The Sicilian Colony Dates

Although the fifth century B.C. marks the beginning of Greek historiography, the Greek historians claimed the ability to cite dates for events occurring and personages living before the fifth century B.C. as well as to correct each others' dates in detail. Their work was summarized in the Chronicle of Eusebius, and, through translations, became part of the accepted historic body of knowledge in Europe and the Near East. How did the Greek historians arrive at precise year-dates for events to which there were no contemporary witnesses? Why did different historians arrive at different dates for the same event? Dr. Miller, in this carefully organized and highly readable work, demonstrates remarkable knowledge of the primary sources in a difficult area of Greek history in her attempt to penetrate beyond extant source to the original—now lost—material from which the historians of antiquity derived their records. This is a model of the art of historiographic discussion of demographic data—a major step forward in scholarship dealing with generations in antiquity. Her work has major implications not only for the study of the wide ranges of ancient history treated in this book, but also for examinations of demographical data available from other periods. Another volume by the same author continuing her studies in chronography, The Thalassocracies, is now in preparation.

Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, one of the most varied in appearance, and least insular in terms of cultural development. It has often been described as a meeting place of cultures, where East meets West.

Whether you’re vacationing in Italy or simply an armchair traveler, this guide to the Mediterranean island of Sicily is a dazzling introduction to the region’s rich 3,000-year history and culture. A rich and fascinating cultural history of the Mediterranean’s enigmatic heart Sicily is at the crossroads of the Mediterranean, and for over 2000 years has been the gateway between Europe, Africa and the East. It has long been seen as the frontier between Western Civilization and the rest, but never definitively part of either. Despite being conquered by empires—Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Hapsburg Spain—it remains uniquely apart. The island’s story maps a mosaic that mixes the story of myth and wars, maritime empires and reckless crusades, and a people who refuse to be ruled. In this riveting, rich history Jamie Mackay peels away the layers of this most mysterious of islands. This story finds its origins in ancient myth but has been reinventing itself across centuries: in conquest and resistance. Inseparable from these political and social developments are the artefacts of the nation’s cultural patrimony—ancient amphitheaters, Arab gardens, Baroque Cathedrals, as well as great literature such as Giuseppe di Lampedusa’s masterpiece The Leopard, and the novels and plays of Luigi Pirandello. In its modern era, Sicily has been the site of revolution, Cosa Nostra and, in the twenty-first century, the epicenter of the refugee crisis.

First Published in 2004. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.