Household and City Organization at Olynthus
Household and City Organization at Olynthus

Author: Nicholas Cahill

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 2008-10-01

Total Pages: 402

ISBN-13: 0300133006

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Olynthus, an ancient city in northern Greece, was preserved in an exceptionally complete state after its abrupt sacking by Phillip II of Macedon in 348 B.C., and excavations in the 1920s and 1930s uncovered more than a hundred houses and their contents. In this book Nicholas Cahill analyzes the results of the excavations to reconstruct the daily lives of the ancient Greeks, the organization of their public and domestic space, and the economic and social patterns in the city. Cahill compares the realities of daily life as revealed by the archaeological remains with theories of ideal social and household organization espoused by ancient Greek authors. Describing the enormous variety of domestic arrangements, he examines patterns and differences in the design of houses, in the occupations of owners, and in the articulations between household and urban economies, the value of land, and other aspects of ancient life throughout the city. He thus challenges the traditional view that the Greeks had one standard household model and approach to city planning. He shows how the Greeks reconciled conflicting demands of ideal and practice, for instance between egalitarianism and social inequality or between the normative roles of men and women and roles demanded by economic necessities. The book, which is extensively illustrated with plans and photographs, is supported by a Web site containing a database of the architecture and finds from the excavations linked to plans of the site.

Water Management in Ancient Greek Cities
Water Management in Ancient Greek Cities

Author: Dora P. Crouch

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 1993-06-24

Total Pages: 406

ISBN-13: 0199728216

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Focusing on the Mediterranean area where water management is crucial, this pioneering study is the first to show how the supply, distribution, and drainage of water contributed to the urbanization of ancient cities. Drawing from classical archaeology, the theory and history of urbanization, geology, and hydraulic engineering, Crouch examines water-system elements, including springs, fountains, wells, channels and drains, latrines, laundry, and dishwashing, as they relate to each other and to the physical, historical, and social bases of ancient Greek cities. Studying numerous sites including Pompeii, Pergamon, Athens, Samos, Delphi, and Corinth, she concludes that increased knowledge and skill in management of water contributed directly to the urbanization of the ancient Greek world. Illustrated with excellent photographs and line drawings, the discussions of supply, distribution, and drainage of water are organized topically, rather than chronologically or by site, offering an excellent example of the interdisciplinary approach. Crouch's study raises stimulating questions for further research, indicates entirely new directions for established academic disciplines, and suggests useful procedures for modern cities facing problems of water supply and management.

An Inventory of Archaic and Classical Poleis
An Inventory of Archaic and Classical Poleis

Author: Mogens Herman Hansen

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2004-11-11

Total Pages: 1413

ISBN-13: 0198140991

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This is the first ever documented study of the 1,035 identifiable Greek city states (poleis) of the Archaic and Classical periods (c.650-325 BC). Previous studies of the Greek polis have focused on Athens and Sparta, and the result has been a view of Greek society dominated by Sophokles', Plato's, and Demosthenes' view of what the polis was. This study includes descriptions of Athens and Sparta, but its main purpose is to explore the history andorganization of the thousand other city states.The main part of the book is a regionally organized inventory of all identifiable poleis covering the Greek world from Spain to the Caucasus and from the Crimea to Libya. This inventory is the work of 47 specialists, and is divided into 46 chapters, each covering a region. Each chapter contains an account of the region, a list of second-order settlements, and an alphabetically ordered description of the poleis. This description covers such topics as polis status,territory, settlement pattern, urban centre, city walls and monumental architecture, population, military strength, constitution, alliance membership, colonization, coinage, and Panhellenic victors.The first part of the book is a description of the method and principles applied in the construction of the inventory and an analysis of some of the results to be obtained by a comparative study of the 1,035 poleis included in it. The ancient Greek concept of polis is distinguished from the modern term `city state', which historians use to cover many other historic civilizations, from ancient Sumeria to the West African cultures absorbed by the nineteenth-century colonializingpowers. The focus of this project is what the Greeks themselves considered a polis to be.

Studies in the Greek Historians
Studies in the Greek Historians

Author: Adam Parry

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1975-09-11

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 0521205875

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A consideration of authors and historians from fifth century BC onwards who shed light on the Greek tradition of historical writing.

Demosthenes: Selected Political Speeches
Demosthenes: Selected Political Speeches

Author: Judson Herrman

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2019-07-04

Total Pages: 312

ISBN-13: 1108658881

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Demosthenes, as an emerging political leader in fourth-century Athens, delivered a series of fiery speeches to the citizens in the democratic Assembly, attacking the Macedonian king Philip II as an aggressive imperialist bent on destroying the city's independence. This volume presents the Greek text of five of these speeches with full introduction and detailed commentary. They show how the foremost politician of the day argued his case before the people who made policy decisions in the Assembly, and how he eventually persuaded them to support his doomed militaristic position in preference to the more pragmatic stance of accommodation advocated by his political opponents. These speeches are unique sources for the ideology and political history of this crucial period, and the best specimens of persuasive rhetoric in action from democratic Athens. This edition takes account of recent studies of fourth-century Athens and showcases Demosthenes as a master of Greek prose style.