Theater of the People: Spectators and Society in Ancient Athens

Acknowledgments

xi It would be nice if books could write themselves. This book (not the one I had initially intended to write) developed out of another (sidetracked) project challenging traditional narratives about the historical relationships between drama and society. While the vast array of sources I have tried to incorporate into this study often stretched my skill set to its limit, fortunately there have been many individuals who helped me along the way. It gives me much pleasure to reflect back on the support and assistance I received from them. At various stages of the project Eric Csapo provided much-needed advice, guidance, and humor. I also thank him and Peter Wilson for providing me with advance copies of their forthcoming work. I am grateful to Mark Griffith for his insightful comments on an earlier draft. The anonymous readers for the Press gave much wise counsel and useful advice; I hope to have taken full advantage of their substantial suggestions. There have also been many others whose assistance, advice, and inspiring exchanges were no less important ; special thanks to Andrew Aisenberg, Page duBois, Ellen Finkelpearl, Edward Harris, Marc Katz, Juliet Koss, Martin Revermann, Peter Rose, and Greg Thalmann. I also thank my students at Scripps and the Claremont Colleges for their questions, insights, and curiosity over the past few years. At the Press, Jim Burr, the Humanities Editor, made the whole process of publishing a book seem very easy. In writing such a book one needs not only the help of others but money. Generous funding from Scripps College enabled me to travel to Greece at crucial stages of the project to research much of the necessary material at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens. A subsequent fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities provided me with the ideal opportunity to revise the manuscript in my off hours at the Blegen Library at the American School in Athens. I have been most fortunate in acquiring the images used in the book. Hans Goette provided me with many of the illustrations and photographs. I acKnowleDgmenTS TheaTer of the PeoPle xii am most grateful for his generosity and advice. Joachim Heiden at the DAI (Deutsches Archäogisches Institut) in Athens kindly supplied me with the photograph of the Vlasto chous. Special thanks to Eric Csapo for making available a helpful drawing of the chous and a drawing of the Pronomos Vase. An earlier version of parts of Chapter 3 was originally published in Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies (2009), and I am grateful to the editors for their permission to reuse the material here. On a more personal note, I thank all my family for their support and tolerance throughout this process. I dedicate this book, such as it is, to my wife, Karolina, and my son, Luca. I owe an unimaginable debt to Karolina, whose patient queries and pointed criticism grounded my thoughts and made me sharpen my ideas. She generously tolerated my eccentric work habits and supported me throughout the writing process in Los Angeles and in Athens. I hope to pay her back soon. Finally, a special shout-out to Luca, who at times managed even to sleep in my arms, as I worked on the final revisions, and kept me occupied during many sleepless nights. TheaTer of The PeoPle THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ...