Overview

This volume explores the theme of ethnicity and ethnogenesis in societies of the ancient world. Its starting point is the current view in the social and historical sciences of ethnicity as a subjective construct that is shaped through interaction with an ethnic 'other'. The 13 essays collected in this volume are based on the analysis of historical, epigraphic and archaeological source material and thematically range from Archaic Greece to Early Mediaeval Western Europe. Despite frequent claims by ethnic groups to the contrary, all ethnic formations are intrinsically unstable and dynamic over time. Much of this dynamism is to be understood in close association with conflict, violence and changing constellations of power. The explicit theoretical framework, together with the wide range of case-studies makes this volume indispensable for historians, archaeologists and social scientists with an interest in the ancient world. Amsterdam Archaeological Studies is a series devoted to the study of past human societies from the prehistory up into modern times, primarily based on the study of archaeological remains. The series will include excavation reports of modern fieldwork; studies of categories of material culture; and synthesising studies with broader images of past societies, thereby contributing to the theoretical and methodological debates in archaeology.

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9789089640789

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Reviews

The papers in this book represent some of the latest thinking about the ways in which material culture has been used to construct and express identity. The authors develop case studies ranging from early Archaic Greece to early medieval Frisia to examine theoretical propositions about archaeological and historical approaches to identity. Papers also address related issues such as language, myth, and migration. The book will be valuable to scholars and students both for its treatment of theory and for its detailed analyses of specific cultural contexts. Peter Wells, University of Minnesota Ethnic identity is a contested subject in archaeological research. This volume addresses the full range of issues drawing on the rich archaeological and historical evidence from the Classical world. It is a thought-provoking book which contributes significantly to current debates. Martin Millett , Cambridge University

Author Information

Ton Derks is assistant professor of Roman archaeology at the Free University in Amsterdam. Nico Roymans is professor of West European archaeology at the Free University in Amsterdam.

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