The Return of the Polis. The Use and Meanings of the Word Polis in Archaic and Classical Sources

• Published in: The Classical review 2009, Vol.59 (1), p.179
• Main Authors: Zelnick-Abramovitz, Rachel, (M.H.), Hansen
• Format: Review
• Language: English
• Subjects: Word meaning
• ISSN: 0009-840X; 1464-3561
• DOI: 10.1017/S0009840X08002412

[...]N. provides an invaluable update concerning our knowledge of this understudied aspect of western Mediterranean history. In the present volume H. responds by rightly pointing out that concepts are conveyed by words, hence the need to focus rst on them and the context in which they are being used, and that by adducing evidence from other sources for political activity of a given urban settlement, according to criteria established by CPC (such as striking coins, possessing a prytaneion, being a member of a major league, etc.), one can safely infer that this or that polis urban centre was also a state (pp. 1011). The diculties posed by this strict limit are especially obvious in the article on inscriptions, where H. and P. Flensted-Jensen explain: Since many inscriptions are roughly dated to the second half of the fourth century, or to the late fourth century, or just the fourth century, it is impossible to stop at 323 and, to be on the safe side, we prefer to include the early Hellenistic period down to 300 (p. 73, n. 2). There are also some inconsistencies and contradictions; for instance, while discussing some sites mentioned by Herodotus, for which there is no certainty that they were Greek, H. says that on reection he prefers to include Adramyttion and Myrcinus (p. 105), but in n. 11 these two communities are excluded from the list of Greek poleis; in the list itself they do appear (pp. 108, 118). the classical review 181 That said, this book is a most valuable tool for historians and classicists, in that it unites important studies which previously appeared separately, and oers a wide-ranging analysis of the use of polis in most genres and extant texts.