Conclusion

It is now time to offer an explanation for the results obtained in Parts II–III, regarding the frequency and intensity of stasis. Before I proceed, however, it is important to emphasize that I am not seeking to explain why the Greeks engaged in stasis or resolve the longstanding controversy regarding the true or root causes of the phenomenon; as indicated in Chapter 1, I believe that attempts to isolate a true cause – or even a limited set of root causes – for stasis are misguided. Rather, I seek to address two related questions that emerge directly from the analysis conducted in this book: Why did the Greeks participate in stasis so frequently? And why did staseis tend to involve such low levels of (lethal) violence?