The Destruction of Cities in the Ancient Greek World

Integrating the Archaeological and Literary Evidence

Sylvian Fachard, Edward M. Harris

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN:
  9781108495547
• eBook ISBN:
  9781108851992
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Archaeology
• Index: Social Sciences

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.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-title page
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Dedication
• Contents
• List of Figures
• List of Tables
• List of Contributors
• Preface
• 1 Introduction: Destruction, Survival, and Recovery in the Ancient Greek World
• 2 Destruction, ABANDONMENT, Reoccupation: What Microstratigraphy and Micromorphology Tell Us
• 3 Miletus after the Disaster of 494 B.C.: Refoundation or Recovery?
• 4 The Persian Destruction of Athens: Sources and Archaeology
• 5 The Carthaginian Conquest and Destruction of Selinus in 409 B.C.: Diodorus and Archaeology
• 6 Ancient Methone (354 B.C.): Destruction and Abandonment
• 7 The Destruction of Cities in Northern Greece during the Classical and Hellenistic Periods: The Numismatic Evidence
• 8 Eretria’s “Destructions” during the Hellenistic Period and Their Impact on the City’s Development
• 9 Rhodes Circa 227 B.C.: Destruction and Recovery
• 10 Destruction, Survival and Colonisation: Effects of the Roman Arrival to Epirus
• 11 From the Destruction of Corinth to Colonia Laus Iulia Corinthiensis
• 12 Sulla and the Siege of Athens: Reconsidering Crisis, S
• 13 The Herulian Invasion in Athens (A.D. 267): The Archaeological Evidence
• 14 Epilogue: The Survival of Cities after Military Devastation: Comparing the Classical Greek and Roman Experience
• Index