Origines gentium

For all of antiquity, the question of the origin of cities and peoples has been posed continuously. A foremost field of research for ancient scholars, it often played an important role in the life of human communities, as, for a city, its founder’s name, the circumstances of its foundation, its kinship with other cities were essential éléments of the image it wanted to project of itself and of the perception others had of it.

Besides, this theme of the origins has always born political, diplomatic, religious implications, so that a large number of foundation legends, far from being passed on in an immutable and universally accepted form, were, to the contrary, diversely altered, interpreted and utilised by those who conveyed them. Such are the various aspects the communications gathered in this collection attempt to tackle, in the framework of a reflection that brought together historians, archaeologists, philologists, and ancient literature specialists.