Historiography of the term Precolonization in Italy and in France

• Published in: European review of history = Revue européene d'histoire Vol. 13; no. 4; pp. 607 - 620
• Main Authors: Lourdin-Casal, Karine, Roure, Réjane
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: French
• Published: 01.12.2006
• Subjects: Antiquity; Area studies; Civilization; Colonization; Cultural history; Ethnography; European studies; France; Historiography; Italy
• ISSN: 1350-7486
• DOI: 10.1080/13507480601049765

ABSTRACT IN FRENCH: Apparu dans le cadre de l'étude des fondations de cités par les Grecs en Méditerranée occidentale (VIIIème-VIIème siècles av. J.-C.), le terme précolonisation désigne avant tout la période de contacts entre le monde grec et l'Occident juste avant la colonisation historique. En faire l'étude peut sembler accessoire tant ce mot est passé dans le langage courant des historiens et des archéologues depuis son apparition dans les années 30. Pourtant, il est indéniable que ce terme pose problème: fréquemment décrié,1 très souvent-presque systématiquement-employé avec des guillemets, sa définition est depuis l'origine très fluctuante. Malgré cela, les recherches sur ce thème ont fleuri durant tout le XXème siècle. // ABSTRACT IN ENGLISH: Going back to the publications of A. Blakeway, who identified the oldest Greek ceramics discovered in Italy and southern Gaul, the authors re-examine the history of the study of the so-called precolonial frequentations in both areas. Studies dealing with precolonial contacts (that is, exchanges preceding the creation of Greek cities) in the Western Mediterranean appeared in the early twentieth century, in the wake of studies of contacts and exchanges between Eastern civilizations and the West. The identity of the first 'carriers of civilization' to the West was an important issue, and precolonization was one of the answers. This plainly hellenocentric notion remained in use throughout the twentieth century, despite the lack of a precise and universally accepted definition. The difficulty of combining classical literary sources and archaeological data is one of the main issues in the history of studies of Greek colonization in the Occident but the increasing number of excavations throughout Italy and Gaul finally disclosed a more complex reality and shifted the debate from precolonization to what is now called traffic in the archaic Mediterranean. Reprinted by permission of Carfax Publishing, Taylor & Francis Ltd.