The Eve of the Greek Revival : British Travellers' Perceptions of Early Nineteenth-Century Greece

First Published in 1990, The Eve of the Greek Revival presents an illuminating interpretation of Greece during the crucial period just before the Greek War of Independence (1821-9) and the establishment of the modern Greek state. When the Napoleonic wars closed much of Europe to British travellers, young Grand Tourists extended their horizons to Greece, then part of the Ottoman Empire. Though many of the young travellers had a special interest in Greek antiquities and topography, at least as many were interested in the contemporary scene, with a Romantic love of antiquity infecting their interpretation of Turkish oppression and Greek servitude. Travellers like William Gell, Lord Byron, Edward Dodwell, F.S. N. Douglas, W. M Leake, and many others wrote detailed accounts of their travels. In this book the author makes systematic use of these writings to build up a detailed portrait of early nineteenth-century Greece through the eyes of its visitors.

The emphasis is on modern Greece and its inhabitants, rather than on archaeological and topographical research, and we see the travellers’ views about the institutions and the peoples who lived in Greece, the state of the people''s education and culture, and on the major topic of the economy. This book provides a fascinating insight into the preoccupations of travel writers of the period and a must read for students of modern Greek history.