Incidenza dell'antico Dialoghi di storia greca

The radical devaluation of the Greek cultural and political presence in the Italian Mezzogiorno serves as pendant to the exaltation of Sannitic society and to the ‘Italic model’ peculiar to the Molisan intellectual Vincenzo Cuoco (Civitacampomarano 1770 – Napoli 1823), as can be seen in particular from his historical novel entitled Platone in Italia. The article examines the mythic traditions that speak of a Greek presence in Italy as early as the second millennium BC. The devaluation of these traditions is conducted by Cuoco in particular adherence to the pages devoted by Thucydides to the history of primitive Greece (archaiologia) (Thuc. I 2-19).

Vincenzo Cuoco | Thucydides | Italian Mezzogiorno | Greek myths overseas | nostoi

In the Odyssey, amongst the various pleasures offered to heroes, one is elicited by the account of misadeventures. According to Eumaeus’ gnomic statement, the sufferings endured by someone, when recounted, seem to be able to please both the speaker and the listener. This transformation of misfortunes into pleasing narratives is organized following modalities similar to the mimetic reconfiguration. In this paper, this process is analyzed by means of the notions of selection and of Ricoeur’s ‘narrative identity’. It appears that the terrible ordeals the protagonists went through can be comprehended as life’s episodes to which they finally give coherence.

Odyssey – narrative – mimesis – sufferings – pleasure

According to a view largely shared among scholars, the eponymous archonship in 493/2 BC and the fortification of Piraeus in the same year mark Themistocles’ entry in the Athenian political life. Some scholars believe that at that time there was a connection between the politician and the poet Phrynichus, which is particularly evident in the choice of the subject of Phrynichus’ Miletou halosis (a play which caused many troubles to its author). The present paper challenges this communis opinio, while it also offers a new approach in understanding the political struggle in early 5th Century Athens. It also offers a discussion on the date of Themistocles’ entry in the political stage. In fact Plutarch in his Life of Themistocles shows a different chronological frame, which does not allow us to accept an early date for the Themistocles’ archonship. Consequently, even if one dates Phrynichus’ play in 492, one must also examine the actual reasons which prompted the poet to choose that specific theme of the play.

Themistocles – Phrynicus – Greek history – Greek tragedy – Plutarch

The characteristics of Athenian democracy in the fourth century BC differ from those of the fifth. No longer relevant was the social projection that was part of the reforms of Cleisthenes and Ephialtes, in which the rights of the poor were justified through their participation in the fleet and the empire. In Athens, as in other Greek cities, the term demokratia continued to be applied to the extent that the ekklesia and the boule remained as representative organs, although it is known that their powers were severely restricted or supervised by powerful euergetai or even by a foreign state. The city underwent fierce tension as a result of the attempt by oligarchs to control the democracy, which made resistance a necessity. The conflict was resolved in favour of restrictions, with the support of the Macedonian monarchy. In the end, democracy would be reduced to a propaganda term, surviving only under the protection of the Hellenistic basileis.

supervised democracy – oligarchy – citizenship – personal power – philo- and anti-Macedonians

Diodours Siculus left us the most precise description about Corsica among those inherited from the ancient world. It occupies a conspicuous part of chapters 13 and 14 of his book V, which describes the islands. Even though short, it offers us information about ethnography, anthropology and society that otherwise would not be known. The text shows the island as a place of uncommon features, yet not savage, but ruled by harmonious ‘natural’ customs. In its totality, it presents the island as a different geo-anthropological reality, as a sort of utopian kingdom, which is characterised by pacified models of social cohabitation. This image should have been different from that provided by Timaeus, if we choose to accept a suggestion of Polybius.

Diodorus Siculus – Corsica island – historiography – ethnography – utopia

The ancient city of Agylla/Caere (today Cerveteri, province of Rome) was one of the most important foyer of the Greek-Etruscan connection through the archaic period. The purpose of this article is to provide an historical-archaeological survey of these contacts between the Greeks and the Etruscans of Caere. The work is especially concerned with the analysis of the vast amount of Greek imports delivered from the necropolis of Caere that testify of the intensity of exchanges between the two counterparts since the late bronze age.

Caere – Etruscans – Greek world – Magna Graecia – archaic trade

The study aims to initiate a discussion on historicism as the main feature of Marcello Gigante’s philology. Trained in the Naples of Benedetto Croce, in contact with Adolfo Omodeo and Giovanni Pugliese Carratelli, Gigante opened up to German historicist philology, of which he shared principles and method. The scholar, who measured himself against different problems and research areas, was an historician of classical philology; his doctrinal utterances show the debt to the Crocian lesson, essentially understood as a paradigm of freedom, commitment and dignity of the scientific work, and its full adhesion, on a scientific level, to the German historicist tradition mainly represented by Wilamowitz.

Marcello Gigante – classical philology – historicism – Benedetto Croce – Germany

The purpose of this paper is to present some reflections on the way Aristotle used the historical and mytho-historical accounts of Greek tyrants and Oriental despots to support his philosophical-political ideas. Prompting by the analysis of the notations contained in the Politics, the author attempts to reconstruct Aristotle’ depiction of Periander (tyrant of Corinth) and Sardanapalus (legendary king of Nineveh) in order to comment on and evaluate Aristotle’s approach to the use of historiographic/literary sources.

Aristotle – Politics – tyranny – Periander – Sardanapalus

The so-called oath of Plataea (Rhodes, Osborne nr. 88), inscribed on a marble stele and dated back to the third quarter of the Fourth century, does not agree with the historical and literary tradition, which makes it date back to the second Persian expedition. After the revolt of the Spartan king Agis, Alexander, inspired by the ancient oath sworn at the time of the second Persian war, could have commisioned the epigraphic text in order to celebrate the new alliance and peace among the Greek cities.

oath of Plataea – epigraphic version – Theopompus – Alexander – Agis III