COLONIZATION AND SUBALTERNITY IN CLASSICAL GREECE
In this book, Gabriel Zuchtriegel explores the unwritten history of Classical
Greece –the experience of nonelite colonial populations. Using postcolonial critical methods to analyze Greek settlements and their hinterlands of
the fi fth and fourth centuries BC, he reconstructs the social and economic
structures in which exploitation, violence, and subjugation were implicit.
He mines literary sources and inscriptions, as well as archaeological data
from excavations and fi eld surveys, much of it published here for the fi rst
time, that off er new insights into the lives and status of nonelite populations
in Greek colonies. Zuchtriegel demonstrates that Greece’s colonial experience has far- reaching implications beyond the study of archaeology and
ancient history. As refl ected in foundational texts such as Plato’s “Laws” and
Aristotle’s “Politics,” the ideology that sustained Greek colonialism is still
felt in many Western societies.In this book, Gabriel Zuchtriegel explores the unwritten history of Classical
Greece –the experience of nonelite colonial populations. Using postcolonial critical methods to analyze Greek settlements and their hinterlands of
the fi fth and fourth centuries BC, he reconstructs the social and economic
structures in which exploitation, violence, and subjugation were implicit.
He mines literary sources and inscriptions, as well as archaeological data
from excavations and fi eld surveys, much of it published here for the fi rst
time, that off er new insights into the lives and status of nonelite populations
in Greek colonies. Zuchtriegel demonstrates that Greece’s colonial experience has far- reaching implications beyond the study of archaeology and
ancient history. As refl ected in foundational texts such as Plato’s “Laws” and
Aristotle’s “Politics,” the ideology that sustained Greek colonialism is still
felt in many Western societies.
Gabriel Zuchtriegel holds a PhD degree in Classical Archaeology from
University of Bonn. He has been fellow of Studienstiftung des Deutschen
Volkes, the German Archaeological Institute and the Alexander von
Humboldt- Foundation and has conducted fi eldwork in southern Italy
and Sicily. He has taught courses at University of Bonn (Germany) and
at University of Basilicata (Italy). He has worked for the Soprintendenza
di Pompeii and is currently in charge of the Museum and Archaeological
site of Paestum. Published works include a monograph on ancient Gabii
(Latium), edited volumes, journal papers, and articles in newspapers and
popular science magazines.
The painted stone slab on the cover is one of hundreds of examples from
“Lucanian” tombs from Paestum in southern Italy. It dates to the second quarter of the fourth century BC. From the second half of the fi fth century, new
burial customs were introduced to Paestum, and in the fourth century offi cial
documents at Paestum were written in Oscan, an Italic language. At fi rst glance,
the slab may not seem ideally suited to illustrating the cover of a book dealing with “Classical Greece.” Yet Greek- speaking people continued to live in
Paestum, as graffi ti and inscriptions demonstrate. We have no idea whether the
person buried in the tomb on the cover identifi ed herself/ himself as “Greek”
or “Lucanian,” and what this really meant in this period. Similarly, the identity
and origin of the artists are also unknown.
However, the way in which the fi gures on the slab are portrayed can be
viewed as a product of Greek colonial practices and ideologies. While the
rider corresponds to the ideal of the victorious youth as known from Athenian
and Tarantine grave monuments, the two prisoners shown behind him, especially the one on the left, are clearly presented as non- Greeks or “barbarians.”
And while the woman who is greeting the rider has a distinctive headdress
that might be of a local type, the vessels she is holding belong to the Greek
tradition.
The tomb painting clearly depicts “Greek culture” from a specifi c standpoint, just as this book attempts to look at Classical Greece from an alternative perspective. By looking at social and economic structures, exploitation,
violence, and subjugation in the colonies, it aims to paint a diff erent picture of
Classical Greece. Greek settlements of the fi fth and fourth centuries BC and
their hinterland are analyzed using approaches from the fi elds of postcolonial
criticism and subaltern studies. Archaeological data from excavations and fi eld
surveys, part of which is published for the fi rst time here, is combined with
literary sources and inscriptions to shed more light on the lives and status of
nonelite populations in the colonies.
I am deeply grateful to all those who supported me over the last few years,
particularly to Massimo Osanna who invited me for a three- year stay at the
University of Basilicata in Matera (southern Italy) where I had the privilege
and honor to work as a Feodor- Lynen research fellow of the Alexander von
Humboldt Foundation. My faculty colleagues at Matera were extremely generous and helpful in a variety of matters, from organizing the fi eld campaigns
to fi nding a school for our kids: besides Massimo, whose humanity and exper tise were fundamental, special thanks go to Dimitris Roubis, Barbara Serio,
Francesca Sogliani, Valentino Vitale, and Mariasilvia Vullo. Further, I would like
to thank all the students who participated in the fi eldwork campaigns, in particular Luisa Aino, Gabriella Gramegna, and Antonia Miola
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