Ancient Greece: Social and Historical Documents from Archaic Times to the Death of Socrates (c. 800-399 BC)

Abstract

This book presents a wide range of documents on Greek social and political history from 800 to 399 BC (the archaic period to the death of Socrates), from all over the Greek world. Evidence for developments within Greece during this period, in areas which include tyranny, the position of women, slavery, colonisation, the city-state, and religion, is taken not only from historical sources, but from inscriptions, graffiti, law codes, epitaphs, decrees, drama, and poetry, and each section covers sources not only from the Greek mainland but from Greek settlements as far apart as Sicily and Italy, Cyrene, Egypt, Thrace, Asia Minor and the Black Sea. Translations have been kept as close as possible to the original, particularly those from poetry and epigraphy. All are accompanied by detailed and succinct comments putting them into their social and historical context. Relevant and up-to-date bibliographies for each document are provided. Many passages appear here translated for the first time into English or any modern language. The work presents a lively and innovative look at the Greek world as a whole, with its emphasis on a wide range of evidence for Greek culture clearly proving that Ancient Greece consisted of far more than just Athens and Sparta.