The Greeks inscribed their works of art and craft with labels identifying mythological or historical figures, bits of poetry, and claims of ownership. But no type of inscription is more hotly debated or more intriguing than the artist's signature, which raises questions concerning the role and status of the artist and the work of art or craft itself. In this book, Jeffrey M. Hurwit surveys the phenomenon of artists' signatures across the many genres of Greek art from the eighth to the first century BCE. Although the great majority of extant works lack signatures, the Greek artist nonetheless signed his products far more than any other artist of antiquity. Examining signatures on gems, coins, mosaics, wall-paintings, metalwork, vases, and sculptures, Hurwit argues that signatures help us assess the position of the Greek artist within his society as well as his conception of his own skill and originality.

The transition from republic to monarchy with the accession of Augustus heralded the transformation not just of the Roman political system but of the city of Rome itself. This volume, written by some of the foremost scholars from around the world, addresses three main topics: the impact of imperial building programs on the configuration of space within the city and on the evolution of Rome's urban image; the various ways in which the figure of the emperor himself was represented, both visually and symbolically, in the city's urban fabric; and the performance of rituals and ceremonies that expressed key imperial ideals and values and enabled communications between the emperor and important collectivities in the city. The contributors build on important recent developments in research: increased archaeological excavation and restoration, the proliferation of digital technologies, and the greater attention paid by scholars to the centuries after Augustus.

The Acropolis through its Museum is not simply a guidebook to the Acropolis Museum. By presenting the works of art exhibited in the museum, it endeavours to resynthesize the history of the Sacred Rock as part of the cultural and the wider historical process of Athens. The book follows the visitor's tour of the museum, so that the reader can study and learn more about the antiquities he sees before him. However, it is written is such a way that through independent inquiry the reader is able to approach the subjects more deeply and to understand the preconditions - political, social, economic, ideological, artistic and technological - that led to the creation of the unique monuments on the Acropolis. The book is lavishly illustrated with photographs, as well as numerous plans and reconstruction drawings, which enable the reader to understand each of the fragmentarily preserved works in its context. It also answers many of the questions raised in the discerning reader's mind, such as what was the size and the population of ancient Athens, what is the meaning of the beasts represented on the large Archaic pediments, what do the Korai statues represent, why did the Erechtheion become so complex and what was the role of the Karyatids, why was the temple of Athena Nike built in the Ionic order, what led Pericles and his advisers to opt for the specific building programme and how were the major public works financed, why was it decided to place an Ionic frieze on the Doric Parthenon, what political messages were transmitted to Sparta through the sculptural decoration of the Parthenon, and so on. Authored by a university professor who has been involved with studying and teaching the Acropolis for over thirty years, the publication is of the impeccable artistic quality distinctive of books produced by KAPON Editions.

The relation between the visual and the verbal spheres has been much contested in recent years, from laments about the 'logocentricism' of the academy to the heralding of the 'pictorial turn' of the multimedia age. This lavishly illustrated book recontextualises these debates through the historical lens of Greek and Roman antiquity. Dr Squire shows how modern Western concepts of 'words' and 'pictures' derive from a post-Reformation tradition of theology and aesthetics. Where modern critics assume a bipartite separation between images and texts, classical antiquity toyed with a more playful and engaged relation between the two. By using the ancient world to rethink our own ideologies of the visual and the verbal, this interdisciplinary book brings together classics and art history, as well as a sustained reflection on their historiography: the result is a new and explosive cultural history of Western visual thinking.

Painting was one of the major achievements of the Classical world. This book examines the development of mural and panel painting in the Classical world from the earliest Minoan and Cycladic frescoes of the Aegean Bronze Age to late Roman painting, from approximately 1800 B.C. to A.D. 400. It provides a comprehensive study of major monuments, including exciting new material that has been discovered in recent years and has transformed the field. It also offers a critical overview of scholarly debates and controversies on aspects of style, iconography, technique, and cultural context. This volume provides an up-to-date and much-needed overview of the monuments that are now known and of the ideas that have been generated about them.

An illustrious scholar presents an elegant, concise, and generously illustrated exploration of Alexander the Great's representations in art and literature through the ages John Boardman is one of the world's leading authorities on ancient Greece, and his acclaimed books command a broad readership. In this book, he looks beyond the life of Alexander the Great in order to examine the astonishing range of Alexanders created by generations of authors, historians, and artists throughout the world-from Scotland to China. Alexander's defeat of the Persian Empire in 331 BC captured the popular imagination, inspiring an endless series of stories and representations that emerged shortly after his death and continues today. An art historian and archaeologist, Boardman draws on his deep knowledge of Alexander and the ancient world to reflect on the most interesting and emblematic depictions of this towering historical figure. Some of the stories in this book relate to historical events associated with Alexander's military career and some to the fantasy that has been woven around him, and Boardman relates each with his customary verve and erudition. From Alexander's biographers in ancient Greece to the illustrated Alexander "Romances" of the Middle Ages to operas, films, and even modern cartoons, this generously illustrated volume takes readers on a fascinating cultural journey as it delivers a perfect pairing of subject and author.

Originally published in 1927, this book contains analysis on two Greek sculptures, the Constantinople Pentathlete and a draped female figure in Burlington House. Walston compares each piece with similar figures on vases, coins and other forms of sculpture in order to provide each with its appropriate artistic and historical context. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in ancient art.

In this book, Rachel Kousser draws on contemporary reception theory to present a new approach to Hellenistic and Roman ideal sculpture. She analyzes the Romans preference for retrospective, classicizing statuary based on Greek models as opposed to the innovative creations prized by modern scholars. Using a case study of a particular sculptural type, a forceful yet erotic image of Venus, Kousser argues that the Romans self-consciously employed such sculptures to represent their ties to the past in a rapidly evolving world. Kousser presents Hellenistic and Roman ideal sculpture as an example of a highly effective artistic tradition that was, by modern standards, extraordinarily conservative. At the same time, the Romans flexible and opportunistic use of past forms also had important implications for the future: it constituted the origins of classicism in Western art."

Recent studies have highlighted the diversity, complexity, and plurality of identities in the ancient world. At the same time, scholars have acknowledged the dynamic role of material culture, not simply in reflecting those identities but their role in creating and transforming them. This volume explores and compares two influential approaches to the study of social and cultural identities, the model of globalization and theories of hybrid cultural development. In a series of case studies, an international team of archaeologists and art historians considers how various aspects of material culture can be used to explore complex global and local identity structures across the geographical and chronological span of antiquity. The essays examine the civilizations of the Greeks, Romans, Etruscans, Persians, Phoenicians, and Celts. Reflecting on the current state of our understanding of cultural interaction and antiquity, they also dwell on contemporary thoughts of identity, cultural globalization, and resistance that shape and are shaped by academic discourses on the cultural empires of Greece and Rome.

The Gayer-Anderson Cat has been one of the most admired objects at the British Museum since its arrival in 1947. This book presents a detailed description of the cat and a discussion of its possible meaning and role in ancient times. Surprising new finds from scientific analyses are presented for the first time, shedding light on the cats somewhat traumatic modern history, from its acquisition by the British Army major and avid antiquities collector John Gayer-Anderson to its donation to the British Museum. The fascinating narrative is complemented by outstanding new photography.

Dramatic social and political change marks the period from the end of the Late Bronze Age into the Iron Age (ca. 1300 700 BCE) across the Mediterranean. Inland palatial centers of bureaucratic power weakened or collapsed ca. 1200 BCE while entrepreneurial exchange by sea survived and even expanded, becoming the Mediterranean-wide network of Phoenician trade. At the heart of that system was Kition, one of the largest harbor cities of ancient Cyprus. Earlier research has suggested that Phoenician rule was established at Kition after the abandonment of part of its Bronze Age settlement. A reexamination of Kition s architecture, stratigraphy, inscriptions, sculpture, and ceramics demonstrates that it was not abandoned. This study emphasizes the placement and scale of images and how they reveal the development of economic and social control at Kition from its establishment in the thirteenth century BCE until the development of a centralized form of government by the Phoenicians, backed by the Assyrian king, in 707 BCE."

In this book, Brenda Longfellow examines one of the features of Roman Imperial cities, the monumental civic fountain. Built in cities throughout the Roman Empire during the first through third centuries AD, these fountains were imposing in size, frequently adorned with grand sculptures, and often placed in highly trafficked areas. Over twenty-five of these urban complexes can be associated with emperors. Dr. Longfellow situates each of these examples within its urban environment and investigates the edifice as a product of an individual patron and a particular historical and geographical context. She also considers the role of civic patronage in fostering a dialogue between imperial and provincial elites with the local urban environment. Tracing the development of the genre across the empire, she illuminates the motives and ideologies of imperial and local benefactors in Rome and the provinces and explores the complex interplay of imperial power, patronage, and the local urban environment.

Originally published in 1912, this book contains the first half of the catalogue of the sculptures held in the collection of the Acropolis Museum in Athens. In this volume, Dickins lists the museum's assortment of archaic sculptures, thought to have been made before the razing of the Acropolis in 480 BC. The detailed text is illustrated with drawings of many of the sculptures listed, including the famous Peplos Kore, Kore 675 and the 'Mourning Athena' relief. This well-presented and thoroughly researched book will be of value to anyone with an interest in ancient Greek art, particularly art in the archaic style.

Originally published in 1921, this book contains the second half of the catalogue of the sculptures held in the collection of the Acropolis Museum in Athens. In this volume, Casson lists the sculptural and architectural fragments in the museum dating from after 480 BC. The detailed text is accompanied with drawings and photographs of many of the sculptures listed, including sculptures from the Temple of Athena Nike and several sections of the Parthenon Frieze. A special section at the end by Dorothy Brooke is devoted to the terracotta finds from the Acropolis. This well-presented and thoroughly researched book will be of value to anyone with an interest in ancient Greek art.

Originally published in 1910, this book analyses Greek and Roman painting techniques, using evidence from ancient writings and archaeological remains, including those from Pompeii. Laurie examines how ancient artists could have created certain colours from natural ingredients and the influence of ancient Egyptian methods on Graeco-Roman artists over time. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in ancient art and artistic techniques.

Greek Sculpture presents a chronological overview of the plastic and glyptic art forms in the ancient Greek world from the emergence of life-sized marble statuary at the end of the seventh century BC to the appropriation of Greek sculptural traditions by Rome in the first two centuries AD. * Compares the evolution of Greek sculpture over the centuries to works of contemporaneous Mediterranean civilizations * Emphasizes looking closely at the stylistic features of Greek sculpture, illustrating these observations where possible with original works rather than copies * Places the remarkable progress of stylistic changes that took place in Greek sculpture within a broader social and historical context * Facilitates an understanding of why Greek monuments look the way they do and what ideas they were capable of expressing * Focuses on the most recent interpretations of Greek sculptural works while considering the fragile and fragmentary evidence uncovered

Examines the styles and contexts of portrait statues produced during one of the most dynamic eras of Western art, the early Hellenistic age. Often seen as the beginning of the Western tradition in portraiture, this historical period is here subjected to a rigorous interdisciplinary analysis. Using a variety of methodologies from a wide range of fields - anthropology, numismatics, epigraphy, archaeology, history, and literary criticism - an international team of experts investigates the problems of origins, patronage, setting, and meanings that have consistently marked this fascinating body of ancient material culture.

This book is the first comprehensive study of the mausolea of the later Roman emperors. Constructed between ca. AD 244 and 450 and bridging the transition from paganism to Christianity within the empire, these important buildings shared a common design, that of domed rotunda. Mark Johnson examines the symbolism and function of the mausolea, demonstrating for the first time that these monuments served as temples and shrines to the divinized emperors. Through an examination of literary sources and the archaeological record, he identifies which buildings were built as imperial tombs. Each building is examined to determine its place in the development of the type as well as for its unique features within the group. Recognizing the strong relationship between the mausolea built for pagan and Christian emperors, Johnson also analyzes their important differences.

In this study, originally published in 1926, Sir Charles Walston sets forward his theory on the 'turning-point' in Classical Greek art in the second quarter of the fifth century BC, which he connects with the creation of the western pediment of the Temple of Olympia by the sculptor Alcamenes. Walston examines the treatment of certain aspects of the human body in Greek art, such as the eye and the male nude, and how such treatments changed during the Classical period. A more general survey of the other works of Alcamenes is also included. This richly illustrated and detailed book will be of value to anyone with an interest in Classical art and its development.

This volume gathers together selected contributions which were originally presented at the conference 'Greek Art in Context' at the University of Edinburgh in 2014. Its aim is to introduce the reader to the broad and multifaceted notion of context in relation to Greek art and, more specifically, to its relevance for the study of Greek sculpture and pottery from the Archaic to the Late Classical periods. What do we mean by 'context'? In which ways and under what circumstances does context become relevant for the interpretation of Greek material culture? Which contexts should we look at - viewing context, political, social and religious discourse, artistic tradition . . .? What happens when there is no context? These are some of the questions that this volume aims to answer. The chapters included cover current approaches to the study of Greek sculpture and pottery in which the notion of 'context' plays a prominent role, offering new ways of looking at familiar issues. It gathers leading scholars and early career researchers from different backgrounds and research traditions with the aim of presenting new insights into archaeological and art historical research. Their chapters contribute to showcase the vitality of the discipline and will serve to stimulate new directions for the study of Greek art.

Originally published in 1935, this book presents the content of Alan Wace's inaugural lecture upon taking up the position of Laurence Professor of Classical Archaeology at Cambridge University. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in ancient Greek art and archaeology.

Originally published in 1885, this book examines the extant works of the Greek sculptor Pheidias, best known as the creator of the Parthenon Marbles and the gold and ivory statue of Zeus at Olympia, which was considered to be one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Waldstein examines the Parthenon Marbles with particular scrutiny and charts the relationship between Pheidias' school and the development of later Greek art, particularly sepulchral reliefs. Four earlier papers by Waldstein on the topic of Pheidias are also reprinted here. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in ancient Greek sculpture.

This book examines the new institution of divinization that emerged as a political phenomenon at the end of the Roman Republic with the deification of Julius Caesar. Michael Koortbojian addresses the myriad problems related to Caesar's, and subsequently Augustus', divinization, in a sequence of studies devoted to the complex character of the new imperial system. These investigations focus on the broad spectrum of forms - monumental, epigraphic, numismatic, and those of social ritual - used to represent the most novel imperial institutions: divinization, a monarchial princeps, and a hereditary dynasty. Throughout, political and religious iconography is enlisted to serve in the study of these new Roman institutions, from their slow emergence to their gradual evolution and finally their eventual conventionalization.

Originally published in 1936, this book examines the seventh-century Dorian art style known as Dedalism. In the first section, Jenkins outlines the four schools of Dedalic art and attempts an absolute chronology, and applies his conclusions to extant examples of stone sculpture from immediately before and after the Dedalic period. This book will be of value to Classicists and anyone with an interest in ancient art.

Originally published in 1914, and previously delivered as lectures to students at the Royal Academy Art School in 1913, this book by Charles Waldstein, then director of the Fitzwilliam Museum, provides an introduction to the study of sculpture. The text is richly illustrated with a variety of examples ranging from the earliest Daedalic forms through classical and Hellenistic art to the more modern examples of Meunier and Millet. This book will be of value to anyone seeking an introduction to sculpture or with an interest in art history.