Anarchy in the Ancient Mediterranean

Josephine Crawley Quinn I University of Cambridge
Anarchy in the Ancient Mediterranean - Lecture

We think of the ancient world in terms of states: Athens, Rome, Persia. But this is only part of the picture: there were alternative forms of governance and alternatives to being governed. Furthermore, political institutions and practices could actively resist state-
making. This lecture will propose a new perspective on ancient history: anarchism, or the critique of centralised, hierarchical authority over individual autonomy. In it, prof. Crawley Quinn will explore examples of anti-state struggle and non-state space in the ancient Mediterranean, and ask whether anarchist approaches can even be found within the Roman empire.
 

Rovine del Comitium di Paestum, foto di Miguel Hermoso Cuesta - CC WIKIMEDIA COMMONS