Graecia Capta: The Landscapes of Roman Greece

by Susan E. Alcock

This book explores the consequences of the Roman conquest of Greece. Social and economic developments during the period 200 BC to AD 200 are traced through a combination of archaeological and historical sources. The particular emphasis of this study lies in the use of archaeological surface survey data, a form of evidence only recently available for the study of the ancient world, which permits for the first time a detailed examination of subjects such as conditions in the countryside and demographic change.

Genres: Greece

332 pages, Paperback

First published May 28, 1993

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been looking forward to reading this book since I got back from Greece back in March. I've always been interested in the Roman tenure in the East, so the Greek dilemma in the Roman period has tended to fascinate me. This book came at that problem in rather a different way than I quite expected, but it was quite a productive focus.

Alcock considers, first and foremost, the archaeological evidence of Roman Greece and, especially, the long-held scholarly belief in a de-populated and weakened Greece in the era of the Romans. She examines this in reference to the rural and urban sites. Then, she extends her vision to the provincial and the sacral arenas. Her conclusions are interesting, suggesting that shifting settlement patterns may explain a drop in rural sites, rather than depopulation. Her nuanced interpretation of the evidence makes this book a good introduction to the problems posed by archaeology.

Well worth reading, although be ready for quite technical archaeological discussions at times. Alcock writes well, so those passages aren't as painful as one might think.

[Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good source for understanding socioeconomic developments in Hellenistic and early Roman Greece, a period traditionally associated with the rise of an energetic, unrefined military power at the expense of the tragic descent of a once proud and prosperous civilization. Alcock's book sought to unravel this dramatized perception through archaeological inquiries and cross-examination of textual records, to reconsider the often romanticized master-pupil relationship between Greece and Rome, and to provide the basis for a new interpretation of conditions in Roman Greece.

[Alessio Galli · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of the book is quite alluring, yet it never delivers: it falls flat on the reconstruction of the different landscapes it depicts, sharing the results of some surveys in a boring manner. The introduction lays down some ground infos that make one hope the book will be a solid read, but the main chapters feel tone deaf.
The italian translation, sometimes filled with mistakes, sure didn't help Graecia Capta's case.