2018
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Fernando Echeverría Rey, « Viejas y nuevas armas en la Grecia clásica. Aspectos de un debate tecnológico y cultural », Actes du Groupe de Recherches sur l’Esclavage depuis l’Antiquité, ID : 10670/1.ebjvng
"Old and New Weapons in Classical Greece : Reflections on a Technological and Cultural Debate". The question of the transformation of military technology in ancient Greece is commonly addressed from a deterministic perspective and presented as a chain of quick and revolutionary changes : weapons are assumed to play a crucial role in Greek warfare and society, favouring the idea of “revolution”. Alternatively, technological change in the Ancient World can be claimed to be slow and gradual, emphasizing the idea of “ evolution.” Adaptation is a key concept in this second approach, not only on the technological but also on the psychological level, implying various attitudes and responses to military technology. Innovation commonly entailed for ancient Greeks a look to the past as a permanent source of inspiration, which, in practice, resulted in a clash between innovation and conservatism, and the possibility either to reject or to adapt any technological development.