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This chapter covers the outbreak of the Greek revolt in 1821 and the early diplomacy of the crisis. It considers the origins of Ypsilantis's revolt in 1820–21; the Tsarist reaction in 1821–22; the Second Army and the study of the Greek revolt. Following the receipt of reports from Pestel, lnzov, and other military agents, Kiselev established his Main Staff as the centre for the investigation of the Greek revolt. In early 1822, he informed lnzov of his intention to commission the writing of the first historical account of the revolution. To this end, Kiselev outlined the various areas of research that were still required. They related to the connection between the first Greek secret society and the Russian Hetairia movement; the role of Napoleon and the French revolutionaries in these societies; the level of co-ordination between the revolts of Ypsilantis and Vladimirescu; and the character of Ypsilantis.

This chapter traces the emergence of the aristocrats, from Homeric peoms, to the Hellenic civilization, up to the development of the polis. The initial political change was the elimination of the Zeus-sprung basileis. Among the officials and councils of these states, aristocrats were initially dominant even if their free fellow citizens had latent rights and duties under the rule of law. The term “aristocracy” always had as much a moral as a political connotation on Greek thought. Not until the fifth and following centuries does the term kaloskagathos become standard. Aristocrats were deeply aware of the “pitiless criticism” by their fellow citizens. Religiously, socially, economically, and culturally they were linked by many inherited ties to the rest of society. Though they staffed the new executive machinery of state, they had to yield to their compatriots real guarantees of just treatment.

This chapter explores Eva Palmer Sikelianos's fascinating shift from one stage to another as she left behind the fashion-conscious performance world of her Sapphic circle to try out a new role in Greek society. It does so by returning to Paris to observe her first attempts at weaving fabric for the Greek costumes of Equivoque. It retraces her entry into Greece, paying close attention to multiple levels of change: her attachment to Penelope, courtship with Angelos, decision to abandon Western dress, creation of new materials and techniques for dressing herself, performance of the role of wife and mother, and the gradual widening of her frame of interest and testing of nationalist ideologies. Eva's way into Greece was definitely her own; at the same time, it is representative of the way that certain Western women of Eva's era and class broached Greece differently from men.

A seer (mantis) was a professional diviner, an expert in the art of divination. There is no exact modern equivalent, since he or she combined the role of confidant and personal adviser with that of psychic, fortune teller, and homeopathic healer. Seers did not presume to “tell the future,” nor did they claim to possess a “paranormal” power that was independent of a god's inspiration or dispensation. Since Greek religious terminology is inexact, the person called a mantis dealt with a broad range of religious activities—anything that a freelance religious expert might be expected to handle. The term also embraces an array of prophetic types, ranging from the upper-class professionals who accompanied generals on campaign to the possessed mediums at oracular sites, to street-corner purifiers and dream interpreters. Despite the fact that both might lay claim to divine inspiration, there was no stage in Greek society in which the poet (aoidos) and the seer (mantis) were undifferentiated. They always performed different functions and had very different social roles.

The rites of divination were not only ubiquitous in Greek society; they were also uniquely authoritative. This was true not only for the uneducated masses, but also for the elite, and not just in the archaic period but even during the classical and Hellenistic periods. The various rites of divination constituted a rational and coherent, as well as a socially useful, system of knowledge and belief for the Greeks. This system was socially useful in that it aided decision making, circumvented indecision, and arbitrated disputes. It was logical in that it was predicated on an implicit set of beliefs which made sense for the Greeks: that the gods were concerned for the welfare of humankind, that they knew more than humans, and that they were willing to share some of that knowledge by way of advice.

The most important role of the seer in Greek society was arguably on the field of battle. Until quite recently, most scholars viewed seers as the willing agents of their generals and as consciously manipulating the sacrifices in order to confirm what the generals had decided to do. Thus, they were seen as tools in the building of morale and not as important players in their own right. This rationalizing view has begun to give way to more nuanced explanations and models. It is now common to read of the symbiotic relationship between general and seer. There must have been tremendous pressures on both men to perform successfully when under stress or scrutiny. Given the high stakes involved, it would not be surprising if seers, to one degree or another, subconsciously interpreted the sacrifices in accordance with what the situation demanded. Nonetheless, in order to be successful over a long career a seer needed to project an image of objectivity.

In the Greek world, seers were the most authoritative experts in all matters pertaining to religion. Their competence was exceptionally broad, encompassing many different forms of divination, as well as healing and purification. Seers could be found in the entourage of the wealthy, as their confidants and traveling companions; they accompanied generals on campaign and participated in state enterprises, such as colonization; they frequented the cities and houses of any who were willing to pay for their services. The “blameless” seer, the charismatic companion who could give unerring advice that would lead to success at home and abroad, this was a person who almost any Greek would have looked hard to find and paid much to employ.

This chapter explains that many of the Classical writers who mention Druids are silent on the matter of Druidesses, although persistent references to Gallic female priests are contained within the texts. The exclusivity of female involvement with the cult of Demeter is explicable in terms of the fertility connection, but in ancient Greek society, women also played central roles in other aspects of cult and religious festivals. The Larzac plaque refers specifically to defixiones, curses for which there is abundant archaeological evidence in Roman Gaul and Britain, and which were traditionally written on lead sheets, presumably by professional clergy. The multiple gender systems present in the shamanistic traditions of many native North American peoples enable an understanding of the important role that can be played by perceptions of fluid and several genders in symbolic traditions wherein biological sex was and is frequently overridden by social structures.

After presenting the evidence for Damon’s close working and personal relationship with Perikles, this chapter first documents three different public concerns that contributed to Damon’s ten-year ostracism c.442: (1) popular fears lest Perikles become tyrant, (2) popular fears of Damon’s secret influence over Perikles, (3) popular fears of Damon’s excessive cleverness. It then considers the significance of factional strife following the ostracism of Perikles’ conservative opponent Thoukydides son of Melesias in 443. The second half of the chapter discusses Perikles’ public music activities from 446, including at the Panathenaic festival and in constructing the Odeion music hall. It explains the pervasive psychological, social, and political significance of music in Greek society, also helping to explain why Perikles’ music counsellor became a political target.