Ancient Greek migrants in Sicily produced societies and economies that both paralleled and differed from their homeland. Since the nineteenth century, explanations for these similarities and differences have been debated, with attention focusing on the roles played by locals and immigrants in Greek Sicily’s remarkable cultural efflorescence. Some scholars have viewed the ancient Greeks as one of a long line of incomers whom Sicily and its inhabitants shape; others have seen them in a hierarchical manner, with the Greeks acting as the source of innovation and achievement in shaping their Sicily ... More

Ancient Greek migrants in Sicily produced societies and economies that both paralleled and differed from their homeland. Since the nineteenth century, explanations for these similarities and differences have been debated, with attention focusing on the roles played by locals and immigrants in Greek Sicily’s remarkable cultural efflorescence. Some scholars have viewed the ancient Greeks as one of a long line of incomers whom Sicily and its inhabitants shape; others have seen them in a hierarchical manner, with the Greeks acting as the source of innovation and achievement in shaping their Sicily, while being lesser to homeland Greece. What is lacking is a basic work on social and economic history that gathers the historical and archaeological evidence and deploys it to test the various historical models. This book represents the first such endeavor. It adopts a broadly based interdisciplinary approach that combines classical and prehistoric studies, texts and material culture, and a variety of methods and theories to put the history of Greek Sicily on a new footing. While Sicily and Greece had conjoined histories from the start, their relationship was neither one of center and periphery nor “colonial,” but an interdependent and mutually enriching diaspora. Simultaneously, local conditions and peoples, including Phoenician migrants, also shaped the evolution of Sicilian Greek societies and economies. This book explains the similarities and differences with developments in Greece and brings greater clarity to the parts played by locals and immigrants in ancient Sicily’s impressive achievements.