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Exploring the representations of the war dead in early Greek mythology, particularly the Homeric poems and the Epic Cycle, alongside iconographic images on black-figure pottery and the evidence of funerary monuments adorning the graves of early Athenian elites, this book provides much-needed insight into the customs associated with the war dead in Archaic Athens. It is demonstrated that this period had remarkably little in common with the much-celebrated institutions of the Classical era, standing in fact much closer to the hierarchical ideals enshrined in the epics of Homer and early mythology.
While the public burial of the war dead in Classical Athens has traditionally been a subject of much scholarly interest, and the origins of the procedures described by Thucydides as
patrios nomos are still a matter of some debate, far less attention has been devoted to the Athenian war dead of the preceding era. This book aims to redress the imbalance in modern scholarship and put the spotlight on the Athenian war dead of the Archaic period.
In addition, the book deepens our understanding of the processes which led to the establishment of first public burials and the Classical customs of
patrios nomos, shedding significant light on the military, cultural and social history of Archaic Athens. Challenging previous assumptions and bringing new material to the table, the book proposes a number of new ways to investigate a period where many 'ancestral customs' were thought to have their roots.
List of contents
Acknowledgements
Notes to the Reader
Introduction: The War Dead in Ancient Athens
I
1 The Homeric War Dead
2 The War Dead in the Greek Mythological Tradition
II
3 The War Dead in the Early Greek Iconographic Tradition
4 Archaic Monuments for the War Dead
5 Ancestral Customs in the Classical City
III
6 War, State and Society in Archaic Athens
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the author
Cezary Kucewicz is Assistant Professor of Ancient History at the University of Gdansk, Poland.
Summary
Exploring the representations of the war dead in early Greek mythology, particularly the Homeric poems and the Epic Cycle, alongside iconographic images on black-figure pottery and the evidence of funerary monuments adorning the graves of early Athenian elites, this book provides much-needed insight into the customs associated with the war dead in Archaic Athens. It is demonstrated that this period had remarkably little in common with the much-celebrated institutions of the Classical era, standing in fact much closer to the hierarchical ideals enshrined in the epics of Homer and early mythology.
While the public burial of the war dead in Classical Athens has traditionally been a subject of much scholarly interest, and the origins of the procedures described by Thucydides as patrios nomos are still a matter of some debate, far less attention has been devoted to the Athenian war dead of the preceding era. This book aims to redress the imbalance in modern scholarship and put the spotlight on the Athenian war dead of the Archaic period.
In addition, the book deepens our understanding of the processes which led to the establishment of first public burials and the Classical customs of patrios nomos, shedding significant light on the military, cultural and social history of Archaic Athens. Challenging previous assumptions and bringing new material to the table, the book proposes a number of new ways to investigate a period where many ‘ancestral customs’ were thought to have their roots.
Foreword
A study of the war dead in Athens (c. 750–450 BC), investigating the retrieval, burial and commemoration of warriors in mythology, archaeology and art.
Additional text
This is a stimulating and dynamic book … Engagingly written, it should appeal to any student of the Greek world.
