Ancient Greek migrants in Sicily produced societies and economies that both paralleled and differed from their homeland. Explanations for these similarities and differences have been hotly debated. On the one hand, some scholars have viewed the ancient Greeks as one in a long line of migrants who were shaped by Sicily and its inhabitants. On the other hand, other scholars have argued that the Greeks acted as the main source of innovation and achievement in the culture of ancient Sicily, a culture that was still removed from that of mainland Greece. Neither of these positions is completely satisfactory. What is lacking in this debate is a basic framework for understanding ancient Sicily's social and economic history.

Archaic and Classical Greek Sicily represents the first ever systematic and comprehensive attempt to synthesize the historical and archaeological evidence, and to deploy it to test the various historical models proposed over the past two centuries. It adopts an interdisciplinary approach that combines classical and prehistoric studies, texts and material culture, and a variety of methods and theories to put the history of Greek Sicily on a completely new footing. While Sicily and Greece had conjoined histories from the start, their relationship was not one of periphery and center or of colony and state in any sense, but of an interdependent and mutually enriching diaspora. At the same time, local conditions and peoples, including Phoenician migrants, also shaped the evolution of Sicilian Greek societies and economies.

This book reveals and explains the similarities and differences between developments in Greek Sicily and the mainland, and brings greater clarity to the parts played by locals and immigrants in ancient Sicily's impressive achievements.

Franco De Angelis' profile page

Franco De Angelis is Professor of Greek History and Archaeology at the University of British Columbia.

"Drawing on an unrivaled knowledge of recent archaeological work, De Angelis demonstrates the rich potential of new archaeological methods. His account of ancient Sicily is full and compelling, and, by focusing on social and economic developments, he is able to set the political changes within the larger continuities and trends that shaped them. Much the best overview of ancient Sicily available." --Nigel Nicholson, Reed College

"This is the book we have been needing for many years--a history of ancient Sicily written in English on the basis of a thorough and up-to-date knowledge of the archaeology, as well as of the literary sources, and that enables the complex political history to be seen against the constraints of economy and settlement. This will become the place to start from for all future students and scholars." --Robin Osborne, University of Cambridge

"The book is remarkable for its interdisciplinary and comprehensive approach. De Angelis' impressive command of historical, archaeological, and textual evidence, coupled with his sophisticated use of sociological and economic theory, has produced a fresh, contextual analysis of the political and economic developments of Greek Sicily that reveals new and unexpected societal trends. This book not only provides us with a more complete picture of the ancient island, but it also will undoubtedly influence future studies of the history and economics of Greek Sicily." --Classical Journal--Online

"A book remarkable in erudition and key not only for the historical archaeology of Sicily but also for all of archaic and classical Greek history. Through his integration of and extrapolation upon archaeological discoveries, De Angelis demonstrates the connections of Sicily with the Mediterranean as a whole...The book, with its superb maps, charts, illustrations, and an 89-page bibliography, makes obsolete all earlier accounts. Essential." --Choice

"Drawing on textual testimony as well as the latest archaeological findings and palaeoecological data, De Angelis offers a new authoritative narrative on the history of ancient Sicily. Through the judicial employment of social, economic, and anthropological theories, he demonstrates the fundamental interconnectedness of the island within Mediterranean-wide networks." --Jonathan Hall, University of Chicago

"The present work impresses with its large number of methodological points, fundamental findings, useful calculations, and important observations....This book summarizes current knowledge of the social and economic history of Greek Sicily in a very comprehensible manner, clarifies the situation regarding the sources, and gives an account of the methods used and the limitations of our knowledge. It forms an important milestone for the exploration of Greek Sicily." --Bryn Mawr Classical Review