Perceptions of ancient remains in Ottoman Anatolia in the mid-nineteenth century: modernity, local society, and diverse ways of being Greek

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Official URL: https://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003357780-9

This chapter explores the local relationship with ancient ruins in Ottoman Anatolia in the mid-nineteenth century. It is based on a travelogue, “Travels in Pamphylia” written and published in Greek in 1855 by Dēmētrēs E. Daniēloglou of Antalya, a learned member of a leading provincial Greek landowning family. The travels of Daniēloglou were undertaken with the goal of generating local interest in classical antiquity against the background of Hellenism. These travels provided a way for Daniēloglou to engage with the classical past and also explore the outlook of contemporary society on ancient ruins. Daniēloglou’s work demonstrates that we need to take into account a wider group of non-Western and non-state individuals in the modern engagement with antiquity. An examination of this travelogue shows the multiple ways of relating to the ruins and diverse ways of being Greek in relation to classical heritage. The chapter draws on Daniēloglou’s observations and interaction with a broad range of local people, including enslaved Muslim convert bureaucrats, refugees, coin sellers, and villagers, among others, corroborated by evidence from Ottoman and Greek historical sources.