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

by Sylvian Fachard (Editor), Edward M. Harris (Editor)

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.

350 pages, Hardcover

Published November 18, 2021

Reviews

[Joshua W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good in depth analysis - set out to use archaeology with literature and tied two together highlighting discrepancies and similarities - didn’t shy away from archaeological limitations and was very fair - broad survey with a good range of dates for analysis