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Between Macedonia and Rome: political landscapes and social change in southern Greece in the early Hellenistic period1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 September 2013

Graham Shipley
Graham Shipley
Affiliation:
University of Leicester
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Abstract

This paper examines the nature and extent of changes in landscapes, societies, and economies in the numerous city-states of the Peloponnese under Macedonian domination (338–196 BC). Emigration and warfare may have had limited and short-term impacts. While Macedonian rule may have been oppressive before and after the Chremonidean war, it did not necessarily disrupt local economies and politics. The Antigonids did not run the Peloponnese as a province, and were concerned mainly with security. Though the building of towns and forts declined, and some cities were abandoned or lost freedom at times, others enjoyed new amenities and religious architecture. Epigraphic output was maintained, and a sharp increase in the centralization of inscriptions in central places post-dates 200. The traditionally oligarchic culture of most city-states was probably unchanged; and while the élite domination of land and politics may have intensified, archaeological survey reveals no trends that can conclusively be attributed to Macedonian rule.

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Articles
Information
Annual of the British School at Athens , Volume 100 , November 2005 , pp. 315 - 330
Copyright
Copyright © The Council, British School at Athens 2005

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