CUP (2021) p/b 502pp £31.99 (ISBN 9781108723305)
Thanks to its literature, art, and architecture, more is known about ancient Athens than any other Greek polis, and thanks to archaeology this knowledge is expanding by the year. Indeed, such is the wealth of information we possess that to the student it can sometimes appear overwhelming, which is in part why a volume such as this is so invaluable. Opening the collection of thirty-three discrete chapters, each by a contributor with career-long experience of their subject, and all accessible to even the most general reader, the editors have placed a clever overture, ‘#Leagros: An Athenian Life’, in which H.A. Shapiro reconstructs the biography of a man straddling the Archaic and Classical Ages who as a youth was feted for his aristocratic beauty, as an adult perhaps owned a pottery factory and set up a statue in the Agora, and as a seasoned statesman was killed in Northern Greece in the massacre of Drabescus. Using pottery (inscribed ‘Leagros kalos’), ostraca, an excavated statue base, and a reference by Herodotus, she teases the otherwise shadowy Leagros into the spotlight, and in doing so illuminates how apparently different areas of study must be combined if we are to achieve a rounded, fleshed-out picture of the past. Not everyone will read the chapters sequentially (each stands alone; the book can be dipped into), but—for those who do—‘#Leagros’ will prove a valuable inspiration as they navigate its six sections: The Urban Fabric; Inhabitants; Business/Commerce; Culture and Sport; Politics; Reception.
Space forbids a review of every chapter, but alongside useful contributions on such staples as warfare (D.M. Pritchard disproves old theories about class dictating in which branch of the armed services an Athenian might serve), drama (V. Di Napoli’s review of the theatre’s structure will challenge preconceptions), and philosophy (G. Bakewell brilliantly ties together the character of each school with its location in or outside the city), readers will find themselves intrigued by nuggets such as M.A. Liston’s that most high-status Bronze Age burials show no war injuries, but poorer burials do, or T.J. Smith’s that some aristocratic youths kept cheetahs as pets. On certain issues not all contributors agree—estimates for classical Athens’ citizen population range from 30,000–40,000 (S. Fachard) to 60,000 (D.L. Kellogg)—but this is not a flaw. Instead, it illustrates the uncertainty of our knowledge, and how we must extrapolate almost everything from often imperfect evidence. Recent research plays an important role throughout, and while some may be less interested in the last section (‘Reception’), Athens’ Nachleben inescapably (and physically) informs our own views of the city. Indeed, L. Costaki’s closing chapter, ‘Urban Archaeology: Uncovering the Ancient City’, is an inspiring look at two centuries of excavation, including very recent rescue digs, reminding us that new evidence is being constantly unearthed that forces us to reassess all that we think we know (for example: was the Persian destruction really as complete as sources would have us believe?).
Each chapter of this stimulating collection is furnished with footnotes, suggestions for further reading and a short up-to-date bibliography, which will be of undoubted use to anyone wishing to delve deeper into a given subject area. The printed volume contains a wealth of maps and illustrations, and if this is not enough, readers can find further such resources in a dedicated online website. In their introduction, the editors proclaim that the book’s purpose is ‘to elucidate the cultural and social institutions of one of the most remarkable cities of the ancient world, and the marks they have left in both texts and on the ground.’ This they have achieved with aplomb, and their Companion deserves a place not just in every library but on the shelf of anyone with any interest in ancient Athens.
David Stuttard