Regional Approaches to Early Greek Society, 1100–550 BCE

Internationaler Workshop

Wir danken dem Zukunftskonzept der Universität Tübingen (DFG ZUK 63) und der Fritz-Thyssen-Stiftung für ihre grosszügige Unterstützung.

Maximilian Rönnberg (Universität Tübingen), Veronika Sossau (Universität Basel)

The development of early Greek society after the collapse of the Mycenaean palaces has often been reconstructed with the help of evolutionary models assuming the concept of the polis as the end of these processes. Investigations of the origin of the polis and its related structures often relied on concepts originating in the late Archaic and Classical period, which were projected back on much earlier phases. Little room was thus left for regional or chronological variation. Our three-day workshop will serve as a platform for discussion of research-prospects into early Greek societies with the aim of moving beyond general concepts of the ‘emergence’ and ‘formation’ of the polis. We understand this both as an opportunity to critically engage with current theoretical models and to reflect on potentials and challenges of new approaches in an interdisciplinary context. The conference will focus on Attica and the different regions in Central Greece and the Peloponnese, while the period of investigation will range from the 11th to the mid 6th century BCE. This deliberately wide frame will allow us to explore complex, multi-phased developments of social differentiation in various areas. The methodological spectrum includes comprehensive and diachronic investigations of settlements, burial grounds, and sanctuaries as well as analyses of specific areas of activity. The latter may be illuminated by archaeological case studies or research on specific types of objects, texts, and/or images. Each contribution should, however, explicitly speak to the social dynamics characterising the period under investigation. Disentangling our understanding of social change from the teleological perspective of the polis and investigating such processes within their specific regional contexts will allow us to draw multiple local and also chronologically disaligned pictures of the development of early Greek societies.

Speakers: A. Alexandridou (Ioannina), T. Clements (Manchester), E. Chatzinikolaou (Volos), A. Delahaye (Paris), O. Denk (Basel), A. Duplouy (Paris), B. Eder (Vienna), A. Kellner (Innsbruck), T. Keßler (Kiel), M. Kontopanagou (Athens), E. Lemos (Oxford), A. Livieratou (Athens), A. Mazarakis Ainian (Volos), R. Osborne (Cambridge), L. Pomaret Cañadas (Madrid), M. Rönnberg (Tübingen), V. Sossau (Basel), A. Stamoudi (Athens), C. Tascıoğlu Beeby (Chapel Hill), C. Ulf (Innsbruck), A. Vlachou (Volos), A. D. Vlanti (Oxford), J. Zurbach (Paris).

Critical remarks: E. Kistler (Innsbruck), F. Ruppenstein (Freiburg).

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