Ethnic Identity in Greek Antiquity

Description

The purpose of this book is to show that the ethnic groups of ancient Greece, like many ethnic groups throughout the world today, were not ultimately racial, linguistic, religious or cultural, but social groups whose "origins" in extraneous territories were just as often imagined as they were real. This is the first study to treat the subject from a truly interdisciplinary point of view, embracing literature, myth, archaeology, linguistics and social anthropology. It also outlines the history of the study of ethnicity in Greek antiquity.

'This is an important book. It is not the first study of ancient Greek ethnicity in recent years, but it is by far the most thorough and systematic ... It is a major contribution to Classical studies, and a major challenge to the archaeology of prehistoric ethnicity.' Ian Morris, Cambridge Archaeological Journal ' ... a book which [is] a quite extraordinary combination of theoretical sophistication and historical erudition.' Roger Just, Cambridge Archaeological Journal 'Jonathan Hall's book is an event in classical scholarship.' David Konstan, Diaspora