Oral tradition and written record in classical Athens / Rosalind Thomas.
Material type: TextSeries: Cambridge studies in oral and literate culturePublication details: Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 1991.Description: 321 p. ; 23 cmISBN:- 0521425182
- Greek language -- Greece -- Athens -- History
- Oral tradition -- Greece -- Athens -- History
- Oral communication -- Greece -- Athens -- History
- Written communication -- Greece -- Athens -- History
- Writing -- Greece -- Athens -- History
- Literacy -- Greece -- Athens -- History
- Language and culture -- Greece -- Athens -- History
- Athens (Greece) -- Intellectual life
- 480.9385
Item type | Current library | Call number | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Book - 7-day loan | CYA Library Main Collection | 480.9385 ΤΗΟ (Browse shelf(Opens below)) | Available | 00000009639 |
Revision of thesis (doctoral) - London University, 1986.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
"Despite its written literature, ancient Greece was in many ways an oral society. This is the first serious attempt to study the implications of this view. Dr Thomas stresses the coexistence of literacy and oral tradition in Greece and examines their interaction. Concentrating on the plentiful evidence from Classical Athens, she shows how the use of writing developed only gradually and under the influence of the previous oral communication. Drawing on anthropological discussion, the author isolates different types of Athenian oral tradition, building up a picture of Athens' traditions about its past and examining why they changed and disappeared. This study provides crucial insights into the methods and achievements of the Greek historians and therefore into the very material of Greek history. It also has major implications for the interpretation of ancient literacy."-- Publisher's description.