Traces of the Past：Classics between History and Archaeology

Whatarewedoingwhenwewalkintoanarchaeologicalmuseumorontoanarchaeologicalsite?Whatdotheobjectsandfeaturesweencounterintheseuniqueplacesmeanand,morespecifically,howdotheyconveytoussomethingaboutthebeliefsandactivitiesofformerlylivinghumans?Inshort,howdovisibleremainsandruinsinthepresentgivemeaningtothehumanpast?KarenBassiaddressesthesequestionsthroughdetailedclosereadingsofcanonicalworksspanningthearchaictotheclassicalperiodsofancientGreekculture,showinghowthepastisconstitutedindescriptionsofwhatnarratorsandcharactersseeintheirpresentcontext.Sheintroducesthetermprotoarchaeologicaltorefertonarrativesthatnavigatethegapbetweenlinguisticrepresentationandempiricalobservation—betweenwordsandthings—inaccessingandgivingmeaningtothepast.Suchnarrativesinvitereaderstoviewthepastasarecedingvisualfieldand,intheprocess,tocrossthedisciplinaryboundariesthatdivideliterature,history,andarchaeology.Aimedatclassicists,literaryscholars,ancienthistorians,culturalhistorians,andarchaeologicaltheorists,thebookcombinesthreeareasofresearch:timeasafeatureofnarrativestructureinliterarytheory;theconceptof“thepastitself”inthephilosophyofhistory;andtheontologicalstatusofmaterialobjectsinarchaeologicaltheory.Eachoffivecentralchaptersexploreshowspecificprotoarchaeologicalnarratives—fromthefateofZeus’stoneinHesiod’sTheogonytothecontestbetweenwordsandobjectsinAristophanes’Frogs—bothexposeandattempttobridgethisgap.Throughout,thebookservesasaresponsetoHerodotus’taskinwritingtheHistories,namely,toensurethat“thepastdeedsofmendonotfadewithtime.”