Military Departures, Homecomings and Death in Classical Athens: Hoplite Transitions

Description

This volume sheds new light on the experience of ancient Greek warfare by identifying and examining three fundamental transitions undergone by the classical Athenian hoplite as a result of his military service: his departure to war, his homecoming from war having survived, and his homecoming from war having died. As a conscript, a man regularly called upon by his city-state to serve in the battle lines and perform his citizen duty, the most common military experience of the hoplite was one of transition – he was departing to or returning from war on a regular basis, especially during extended periods of conflict. Scholarship has focused primarily on the experience of the hoplite after his return, with a special emphasis on his susceptibility to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), but the moments of transition themselves have yet to be explored in detail. Taking each in turn, Owen Rees examines the transitions from two sides: from within the domestic environment as a member of an oikos, and from within the military environment as a member of the army. This analysis presents a new template for each and effectively maps the experience of the hoplite as he moves between his domestic and military duties. This allows us to reconstruct the effects of war more fully and to identify moments with the potential for a traumatic impact on the individual. The Athenian hoplite was a conscript, a man regularly called upon by his city-state to serve in the battle lines and perform his citizen duty. As a result, his most common military experience was one of transition – he was departing or returning from war on a regular basis, especially during extended periods of war. Of these transitions, scholarship has focussed on the experience of the hoplite after his return – with a special focus on his susceptibility to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) – but no scholar has focussed on the moments of transition themselves. Yet, it is only from an understanding of these transitions that we can reconstruct the full experience of war and its impact on the individual. To rectify this gap in our knowledge, this book identifies and examines three fundamental transitions undergone by the Classical Athenian hoplite as a result of his military service: his departure to war, his homecoming from war having survived, and his homecoming from war having died. Each of these transitions is split in two, examining both the transition within the domestic environment as a member of an oikos, and within the military environment as a member of the army. This presents a new template for each transition, and effectively maps the experience of the hoplite as he moves between his domestic and military duties. Cover Halftitle page Series page Title page Copyright page Contents Figures, Tables and Maps Acknowledgements Abbreviations 1 Introduction 1.1 The ‘PTSD in history’ debate 1.2 The distinction between public and domestic 1.3 Methodology and structure 2 The Warrior’s Departure 2.1 Methodological considerations 2.2 Departure from the oikos 3 The Military Departure 3.1 Joining the muster 3.2 The army departs 4 Military Homecoming 4.1 Arriving in Athens 4.2 Dedications 5 The Warrior’s Homecoming 5.1 Homecoming arrivals on red-figure pottery? 5.2 Homecoming arrivals in the literary evidence 6 Military Homecoming of the Dead 6.1 Battlefield cremation 6.2 Patrios nomos 7 The Domestic Reception of the War Dead 7.1 The family and the funeral 7.2 Experience of the oikos 7.3 Return of the war dead 8 Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index