The Treatment of the War Dead in Archaic Athens: An Ancestral Custom

Description

"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" Cover page Halftitle page Series page Title page Copyright page Contents Figures Acknowledgements Notes to the Reader Introduction The War Dead in Ancient Athens Sources and outline Part One 1 The Homeric War Dead Homeric society: Elite vs commoners Fighting over the dead Despoiling the dead Protecting the dead Common dead Mutilation of the dead Mutilation by animals Afterlife 2 The War Dead in the Greek Mythological Tradition Early Greek mythology Battlefield truces: Seven Against Thebes Mutilation of the dead: Eurystheus’ decapitation Greeks vs Barbarians – The Persian Wars Part Two 3 The War Dead in the Early Greek Iconographic Tradition Archaic iconography of war The war dead in Archaic Athenian art Iconography of change? 4 Archaic Monuments for the War Dead Elite burials The war dead and Archaic Greek warfare 5 Ancestral Customs in the Classical City Towards public burials A patrios nomos Part Three 6 War, State and Society in Archaic Athens Early Athens Solon’s reforms Peisistratus’ tyranny Agricultural revolution? Cleisthenes and democracy Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index