Inventing the Barbarian Greek Self-Definition through Tragedy (Oxford Classical Monographs)

Edith Hall investigates how Athenian tragedians constructed the image of "barbarians" through disturbing portrayals—incest, despotism, sacrilege, and extreme violence—to articulate their own civic identity. Set against the backdrop of Panhellenic warfare and Athenian imperial democracy, this study reveals how poets used the barbarian as a negative mirror of Greek ideals, fundamentally reshaping their interpretation of myth and theatrical technique. By examining both Homer and the tragic stage, Hall demonstrates that this invented barbarian figure became a catalyst for creative innovation, channeling Greek xenophobia into powerful cultural and literary expression.