The Destruction of Cities in the Ancient Greek World: Integrating the Archaeological and Literary Evidence

Cambridge University Press, 9/30/2021
EAN 9781108495547, ISBN10: 1108495540

Hardcover, 350 pages, 25.4 x 17.8 x 1.9 cm
Language: English
Originally published in English

From the Trojan War to the sack of Rome, from the fall of Constantinople to the bombings of World War II and the recent devastation of Syrian towns, the destruction of cities and the slaughter of civilian populations are among the most dramatic events in world history. But how reliable are literary sources for these events? Did ancient authors exaggerate the scale of destruction to create sensational narratives? This volume reassesses the impact of physical destruction on ancient Greek cities and its demographic and economic implications. Addressing methodological issues of interpreting the archaeological evidence for destructions, the volume examines the evidence for the destruction, survival, and recovery of Greek cities. The studies, written by an international group of specialists in archaeology, ancient history, and numismatic, range from Sicily to Asia Minor and Aegean Thrace, and include Athens, Corinth, and Eretria. They highlight the resilience of ancient populations and the recovery of cities in the long term.

1. Introduction
destruction, survival, and recovery in the ancient Greek world Sylvian Fachard and Edward M. Harris
2. Destruction, abandon, reoccupation
What Microstratigraphy and Micromorphology tell us Panagiotis Karkanas
3. Miletus after the disaster of 494 B.C.
Refoundation or recovery? Hans Lohmann
4. The Persian destruction of Athens
Sources and Archaeology John Mckesson Camp
5. The Carthaginian conquest and destruction of Selinus in 409 B.C.
Diodorus and archaeology Clemente Marconi
6. Ancient methone (354 B.C.)
Destruction and abandonment Manthos Bessios, Athina Athanassiadou, and Konstantinos Noulas
7. The destruction of cities in Northern Greece during the Classical and Hellenistic periods
The numismatic evidence Christos Gatzolis and Selene Psoma
8. Eretria's “destructions” during the Hellenistic period and their impact on the city's development Guy Ackermann (translated by E. M. Harris and S. Fachard)
9. Rhodes ca. 227 B.C.
Destruction and recovery Alain Bresson
10. Destruction, survival and colonisation
Effects of the Roman arrival to Epirus Björn Forsén
11. From the destruction of Corinth to Colonia Laus Iulia Corinthiensis Charles K. Williams, Nancy Bookidis, Kathleen W. Slane, and with Stephen Tracy
12. Sulla and the siege of Athens
Reconsidering crisis, survival, and recovery in the 1st B.C. Dylan K. Rogers
13. The Herulian invasion in Athens (A.D 267)
The archaeological evidence Lamprini Chioti
14. Epilogue. The survival of cities after military devastation
Comparing the classical Greek and Roman experience John Bintliff
15. Appendix. The destruction and survival of cities.