Elis: Internal Politics and External Policy in Ancient Greece

260 Pages·2017·6.85 MB·English

by  Graeme Bourke

Elis
Elis examines the city of Elis from its earliest history, through the Archaic,
Classical and Hellenistic periods until its loss of independence under Roman rule.
Through examining this prominent city state, its role in contemporary politics and
the place of Olympia in its territory, Graeme Bourke allows the reader to explore
broader issues, such as the relationship between the Spartans and their various
allies, often collectively referred to as ‘the Peloponnesian League’, the connec-
tion between political structures and Panhellenic sanctuaries, and the network of
relationships between various ancient sanctuaries throughout the Greek-speaking
world. The volume, which makes available in English for the first time much of
the debate about the city, provides a valuable resource for students and academics
studying the city of Elis, the Peloponnese and the relationships within it, and pre-
Roman Greece as a whole.
Graeme Bourke is a Senior Lecturer at the University of New England, Australia.
Cities of the Ancient World
Cities of the Ancient World examines the history, archaeology and cultural
significance of key cities from across the ancient world, spanning northern
Europe, the Mediterranean, Africa, Asia and the Near East. Each volume
explores the life of a significant place, charting its developments from its
earliest history, through the transformations it experienced under different
cultures and rulers, through to its later periods. These texts offer academics,
students and the interested reader comprehensive and scholarly accounts of
the life of each city.
Damascus – Ross Burns
Miletos – Alan Greaves
Aleppo – Ross Burns
Carlisle – Mike McCarthy
Forthcoming:
Gyeongju – Sarah Milledge Nelson
Cádiz – Benedict Lowe
Ebla – Paolo Matthiae
Palmyra – Michael Sommer
Carthage – Dexter Hoyos
Memphis, Babylon, Cairo – David Jeffreys and Ana Tavares
Paphos – Scott Moore
Antioch – Andrea De Giorgi and Asa Eger
Salamis – Giorgos Papantoniou
Series page URL: https://www.routledge.com/Cities-of-the-Ancient-World/book-
series/CITYBIOS
Elis
Internal Politics and External Policy in
Ancient Greece
Graeme Bourke
First published 2018
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
 2018 Graeme Bourke
The right of Graeme Bourke to be identified as author of this work has been
asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Bourke, Graeme, author.
Title: Elis : internal politics and external policy in ancient Greece /Graeme
Bourke. Other titles: Internal politics and external policy in ancient Greece
Description: First edition. | Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY :
Routledge, [2018] | Series: Cities of the ancient world | Includes index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016046645| ISBN 9780415749572 (hardback : alk.
paper) |ISBN 9781315225630 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Elis (Extinct city)—History. | Elis (Extinct city)—Politics
and government.
Classification: LCC DF261.E42 B66 2018 | DDC 938/.8—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016046645
ISBN: 978-0-415-74957-2 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-22563-0 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Swales & Willis Ltd, Exeter, Devon, UK
For my parents, Frank and Nellie Bourke

Contents
List of figures viii
List of maps ix
Acknowledgements x
List of abbreviations xii
Introduction 1
1 The land and its people 5
2 Communities and sanctuaries 28
3 The question of Pisa 53
4 Archaic political events 69
5 Synoikism and democracy 88
6 External relations to 422 bc 109
7 Between the Arkhidamian and Dekeleian Wars 132
8 The Eleian War 151
9 The early fourth century bc 171
10 The middle fourth century bc 187
11 A new context (338–222 bc) 206
12 Resistance and subjection (221–146 bc) 220
Conclusion 237
Index 240
Figures
1.1 Looking northward from the E55 towards Mt Lapithas 7
1.2 Looking northward from the likely site of ancient
Makiston across the Alpheios valley and the Pholoe
plateau to Mt Erymanthos 8
1.3 Looking eastward towards the confluence of the R. Erymanthos
with the R. Alpheios from the present-day bridge over
the Alpheios 9
1.4 Looking eastward towards Cape Khelonatas and Khlemoutsi
Castle from the Ionian Sea 10
1.5 Some of the many animal figurine dedications held in the
Olympia Museum 11
1.6 A field of maize near the site of ancient Elis 13
1.7 Lake Kaiafa 15
2.1 The remains of an apsidal house from the third millennium bc
at the site of Olympia 35
2.2 The Heraion at Olympia 38
3.1 Some of the marble sculptures from the east pediment
of the temple of Zeus depicting the chariot race between
Oinomaos and Pelops 56
6.1 An inscribed seat of honour for a Lakedaimonian
proxenos at Olympia 114
11.1 Looking westward from the site of Samikon towards
the Ionian Sea 213
12.1 The archaeological site of ancient Elis, stretching from
left middle ground to right middle ground 230
Maps
1.1 Eleia: principal physical features and neighbouring regions 6
2.1 Archaic Eleia: known and probable significant sites 31
2.2 Olympia and its overseas connections 43
8.1 The Eleian War 157
10.1 The Eleian–Arkadian War 192
11.1 The Peloponnese in the Hellenistic period 214
12.1 The Social War 222