Were Athenians and Boiotians natural enemies in the Archaic and Classical period? The scholarly consensus is yes. Roy van Wijk, however, re-evaluates this commonly held assumption and shows that, far from perpetually hostile, their relationship was distinctive and complex. Moving between diplomatic normative behaviour, commemorative practice and the lived experience in the borderlands, he offers a close analysis of literary sources, combined with recent archaeological and epigraphic material, to reveal an aspect to neighbourly relations that has hitherto escaped attention. He argues that case studies such as the Mazi plain and Oropos show that territorial disputes were not a mainstay in diplomatic interactions and that commemorative practices in Panhellenic and local sanctuaries do not reflect an innate desire to castigate the neighbour. The book breaks new ground by reconstructing a more positive and polyvalent appreciation of neighbourly relations based on the local lived experience. This title is available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Radically revises widely held assumptions about the relationship between the Athenians and Boiotians in the Archaic and Classical period.

About the Author
Roy Van Wijk is SNFS Postdoc Mobility Fellow at Westfalische Wilhemsuniversitat Munster. He co-edited Empires of the Sea: Maritime Power Networks in World History (2019) and currently works on river-valleys across mainland Greece.


Book Information
ISBN 9781009340595
Author Roy van Wijk
Format Hardback
Page Count 478
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 970g
Dimensions(mm) 251mm * 175mm * 29mm