Primitive Athens as described by Thucydides

"Primitive Athens as described by Thucydides" by Jane Ellen Harrison is a historical account written in the early 20th century. This work critically examines the ancient city of Athens as articulated by the historian Thucydides, particularly focusing on its character and limits prior to the unification under Theseus. Through an analysis supported by archaeological evidence and literary interpretations, Harrison seeks to illuminate the smaller, more primitive Athens that preceded its later grandeur. At the start of the book, Harrison provides a preface explaining her motivations for writing this work, particularly her desire to counter the prevailing interpretations of Thucydides’ accounts that she believes do not align with contemporary archaeological findings. She suggests that Thucydides describes an Athens that consisted primarily of the Acropolis and a few surrounding areas, highlighting the distinction between the early scattered communities and the larger city that would develop later. The opening introduces the concept of “citadel communities” or “burghs,” which were at the heart of ancient Athenian life before the transformative Synoikismos led by Theseus, asserting the book's intent to establish a clearer vision of Athens' early history and its significance. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Jane Ellen Harrison was a British classical scholar and linguist. With Karl Kerenyi and Walter Burkert, Harrison is one of the founders of modern studies in Ancient Greek religion and mythology. She applied 19th-century archaeological discoveries to the interpretation of ancient Greek religion in ways that have become standard. She has also been credited with being the first woman to obtain a post in England as a 'career academic'. Harrison argued for women's suffrage but thought she would never want to vote herself. Ellen Wordsworth Crofts, later second wife of Sir Francis Darwin, was Jane Harrison's best friend from her student days at Newnham, and during the period from 1898 to her death in 1928.