Salt and Olives : : Morality and Custom in Ancient Greece / / John M Dillon.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Edinburgh University Press Backlist eBook-Package 2013-2000
• VerfasserIn: Dillon, John M,
• Place / Publishing House: Edinburgh : : Edinburgh University Press, , [2022]; ©2004
• Year of Publication: 2022
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (256 p.)

John Dillon's exploration of Athenian society vividly brings to life how the ancient Greeks behaved towards each other. How did husbands treat their wives and parents their children? What were the rights enjoyed, and the perils faced, by a courtesan? What were the obligations of love and friendship between men and men, men and women, and men and boys? He shows how slaves were to be treated and what it was like to be a slave or a slave's child; and asks how, when and why duties to the Gods were fulfilled. The problems of inheritance and the position of widows, daughters and sons are also examined.In each chapter two or more stories drawn from ancient sources give contrasting perspectives on the Greeks' attitudes and beliefs, and to discussions of the works of literature, history, and philosophy they used to beguile and guide their lives. This thoughtful and entertaining book shows the practical outcomes of ancient Greek thought and literature and how the strange and familiar are mixed in the customs and habits of people living two and half thousand years ago.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Abbreviations -- Note on Orthography -- Note on Athenian Money -- Glossary -- Preface -- Illustrations -- CHAPTER ONE The Family: For Better or Worse -- CHAPTER TWO Outside the Fold, Beyond the Pale: Problems of Non-Citizen Women -- CHAPTER THREE Preserving the Oikos: The Woes of Inheritance -- CHAPTER FOUR The Best of Enemies: Patterns of Friendship and Enmity -- CHAPTER FIVE A Peculiar Institution: The Etiquette of Homosexual Relationships -- CHAPTER SIX Slaves and Slave-Masters -- CHAPTER SEVEN Dealing with the Gods: Piety and Impiety -- CHAPTER EIGHT A Vision of the Past: The Role of the Anecdote in the Formation of the Athenian Self-Image -- Bibliography -- Index