Cults, Territory, and the Origins of the Greek City-State

by François de Polignac

How did the classical Greek city come into being? What role did religion play in its formation? Athens, with its ancient citadel and central religious cult, has traditionally been the model for the emergence of the Greek city-state. But in this original and controversial investigation, Francois de Polignac suggests that the Athenian model was probably the exception, not the rule, in the development of the polis in ancient Greece.

Combining archaeological and textual evidence, de Polignac argues that the eighth-century settlements that would become the city-states of classical Greece were defined as much by the boundaries of "civilized" space as by its urban centers. The city took shape through what de Polignac calls a "religious bipolarity," the cults operating both to organize social space and to articulate social relationships being not only at the heart of the inhabited area, but on the edges of the territory. Together with the urban cults, these sanctuaries "in the wild" identified the polis and its sphere of influence, giving rise to the concept of the state as a territorial unit distinct from its neighbors. Frontier sanctuaries were therefore often the focus of disputes between emerging communities. But in other instances, in particular in Greece's colonizing expeditions, these outer sanctuaries may have facilitated the relations between the indigenous populations and the settlers of the newly founded cities.

Featuring extensive revisions from the original French publication and an updated bibliography, this book is essential for anyone interested in the history and culture of ancient Greece.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Greece

204 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

Reviews

[Midori · Rating 2 out of 5]

A groundbreaking study which in 1984 changed the idea of the origins and the formation of the Greek city-states. Until then, modern interpretations were based on written sources; Polignac, by shifting his attention to the archaeology and the topographical distribution of the sanctuaries, offered a new viewpoint: the identity of the community was first forged in the rites. Burial attitudes, worship of the heroes and the ancestors, offerings in the temples and participation in the festivals show how people interacted politically within the sacred precinct.

[Anna Dimitrova · Rating 3 out of 5]

Най-ценното на тази книга е, че разобличава мита, че Атина е модел за гръцкия полис. Информативна и даваща база за много нови разсъждения.