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Urbanism

The we have seen thus far in the course that a large part of the state's functionality is determined by elite identities and practices. We have looked at various theories and cases where this has been apparent, but this paper's primary concern will be with elite identities in Anatolia during the reign of the Achaemenid Empire. Situated as it was, between the heart of the Persian Empire to the East and Classical Greek City-States to the West, Achaemenid Anatolia was in a unique position of cultural exchange and conflict, represented in one way by the number of cities along the western coast of Anatolia which, though technically part of the Persian Empire, were entirely Greek. Throughout Anatolia, then, how did elites construct their identity in order to handle the dichotomy of dealing with Greek people on the one hand, and the Persian State on the other? This paper will incorporate archaeological, iconographic and textual evidence in an attempt to form some sort of an answer to this question.

This is a very broad and thus preliminary proposal. Chronological and and topical refinement is forthcoming...