![]() ![]() However, one must ask, why were certain myths chosen by Greek settlers, and why did some indigenous groups adopt facets of Greek myth and cult when they came into contact with Greek communication networks? By analysing the archaeological material from the sites of Spila Nakovana and the Sanctuary of Diomedes on Cape Ploča, this presentation will discuss the dynamics of the spread of Greek myths in Dalmatia. ![]() Therefore, it comes as no surprise that when Greeks settled off the Dalmatian coast in the 4th century BC, their myths accompanied them. Due to this, myths accompanied the spread of Greek influence, being particularly present at the frontiers of the Ancient Greek world. Myth was intrinsic within Ancient Greek society, constantly evolving to maintain relevance. The Aegean Sea, ever-present in the rich Greek mythical imaginarium, inspired writers interested in myth and folklore other writers associated islands with excellent crops and products, renowned and valued across the Empire. The negative associations came from the islands’ desolation and insignificance the imperial authors, associating the Aegean islets with exile spots, borrowed such motifs from classical and Hellenistic Greek predecessors. The positive associations stemmed from previous cultural contacts between the Aegean and Rome: the Romans admired the supposedly more developed Greek civilisation (their awe sometimes underpinned by ostensible disparagement), whereas their elites enjoyed their Aegean tours and reminisced about past glories of Rhodes and Athens. ![]() The image of the Aegean islands in the Roman literature was somewhat incongruously compressed into contradictory visions: islands of plenty, desolate prisons, always located far from Italy, surrounded by the terrifying marine element. This article is devoted to the rarely addressed problem of Roman stereotypes and associations connected with the Aegean Sea and its islands in the works of Roman authors in the first three centuries of the Empire. ![]()
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