We discuss the important – but rarely scrutinized – role of archaeology in the constitution of Greece and Israel as contemporary crypto-colonized states, defined by Herzfeld as countries with a strong national sentiment that serve as buffer zones and whose political independence is accompanied by massive economic dependency. We elaborate on what this crypto-colonizing process means for the two societies.

As is very much the case today, the spoken and written word was a critical weapon of persuasion in eighteenth-century political debates. For early black writers, such as Olaudah Equiano, Phillis Wheatley, Ignatius Sancho, and Robert Wedderburn, who fought hard to articulate their respective positions in the fight against slavery, this situation was even more crucial. Using the common eighteenth-century epistolary form, as well as the pamphlet and essay, these authors managed to secure a readership in and established a dialogue with British society, vehemently defending the rights of their communities. This chapter examines the interplay between the different political and literary strategies (genre, style, voice) which early writers of African descent explored to spark debate, penetrate thinking, and persuade their audiences of the passion of their cause and their plea for acceptance and equality.