How to write a local history of imperial Greek cults: observations from Pausanias

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

    Abstract

    This chapter alerts readers of the shortcomings of a mining approach to Pausanias’ Periegesis as a prime evidence for the study of local religion in ancient Greece. The question of where local specificities are discussed in the narrative is as critical as the actual information conveyed. The chapter speaks to the analytical challenge of interpreting a narrative that is, on the one hand, reflective of the non-linear and essentially decentralised nature of the local, yet on the other filters this nature through the linear rigours of writing. Starting from fleeting experiences of the local, highly subjective to the individual that makes them, Hawes turns to an exemplary discussion of Argos, Thebes, and Messenia that exposes the mechanics of a scripted localism, a literary approximation to place. The discussion of Pausanias’ localistic perspective extends to the narrative technique of cross references and to instances where such connections were deliberately denied: the case in point being Pausanias’ treatment of the notorious problem of the location of Homeric Pylos.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationThe local horizon of ancient Greek religion
    EditorsHans Beck, Julia Kindt
    Place of PublicationCambridge, UK
    PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP)
    Pages342-361
    Number of pages20
    ISBN (Electronic)9781009301862
    ISBN (Print)9781009301848
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2023

    Keywords

    • Pausanias
    • Literary Studies
    • narratology
    • Argos
    • Thebes
    • Messenia
    • Pylos

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