“Delphi and Olympia: the spatial politics of panhellenism in the archaic and classical periods.”
Cambridge University Press, 2010. Most people think about the sanctuary of Delphi as the seat of the famous oracle and of Olympia as the site of the Olympic games. The oracle and the games, however, were but two of the many activities ongoing at both sites. This book investigates the physical remains of both sanctuaries to show how different visitors interacted with the sacred spaces of Delphi and Olympia in an important variety of ways during the archaic and classical periods. It highlights how this fluid usage impacted upon, and was itself affected by, the development of the sanctuary space and how such usage influenced the place and relationship of these two sites in the wider landscape. As a result, it argues for the re-evaluation of the roles of Delphi and Olympia in the Greek world and for a re-thinking of the usefulness of the term ‘panhellenism’ in Greek politics, religion and culture.
Overall this book is a notable success
Bryn Mawr Classical Review August 2010.
It is the particular merit of [the book that it] has turned to the archaeology, monuments, dedications and buildings of these sanctuary sites to test the nature of panhellenism as it changed over the archaic and classical periods
Times Literary Supplement 15th October 2010.
This handsome and readable volume belies its origin in the PhD research of Michael Scott, a rising star of Ancient history in Cambridge… what will deservedly become a standard work
Anglo-Hellenic Review.
Scott has produced a readable re-examination of the two main panhellenic sanctuaries, with a detailed reconsideration of the nature and meaning of panhellenism
Karim Arafat, Chair of Judges during the shortlisting for the Runciman Award 2011.
