Le Prestige Des Elites: Recherches Sur Les Modes de Reconnaissance Sociale En Grece Entre Les Xe Et Ve Siecles Avant J.-C.

Normally, Greek archaism is considered the Golden Age of the aristocracy - this ancient nobility that possessed political authority and enjoyed a financial ease that allowed them to live a life of luxury and leisure. This image has nonetheless been revised in the last few years, for these aristocrats were not merely seeking power or fortune : it was fame, above all else, that they were striving for ! Moreover, Homer's words, " always exce, and be preeminent above others ", demanded that they have constant recourse to prestigious practices that were not only supposed to express each individual's status, but, even more importantly, help to elaborate, maintain and improve each person's position within the social structure of the Greek cities being built at the time.Far from an essentialist perspective, Greek archaic and classical elites ultimately viewed themselves as redefined, first and foremost, by their social practices.Alain Duplouy obtained his PhD in History and Archaeology from universities in Brussels and Paris. For the last ten years, he has been collaborating on the Itanos Archaeological Mission (Eastern Crete) and is teaching Greek Archaeology at Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne.