Foundation Myths and Politics in Ancient Ionia

Examines Ionian foundation myths during the archaic and classical periods, exploring the construction of civic identities. The conclusions challenge conventional understandings of Ionia as well as traditional ideas about Greek ethnicity, suggesting that there was a more diverse conception of Greekness in antiquity than has often been assumed.

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This book examines foundation myths told about the Ionian cities during the archaic and classical periods. It uses these myths to explore the complex and changing ways in which civic identity was constructed in Ionia, relating this to the wider discourses about ethnicity and cultural difference that were current in the Greek world at this time. The Ionian cities seem to have rejected oppositional models of cultural difference which set in contrast East and West, Europe and Asia, Greek and Barbarian, opting instead for a more fluid and nuanced perspective on ethnic and cultural distinctions. The conclusions of this book have far-reaching implications for our understanding of Ionia, but also challenge current models of Greek ethnicity and identity, suggesting that there was a more diverse conception of Greekness in antiquity than has often been assumed.