The Returning Hero ― Nostoi and Traditions of Mediterranean Settlement

A recurring and significant theme in ancient Greek literature is that of returns and returning, chiefly - but by no means only - of mythical Greek heroes from Troy. One main, and certainly the most 'marked', ancient Greek word for 'return' is nostos (plural nostoi), from which is derived the English 'nostalgia'. Nostos-related traditions were important ingredients of colonial foundation myths and the theme runs through both ancient Greek prose and poetry from Homer's Odyssey to Lykophron's Alexandra, also leaving traces in the historical record through the archaeological and epigraphical commemoration of nostoi, which played a central part in defining Greek ethnicity and crystallizing personal and communal identities.

This volume offers a truly interdisciplinary exploration of the concept of nostos in ancient Greek culture, which draws on its contributors' expertise in ancient Greek (and Roman) history, literature, archaeology, and religion. The chapters examine both literary and material evidence in order to achieve a better understanding of the nature of Greek settlement in the Mediterranean zone, and of sometimes equivocal Greek and Roman perceptions of home, displacement, and returning. The special problems and vocabulary of exile are explored in the long Introduction, which offers an incisive yet accessible overview of the volume's key themes and sets its range of contributions clearly in context: while two chapters are concerned in different ways with emotions and personal identity, making use of the theoretical tool of place-attachment, another demonstrates that failed nostoi can be more interesting than successful examples. Evidential absence can be as important and illuminating as presence, and mythical women, underrepresented in this regard, feature extensively in several chapters, which open up a range of new perspectives on nostos.

Simon Hornblower, Formerly Senior Research Fellow in Classical Studies, All Souls College, Oxford,Giulia Biffis, Research Associate in Classics, University of Reading; Associate Lecturer in Greek, Birkbeck College, London

Simon Hornblower was most recently a Senior Research Fellow in Classical Studies at All Souls College, Oxford, until his retirement in 2016. Earlier in his career he was a Prize Fellow at All Souls College from 1971 until 1977 before becoming Tutorial Fellow in Ancient History at Oriel College and University CUF Lecturer. In 1997 he was appointed Professor of Classics and Professor of Ancient History at UCL, where he remained until 2010 (from 2006 as Grote Professor of Ancient History).

Giulia Biffis is Associate Lecturer in Greek at Birkbeck College, London and Research Associate in Classics at the University of Reading for this academic year. She was previously a Teaching Fellow at the University of Reading and at the University of Edinburgh after gaining her PhD in Classics at University College London in 2012. In parallel with her work on myths of return in ancient Greek literature she is also currently working on Lykophron's Alexandra and its relationship with female characterization in the Greek world.