Athens and Boiotia: Interstate Relations in the Archaic and Classical Periods (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781009340595)

Were Athenians and Boiotians natural enemies in the Archaic and Classical period? The scholarly consensus is yes. Roy van Wijk, however, re-evaluates this commonly held assumption and shows that, far from perpetually hostile, their relationship was distinctive and complex. Moving between diplomatic normative behaviour, commemorative practice and the lived experience in the borderlands, he offers a close analysis of literary sources, combined with recent archaeological and epigraphic material, to reveal an aspect to neighbourly relations that has hitherto escaped attention. He argues that case studies such as the Mazi plain and Oropos show that territorial disputes were not a mainstay in diplomatic interactions and that commemorative practices in Panhellenic and local sanctuaries do not reflect an innate desire to castigate the neighbour. The book breaks new ground by reconstructing a more positive and polyvalent appreciation of neighbourly relations based on the local lived experience. This title is available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Author: Roy Van Wijk
ISBN-10: 100934059X
ISBN-13: 9781009340595
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 04/04/2024
Pages: 478
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 2.10lbs
Size: 9.45h x 6.46w x 0.87d