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Books > Humanities > Archaeology > Archaeology by period / region > European archaeology > Classical Greek & Roman archaeology
Ptolemais of the Libyan Pentapolis was founded in the second half of the third century B.C., probably early in the reign of Ptolemy III, on a site that had already been occupied for almost three centuries by the anonymous 'harbor at Barca.' Extensive remains of Ptolemais have always been visible and a careful plan of them was made by the Beechey brothers in 1822. Between 1935 and 1942 a number of sites including the Street of the Monuments, the Square of the Cisterns, the Palazzo delle Colonne, the Fortress Church, and the Tower Tomb were cleared and studied by the Italians under Professor Giacomo Caputo; and three more buildings, a villa of the early Roman period, a public building on the Street of the Monuments and the City Bath of the Byzantine period, were examined in detail by the Oriental Institute of Chicago under Professor Carl Kraeling between 1956 and 1958. The purpose of the present volume is twofold: to present detailed excavation reports on these last three buildings, and also to attempt a survey of Ptolemais as a whole on the basis of a thorough re-examination of the site carried out by the Institute. This was something well worth doing and generally speaking it has been well done. Even if some of the conclusions reached here must inevitably be regarded as provisional, we now have a broad and solid foundation on which future investigators can build, and for which they will be grateful. From a review by D. E. L. Haynes in the Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 52 (1966) 195].
..". an interesting and valuable contribution to geoarchaeology." Geoarchaeology The geomorphology of Franchthi paralia; soil profiles; classification of sediments; stratigraphic succession; submarine sediments; holocene environment of the Argolid; and more."
When the great citadel of Mycenae, then the center of the Aegean world, went up in flames about 1100 B.C., what followed was a "dark age" that left no written records. But rich archaeological records show conclusively that there was a radical discontinuity between Mycenaean-Minoan culture and Greek civilization. Chester G. Starr argues that true Greek civilization was swiftly and spontaneously generated in a remarkably autonomous renaissance during the two centuries from 850 to 650 B.C. Supporting his thesis with archaeological evidence previously unavailable to historians, he offers a masterly reconstruction of an obscure and important period of Greek history.
Greek myths abound in images of beauty and perfection: charming gods, attractive goddesses, and handsome heroes, all of them standards of physical and spiritual flawlessness. However, the ancient Greeks were not fond of absolutes. No god or hero is shown without blemishes in character and ethics, and some are even physically imperfect, like Hephaestus, who is ugly and lame. Another element that dominates Greek mythology is the idea of balance. Good and evil, light and darkness, hubris and punishment. What could not be missing from this world is the image of reversed beauty: monstrosity. The aim of this book is to explore the realm of the imaginary world of Greek mythology and present the reader with a categorization of monstrosity, referring to some of the most noted examples in each category.
Features the archaeological and paleoenvironmental data from Franchthi Cave that provide a site-specific record of the cultural responses to great environmental changes.
"With the long-awaited publication of these three volumes we have the first thorough documentation of one of the most important prehistoric sites in the Mediterranean, that of Franchthi Cave in the Argolid Peninsula of Greece." American Anthropologist ..". the archaeological and paleoenvironmental data from Franchthi Cave are unique in providing a site-specific record of the cultural responses to great environmental changes." Quarterly Research This volume describes the evolution of the landscape around Franchthi Cave over 25,000 years, its impact on prehistoric inhabitants, and theirs on it."
In the year 19 BC, Roman legions arrived in Nijmegen with the aim of conquering the Rhenish territories from the local populations. In addition to the legionaries themselves, the Roman army required a regular provision of staple supplies in order to keep such a war machine in top condition. The archaeological evidence for this provision is a myriad of organic remains (i.e. seeds, bones, pollen) as well as ceramic containers such as amphorae. One of the first military camps at Nijmegen, together with that on the Hunerberg, was Kops Plateau. This timber fortress - the most northerly military site of the Julio-Claudian period - dating from 12 BC to AD 69, has provided an extraordinary amphora assemblage. At a time when most Roman roads were still only projects, this distant military outpost received amphora products from all over the Mediterranean basin - from Palestine to Greece in the east to Baetica and northern Africa in the west as well as from the Italian core. In addition to amphorae, Kops Plateau also provided a wide repertory of regional vessels whose contents are unknown. The amphorae from Kops Plateau represent a singular example of Roman military supply in northern Europe at a very early date. Their analysis sheds light on trading routes in the Atlantic regions, and from Gaul to Germany; indeed also on the Claudian invasion of Britain.
This publication presents the results of over 30 years of investigation into Roman Godmanchester, (Cambridgeshire), by Michael Green. The book accurately locates the 25 "sites" investigated, and pinpoints the trenches against the modern street layout. Although some sites covered large areas, many often had to be conducted as small trenches undertaken by volunteers. The origins for Durovigutum include evidence for Iron Age settlement which preceded two Roman forts during the 1st century AD. After its initial military establishment the book goes on to reveal the development of the Roman civic community and its cemeteries along Ermine Street adjacent to its crossing of the Great Ouse. The town was surrounded by defences in the 2nd century and a wall in the 3rd century, its public buildings included a mansio, bath-house and brewery, aisled barns, basilica and several temples, and the socio-economic foundation of the community is explored with specific examples from excavated evidence including different types of domestic housing and workshops. A tavern, glassware-shop, dairy equipment, pottery manufacture and a smithy are detailed in this book, as well as analysis of land organization, infield and outfield agriculture, and a villa estate at Rectory farm. Specialist analyses include samian and coarse wares, vessel and window glass, coins, animal bone, dairy production, belief systems and burial practices, as well as the exceptional finds of a hoard of jewellery from one of the mansio pits, and a burial casket of wood and bronze. Although partial or full reports of various excavations have been published in journals and monographs previously, this is the first time Green's full body of work on Godmanchester has been collated and presented in one comprehensive volume. The book has not tried to include more recent investigations, and most illustrations are by Michael Green, drawn contemporary with his excavations.
Ancient Greek vase-paintings offer broad-ranging and unprecedented early perspectives on the often intricate interplay of images and texts. By bringing together-for the first time in English-language scholarship-an international group of leading scholars in classical art and archaeology who have worked on vase-inscriptions, this book investigates epigraphic technicalities of Attic and non-Attic inscriptions on pottery as well as their broader iconographic and sociocultural significance. The ten chapters in this book propose original and expert methodological approaches to the study of vase-inscriptions and vasepaintings, while also foregrounding the outstanding but not fully examined importance of the area of vase-inscriptions for current research on ancient Greek visual representations. Epigraphy of Art: Ancient Greek Vase-Inscriptions and Vase-Paintings constitutes a major contribution to the fields of Greek epigraphy and classical art and archaeology and will prove significant for epigraphists, archaeologists, and art-historians interested in the complexities of the interaction of art and text.
Classical and Hellenistic cemeteries can give us more than descriptions and styles of pottery, art and burial architecture; they can speak of people, societies, social conventions as well as of social distinctions. This book aims to employ and illustrate the unique strengths of burial evidence and its contribution to the understanding of social identity and status in the Classical and Hellenistic Northern Peloponnese. By thoroughly reviewing published burials from the regions of Achaia, Arcadia, the Argolid and Cynouria, Corinthia, Elis and Triphylia, spatial and temporal variations which led to a change in definitions of 'society' and perceptions of 'community' on the basis of shifting reactions to death and the dead are demonstrated. Social roles of men, women, children, elite and non-elite individuals as expressed or negotiated in the mortuary record are explored. Preconceived ideas and stereotypes within and about the Classical and Hellenistic burials are challenged. In spite of the many constraints imposed by the limited previous research, what clearly emerges from this study is the wide degree of variation in what are often loosely termed 'customary' or unappealing Classical and Hellenistic burial practices in the Northern Peloponnese. If death was indeed an occasion or 'opportunity', then the meaning of this opportunity varied along the shifting dimensions, in time and space, of identity and status.
This report presents the vessel glass and small finds found during the excavations between 1995 and 2006 that took place in Insula VI.1, Pompeii (henceforth VI.1). More than 5,000 items are discussed, and the size of the assemblage has meant that the publication is in two parts. The book you are reading consists of the discussion with associated illustrations and the catalogue entries for a subset of the data. The other half is available digitally on the Archaeological Data Service. That part contains the full catalogue of the material recorded, additional contextual information, and details about the initial excavations of the insula during the eighteenth century.
This volume represents a selection of contributions on Mediterranean themes from a wider international interdisciplinary conference on Magical Texts in Ancient Civilizations, organised by the Centre for Comparative Studies of Civilizations at Jagiellonian University in Krakow in Poland between 27-28 June 2013. The meeting welcomed researchers from Hungary, Italy, Poland and Ukraine, covering various disciplines including comparative civilizations, comparative religions, linguistics, archaeology, anthropology, history and philosophy. In the past 'magic' was often misunderstood as irrational behaviour, in contrast to the tradition of philosophical or rational thought mostly based on Greek models. Evidence collected from ancient high cultures, like that of Pharaonic Egypt, includes massive amounts of documents and treatises of all kinds related to what has been labelled 'magic'. Today it cannot be written off as merely a primitive or 'lesser human' phenomenon: the awareness of magic remains to the present day in many societies, at all social levels, and has not been generally replaced by what might be considered as more advanced thinking. The researches in this volume focus heavily on Egypt (in particular Predynastic, Pharaonic, Hellenistic, Roman and Christian evidence), but Near Eastern material was also presented from Pagan (Ugaritic) and Christian (Syriac) times.
Taking an unusual approach to his subject, J. J. Coulton examines ancient Greek architecture from the point of view of the practicing architects. He discusses their ideas and technical achievements from the early seventh century B.C. to the first century B.C. Drawing on surviving written evidence from antiquity as well as on the evidence of the buildings themselves, Mr. Coulton provides answers to such questions as: What must it have been like to build a Greek temple? Who did the building? What training was required? How did the Greeks begin? What problems did they face? The first chapter considers the relations of architects to patrons and clients and the role of architects in ancient society generally. Subsequent chapters explore a series of architectural problems and their solutions. In his final chapter Mr. Coulton assesses the architects' techniques and their contributions to structural design, evaluating their theoretical knowledge of mechanics and their practical understanding of structural concepts. Generously illustrated and lucidly written, this volume will appeal to all who are interested in architecture, architectural history, and archaeology.
Culture and Society at Lullingstone Roman Villa paints a picture of what life might have been like for the inhabitants of the villa in the late third and fourth centuries AD. The villa today, in the Darent Valley, Kent, has an unusual amount of well-preserved evidence for its interior decoration and architecture. Seventy years on from the commencement of the excavation of the site, this study draws on the original reports but also embraces innovative approaches to examining the archaeological evidence and sheds new light on our understanding of the villa's use. For the first time, the site of Lullingstone Roman Villa is surveyed holistically, developing a plausible argument that the inhabitants used domestic space to assert their status and cultural identity. An exploration of the landscape setting asks whether property location was as important a factor in the time of Roman Britain as it is today and probes the motives of the villa's architects and their client. Lullingstone's celebrated mosaics are also investigated from a fresh perspective. Why were these scenes chosen and what impact did they have on various visitors to the villa? Comparison with some contemporary Romano-British villas allows us to assess whether Lullingstone is what we would expect, or whether it is exceptional. Examples from the wider Roman world are also introduced to enquire how Lullingstone's residents adopted Roman architecture and potentially the social customs which accompanied it.
This book collects together data concerning copper alloy vessels from Roman Britain and relates this evidence to prevailing theories of consumption, identity and culture change in Britain during this time. The aims of this study are to collect a catalogue of copper alloy vessels from England and Wales, categorise them by form, typology, context, chronology and geographic distribution, offer interpretations concerning their cultural associations, manners of consumption, functionality and development over time before commenting upon their value as small finds material reflective of culture change more broadly within Britain during the Roman period. Copper alloy vessels from the Roman period in Britain have not been the subject of focused scholarly study for over 50 years and have never had a focused examination in English. This report not only rectifies this gap in the literature, but proceeds to directly apply this data analysis to the greater theoretical discourse of the development of material culture in Britain during the Roman period, thereby demonstrating the validity and importance of small finds studies to the larger historiographic and theoretical discourse.
This volume presents the Protogeometric through Hellenistic material (ca. 970-175 B.C.) from ASCSA excavations conducted in the 1950s at Lerna in the Argolid, one of the most important prehistoric sites in Greece. The material derives from two main sources: burials from a Geometric cemetery near the settlement and Late Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic wells from the mound proper. Although the material consists primarily of pottery and other ceramic finds, it also includes human remains, animal bones and shells, coins, inscriptions, and bronze and stone objects. Heather Graybehl provides a petrographic analysis, Mark L. Lawall discusses the transport amphoras and import patterns, David S. Reese presents the faunal material, and David Scahill presents and catalogues two Doric capitals. This study not only gives scholars greater insight into ceramic developments in the Argolid, it brings much-needed focus to the material culture of a historic settlement not known for strategic trading, politics, or military prowess. Lerna VIII will greatly facilitate comparative studies with other modestly sized communities in ancient Greece.
This book centres on the anthropological study of two late 8th century BC monumental graves, designated as T144 and T105, at the ancient necropolis of Paroikia at Paros. The study investigates inter-island features of the human record, observable as ingrained traces in the skeletal record. These have particular significance as they may relate to Parian endeavours in the northern Aegean to colonise Thasos. Through the 'Paros Polyandreia Anthropological Project,' it was possible to gain insights into aspects of the human environment and experience in the Parian context. A considerable population sample of cremated male individuals was available, shedding light on trends that would have involved Thasos; and discerning further facets of the human condition during the Late Geometric to the Early Archaic periods in the ancient Hellenic world. The report integrates the basic anthropological data, evaluations and assessments derived from the study of the human skeletal record of Polyandreia T144, and T105. Bioarchaeological and forensic anthropological research results include the morphometric analyses of biological developmental growth and variability in relation to manifestations of acquired skeleto-anatomic changes, along with inquiries into the demographic dynamics, and the palaeopathologic profile of the individuals involved. Such intra-site juxtaposition afforded the possibility to deliberate on issues of the intended purpose, function, and symbolic meaning of the two funerary activity areas, and to reflect on the organizational abilities and capacities of the Parians in political and military affairs. Moreover, inter-site evaluations of the burial grounds of Orthi Petra of Eleutherna-Crete, Plithos of Naxos, Athenian Demosion Sema, Pythagoreion of Samos, and Rhodes make possible comparisons of taphonomic conditions, with cremated materials' metric analyses, and reflections on aspects of the funerary customs and practices of the interring of cremated war dead.
The Mycenaean Cemetery at Achaia Clauss near Patras: People, material remains and culture in context' comprises the study of the finds from the excavation of the Mycenaean cemetery of Clauss near Patras, carried out by the University of Ioannina and the Archaeological Society at Athens from 1988 to 1992, under the direction of Professor Thanassis Papadopoulos. In the course of the excavation project, fifteen chambered tombs were located and researched in detail, to be added to those already known from the pre-war excavations by Nikolaos Kyparissis. The presentation of the topic expands into seven thematic chapters: from a general review of the cemetery space and the sites, to analytical description of the excavation, remarks on the architecture, study of the finds, analysis of the burial customs and finally, narration of the overall history of the cemetery according to chronological period and generation of its occupants. The eighth and last chapter is an addendum including a brief presentation of the anthropological analysis of the skeletal material by Photini J. P. McGeorge and Wieslaw Wieckowski. The Mycenaean cemetery at Achaia Clauss near Patras presents fragments of the life and death of some members of a local community that existed for almost four centuries at the western end of the Mycenaean world.
This generously illustrated volume, honoring Crawford H. Greenewalt, Jr., field director of the Sardis Expedition for over thirty years, and commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the Harvard- Cornell archaeological excavation, presents new studies by scholars closely involved with Professor Greenewalt's excavations at this site in western Turkey. The essays span the Archaic to the Late Antique periods, focusing primarily on Sardis itself but also touching on other archaeological sites in the eastern Mediterranean. Three papers publish for the first time an Archaic painted tomb near Sardis with lavish interior furnishings. Papers on Sardis in late antiquity focus on domestic wall paintings, spolia used in the late Roman Synagogue, and late fifth-century coin hoards. Other Sardis papers examine the layout of the city from the Lydian to the Roman periods, the transformation of Sardis from an imperial capital to a Hellenistic polis, the reuse of pottery in the Lydian period, and the history and achievements of the conservation program at the site. Studies of an Archaic seal from Gordion, queenly patronage of Hellenistic rotundas, and ancient and modern approaches to architectural ornament round out the volume.
*** Winner of the PROSE Award (2019) for Classics *** This major new work on Roman London brings together the many new discoveries of the last generation and provides a detailed overview of the city from before its foundation in the first century to the fifth century AD. Richard Hingley explores the archaeological and historical evidence for London under the Romans, assessing the city in the context of its province and the wider empire. He explores the multiple functions of Londinium over time, considering economy, industry, trade, status and urban infrastructure, but also looking at how power, status, gender and identity are reflected through the materiality of the terrain and waterscape of the evolving city. A particular focus of the book is the ritual and religious context in which these activities occurred. Hingley looks at how places within the developing urban landscape were inherited and considers how the history and meanings of Londinium built upon earlier associations from its recent and ancient past. As well as drawing together a much-needed synthesis of recent scholarship and material evidence, Hingley offers new perspectives that will inspire future debate and research for years to come. This volume not only provides an accessible introduction for undergraduate students and anyone interested in the ancient city of London, but also an essential account for more advanced students and scholars.
In Gardens of the Roman Empire, the pioneering archaeologist Wilhelmina F. Jashemski sets out to examine the role of ancient Roman gardens in daily life throughout the empire. This study, therefore, includes for the first time, archaeological, literary, and artistic evidence about ancient Roman gardens across the entire Roman Empire from Britain to Arabia. Through well-illustrated essays by leading scholars in the field, various types of gardens are examined, from how Romans actually created their gardens to the experience of gardens as revealed in literature and art. Demonstrating the central role and value of gardens in Roman civilization, Jashemski and a distinguished, international team of contributors have created a landmark reference work that will serve as the foundation for future scholarship on this topic. An accompanying digital catalogue will be made available at: www.gardensoftheromanempire.org.
It is often presumed that biblical redaction was invariably done using conventional scribal methods, meaning that when editors sought to modify or compile existing texts, they would do so in the process of rewriting them upon new scrolls. There is, however, substantial evidence pointing to an alternative scenario: Various sections of the Hebrew Bible appear to have been created through a process of material redaction. In some cases, ancient editors simply appended new sheets to existing scrolls. Other times, they literally cut and pasted their sources, carving out patches of text from multiple manuscripts and then gluing them together like a collage. Idan Dershowitz shows how this surprising technique left behind telltale traces in the biblical text - especially when the editors made mistakes - allowing us to reconstruct their modus operandi. Material evidence from the ancient Near East and elsewhere further supports his hypothesis. "This is an extremely stimulating study that will have a lasting impact on the scholarly discourse. [...] The Dismembered Bible is an outstanding example of what biblical studies can learn from neighboring disciplines and hopefully marks only the beginning of a more intense dialogue between exegesis and research on material aspects of textual production." Translation of Anja Klein in Theologische Revue, 117. Jahrgang, September 2021, https://doi.org/10.17879/thrv-2021-3568
"Not the shadow of a smile disturbs the dry exposition of the scholarly Englishman [Cecil Torr] who has given us the best historical monograph on the island... Read him and you will see why..." (Lawrence Durrell, "Reflections on a Marine Venus"). Cecil Torr's two 19th-century studies of Rhodes, in the Greek Dodecanese, off the coast of Asia Minor, were the first and most authoritative English guides to the island's multi-layered history. Although more than a hundred years have passed since publication, the reclusive scholar's "Rhodes in Ancient Times" and "Rhodes in Modern Times" remain firmly embedded in related bibliographies. Impeccably qualified - Harrow (Arthur Evans was a class-mate), Trinity Cambridge, and Inner Temple barrister of formidable reputation - Cecil Torr had the true antiquarian's obsession for factual presentation and detailed analyses of primary sources. First published in 1885, "Rhodes in Ancient Times" is an historical and cultural guide to one of the most influential and powerful maritime states in the Mediterranean. Torr's scholarly curiosity leads him to explore the island's history, culture, myths and legends, arts, and contribution to learning in the centuries before Christ. Naturally, the celebrated Colossus is not overlooked! |
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