Recent years have seen powerful developments in the study of archaic Greece, with the emergence of new areas of interest, new ways of thinking about old problems, radical new approaches to the sources and new evidence.

List of Illustrations viii Notes on Contributors xii Preface xx List of Abbreviations xxiii Maps xxiv Part I Introduction 1 1 The Historiography of Archaic Greece 3John K. Davies 2 The Mediterranean World in the Early Iron Age 22Carol G. Thomas Part II Histories 41 3 The Early Iron Age 43Catherine Morgan 4 The Eighth-century Revolution 64Ian Morris 5 The World of Homer and Hesiod 81Christoph Ulf 6 The Tyrants 100Elke Stein-Hölkeskamp 7 Sparta 117Massimo Nafissi 8 Athens 138Michael Stahl and Uwe Walter 9 Greeks and Persians 162Josef Wiesehöfer Part III Regions 187 10 Attica: A View from the Sea 189Sanne Houby-Nielsen 11 The Aegean 212Alexander Mazarakis Ainian and Iphigenia Leventi 12 Laconia and Messenia 239Nigel Kennell and Nino Luraghi 13 The Peloponnese 255Thomas Heine Nielsen and James Roy 14 Crete 273James Whitley 15 Northern Greece 294Zosia Halina Archibald 16 The Western Mediterranean 314Carla M. Antonaccio 17 The Black Sea 330Gocha R. Tsetskhladze Part IV Themes 347 18 Cities 349Jan Paul Crielaard 19 Foundations 373Irad Malkin 20 States 395Hans-Joachim Gehrke 21 Charismatic Leaders 411Robert W. Wallace 22 Sanctuaries and Festivals 427François de Polignac 23 The Economy 444Hans van Wees 24 Class 468Peter W. Rose 25 Gender 483Lin Foxhall 26 The Culture of the Symposion 508Oswyn Murray 27 The Culture of Competition 524Nick Fisher 28 Literacy 542John-Paul Wilson 29 Intellectual Achievements 564Kurt A. Raaflaub 30 War and International Relations 585Henk Singor 31 Ethnicity and Cultural Exchange 604Jonathan M. Hall Bibliography 618 Indices 713

Recent years have seen powerful developments in the study of archaic Greece, with the emergence of new areas of interest, new ways of thinking about old problems, radical new approaches to the sources, and new evidence. A Companion to Archaic Greece brings together the strands of these developments in a comprehensive survey of one of the most influential periods in Greek history. The archaic age, c.750-480 BCE, witnessed the rise of cities and states, of social and economic structures, political, religious and military institutions and ideas, and cultural expressions which we see today as typically Greek. No less fascinating are the lesser-known institutions and ideas which were characteristically archaic and did not survive into the classical period. In 31 chapters, this Companion systematically covers the literary and archaeological evidence for all regions of the Greek world and all aspects of archaic Greek society and culture, including their Mediterranean context and the impact of non-Greek cultures on their development. It will be a welcome introduction for undergraduate students and an invaluable reference tool for the professional historian.

“For those interested in Classical Greece, this volume is an essential.”  (Near East Archaeological Society Bulletin, 11 December 2013) "This is a varied, wide-ranging, stimulating and exciting volume which should open the way to even further investigations of archaic Greece." Bryn Mawr Classical Review, February 2011 “Offers an unprecedented range and depth of perspectives and material, much of which has been otherwise unavailable in English.” Ancient West and East