Greek Bastardy in the Classical and Hellenistic Periods

Know about the book -

Greek Bastardy in the Classical and Hellenistic Periods is written by Daniel Ogden and published by Oxford University Press. It's available with International Standard Book Number or ISBN identification 0198150199 (ISBN 10) and 9780198150190 (ISBN 13).

Societies are defined at their margins. In the ancient Greek world bastards were often marginal, their affinities being with the female, the alien, the servile, the poor, and the sick. The study of bastardy in ancient Greece is therefore of an importance that goes far beyond the subject's intrinsic interest, and provides insights into the structure of Greek society as a whole. This is the first full-length book on the subject, and it reviews the major evidence from Athens, Sparta, Gortyn, and Hellenistic Egypt, as well as collating and analysing fragmentary evidence from the other Greek states. Dr Ogden shows how attitudes towards legitimacy differed across the various city states, and analyses their developments across time. He also advances new interpretations of more familiar problems of Athenian bastardy, such as Pericles' citizenship law. The book should interest historians of a wide range of social topics - from law and the economy to the study of women in antiquity and sexuality.