Describing Greece

 The Periegesis Hellados (Description of Greece) by Pausanias is the most important example of non-fictional travel literature in ancient Greek. With this work Professor Hutton examines Pausanias' arrangement and expression of his material and evaluates his authorial choices in light of the contemporary literary currents of the day and in light of the cultural milieu of the Roman empire in the time of Hadrian and the Antonines. The descriptions offered in the Periegesis Hellados are also examined in the context of the archaeological evidence available for the places Pausanias visited. This study reveals Pausanias to be a surprisingly sophisticated literary craftsman and a unique witness to Greek identity at a time when that identity was never more conflicted.

Review: Review of the hardback: 'Other writers await the kind of sophisticated and coherent treatment that Hutton has given Pausanias.' The Times Literary Supplement

Review of the hardback: 'Hutton's attempt to see Pausanias whole, as a man of letters as well as a thinker, constitutes the mostimportant advance in the study of elusive personality since Christian Habicht's searching analysis in 1985.' The Times Literary Supplement

Review of the hardback: '[Hutton] demonstrates the variety of design for the description of both territories and cities.' Journal of Classics Teaching

"It is a very welcome addition to the recent scholarship on Pausanias and his work." --BMCR

This is a work of solid scholarship. Hutton is an elegant and clear writer who has produced a book extremely useful to both scholars and students. It will inspire scholars to read Pausanias cover to cover instead of consulting only certain passages relevant to their research." - Anthony J. Papalas, East Carolina University, Classical Bulletin