News and Society in the Greek Polis / Edition 1

by Sian Lewis

Overview

Sian Lewis explores the role of news and information in shaping Greek society from the sixth to the fourth centuries, b.c. Applying ideas from the study of modern media to her analysis of the functions of gossip, travel, messengers, inscriptions, and institutions in the polis, she demonstrates that news was a vital concern for the ancient Greeks. Specifically, the acquisition and exchange of information played a key role in determining status and power.

Proceeding from a discussion of individual citizens involved in the exchange of news to an account of more complex forms of communication organized by the polis, Lewis traces the role of what we call news in a culture that was primarily oral. She contrasts the informal exchanges that occurred among travelers and merchants with the official announcements made by heralds and envoys. She also analyzes the motives behind such official announcements and the ways in which the authorities exerted control over the flow of information. Finally, she reconsiders the role of the political assembly and the origins of the public inscription, which has until now been assumed to have been the primary source of news for Greek citizens.

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Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807846216
Publisher:	The University of North Carolina Press
Publication date:	09/23/1996
Series:	Studies in the History of Greece and Rome
Edition description:	1
Pages:	206
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Sian Lewis is tutor in ancient history at University College Swansea.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Fresh and intriguing. . . . Lewis has much of interest and value to say about the impact of information flow on how the Greeks thought and interacted.—Bryn Mawr Classical Review



A stimulating and valuable book full of insights.—New England Classical Journal

Editorial Reviews

A stimulating and valuable book full of insights.

"New England Classical Journal"

Fresh and intriguing.

"Bryn Mawr Classical Review"

From the Publisher