivers and Law Codes
3.4 Demokratia
3.4.1 Background
3.4.2 Kleisthenes and His Reforms
3.5 The Evolution of Politics and Government in Archaic Greece: A Summary
3.6 Politics and the Archaic Greek Farmer
Notes
Further Reading
4 War and Violence in Archaic Greece
4.1 Introduction
4.1.1 “Homeric” Warfare
4.2 Land Warfare in the Early Archaic Period
4.2.1 “Servant of the War-God”
4.2.2 Hoplites and the Phalanx
4.3 Land Warfare in the Later Archaic Period
4.3.1 Sparta, the Polis of War
4.4 Epilogue: The Causes of War
4.5 Summary
4.5.1 The Land War Experience in the Archaic Period
4.6 Conflict at Sea
4.6.1 Early Sea Travel and Piracy
4.6.2 Archaic Greek Ship-Guilds
4.6.3 Archaic Greek Ships
4.6.4 The Archaic Greeks and the Sea: A Summary
Notes
Further Reading
5 Archaic Greek Myth and Religion
5.1 Introduction
5.2 The Gods of Hesiod and Homer
5.2.1 Hesiod
5.2.2 Homer
5.2.3 Xenophanes’ Complaint
5.3 Sanctuaries and Seers
5.3.1 Sacred Space
5.3.2 Seers, Prophets, and Sibyls
5.3.3 Dodona and Delphi
5.4 Gods and Poleis
5.4.1 Cult and Identity
5.5 The Archaic Greeks and Their Gods
5.5.1 Law, Order, and Justice in the Kosmos
5.6 The Olympians
Notes
Further Reading
6 Early Greek Science
6.1 Darkness and Lumination
6.2 A Farmer’s Handbook: Hesiod’s Works and Days
6.3 The Near East, Miletos, and Science
6.3.1 Thales, Physikos kai Astronomikos
6.3.2 Anaximandros, Hekataios, and the World Imagined
6.3.3 Milesian Science: A Summary
6.4 “Wonders”
6.4.1 The Evolution of Archaic Greek Temples
6.4.2 Tunnels, Moles, and Bridges
6.5 Medicine
6.6 “Civilians,” Science, and Technology
Notes
Further Reading
7 Archaic Greek Philosophy
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Hesiod and Zeus
7.3 Ionian Philosophy
7.3.1 The Milesians and the Kosmos
7.4 Skepticism, Critics, and Epistemology
7.4.1 Xenophanes
7.4.2 Herakleitos
7.5 Mathematics and the Mystical
7.5.1 Pythagoras
7.6 Summary
7.6.1 Early Philosophers and the Archaic Greeks
Notes
Further Reading
8 The Art of the Archaic Greeks
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Archaic Pottery-Painting
8.2.1 Later Geometric Pottery
8.2.2 Early Archaic Pottery: Orientalizing, Proto-Corinthian, and Proto-Attic
8.2.3 Later Archaic Pottery: Black-Figure and Red-Figure Ware
8.3 Archaic Greek Sculpture
8.3.1 Introduction
8.3.2 Later Geometric Sculpture
8.3.3 Archaic Architectural Sculpture
8.3.4 Kouroi
8.3.5 Korai
8.4 Summary
8.4.1 Archaic Greek Art and Archaic Greeks
Notes
Further Reading
9 Archaic Greek Literature
9.1 Introduction
9.2 Homer
9.2.1 Iliad
9.2.2 Odyssey
9.3 Hesiod
9.4 Early Greek Lyric and Elegaic Poets
9.4.1 Archilochos
9.4.2 Semonides
9.4.3 Tyrtaios
9.4.4 Mimnermos
9.5 Later Lyric and Elegaic Poets
9.5.1 Sappho
9.5.2 Solon
9.5.3 Anakreon
9.5.4 Simonides
9.5.5 Pindar
9.6 Summary
Notes
Further Reading
10 Festivals and Games of the Archaic Greeks
10.1 Introduction
10.1.1 Pre-Olympic Festivals and Games
10.2 The Olympic Festival and Games
10.2.1 Origins and Arrangements
10.2.2 Agones
10.2.3 Nike (“Victory”)
10.2.4 The Panhellenic Ideal
10.3 Other Games and Festivals
10.3.1 Pythian, Nemean, and Isthmian Games
10.4 Local and Regional Festivals
10.4.1 Panathenaia
10.4.2 Other Local and Regional Festivals
10.5 Festivals and Culture
10.5.1 Dionysia and Drama at Athens
10.5.2 The Dithyramb, Thespis, and Attic Tragedy
10.6 Summary
Notes
Further Reading
11 Cultural Identity, Social Forces, Values, and Behaviors
11.1 Introduction
11.1.1 Philochoria
11.2 Honor, Fame, and Good Repute
11.2.1 Kleos and Arete: Old Standards and New Benchmarks
11.2.2 Adjustments and Modifications to Standards and Expectations
11.2.3 Right Conduct: Constructive and Destructive
11.2.4 Philia
11.3 Excess and Moderation
11.3.1 The Seven Sages and the Delphic Maxims
11.4 Competition
11.4.1 The Pursuit of Wealth
11.4.2 The Agon of Politics and Display
11.5 Old Allegiances and New Realities
11.5.1 Aristos and Demos
11.6 Summary
Notes
Further Reading
12 Gender and Sexuality in Archaic Greece
12.1 Introduction
12.2 Archaic Greek Females
12.2.1 The Problem of Male Sources: Pandora, Helen, Clytemnestra, Penelope
12.2.2 Voices of Archaic Greek Women
12.2.3 Childhood and Maidenhood
12.2.4 Marriage and Family
12.2.5 Ritual and Religion
12.2.6 Summary
12.3 Archaic Greek Males
12.3.1 Childhood and Youth
12.3.2 Marriage and Family
12.3.3 Ritual and Religion
12.3.4 Social Life: Philia and Symposia
12.3.5 Summary
12.4 Sex, Gender, and Archaic Greek Society
12.4.1Introduction: “Secret Sex” and Open Encounters
12.4.2 Eros
12.4.3 Same-Sex Relationships
12.5 Summary
Notes
Further Reading
13 Epilogue: The Common and the Extraordinary
Notes
Glossary of Greek Terms
Index
