Excavating Classical Culture

The new series Studies in Classical Archaeology aims to bring recent archaeological finds, fieldwork and research to the forefront among Greek scholars. This first volume includes 24 papers, plus an epilogue by John Boardman, taken from a colloquium held at Somerville College in Oxford in 2001. The papers are well illustrated throughout, including 86 pages of photographs, and covers a range of different approaches, finds and sites from c. 900 BC-AD 200, including: everyday life and the afterlife in ancient Thasos (M Sgourou); Classical Amphipolis (Ch Koukouli-Chrysanthaki); Discoveries in Pella (M Lilimpaki-Akamati); Skyros in the Early Iron Age (E Sapouna-Sakellaraki); the cemetery at Kerameikos (E Baziotopoulou-Valavani); Ancient theatre of Sparta (G Waywell); Sanctuary of Delos

The new series Studies in Classical Archaeology aims to bring recent archaeological finds, fieldwork and research to the forefront among Greek scholars. This first volume includes 24 papers, plus an epilogue by John Boardman, taken from a colloquium held at Somerville College in Oxford in 2001). The papers are well illustrated throughout, including 86 pages of photographs, and covers a range of different approaches, finds and sites from c.900 BC-AD 200, including: Everyday life and the afterlife in ancient Thasos (M Sgourou); Classical Amphipolis (Ch Koukouli-Chrysanthaki); Discoveries in Pella (M Lilimpaki-Akamati); Skyros in the Early Iron Age (E Sapouna-Sakellaraki); the cemetery at Kerameikos (E Baziotopoulou-Valavani); Ancient theatre of Sparta (G Waywell); Sanctuary of Delos

This book compiles a series of case studies derived from archaeological excavation in Greek cultural contexts in the Mediterranean (ca. 800-100 B.C), addressing the current state of the field, the goals and direction of Greek archaeology, and its place in archaeological thought and practice. Overviews of archaeological sites and analyses of assemblages and contexts explore how new forms of data; methods of data recovery and analysis; and sampling strategies have affected the discourse in classical archaeology and the range of research questions and strategies at our disposal. Recent excavations and field practices are steering the way that we approach Greek cultural landscapes and form broader theoretical perspectives, while generating new research questions and interpretive frameworks that in turn affect how we sample sites, collect and study material remains, and ultimately construct the archaeological record. The book confronts the implications of an integrated dialogue between realms of data and interpretive methodologies, addressing how reengagement with the site, assemblage, or artifact, from the excavation context can structure the way that we link archaeological and systemic contexts in classical archaeology.

With 1,125 entries and 170 contributors, this is the first encyclopedia on the history of classical archaeology. It focuses on Greek and Roman material, but also covers the early cultures of the Bronze Age Aegeans and the Etruscans and manifestations of Greek and Roman culture in other parts of Europe and the Mediterranean Sea. Unlike recent studies focusing on the science of excavating, this book considers archaeological study in the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the modern era. It includes entries on individuals whose activities influenced knowledge of sites and monuments and sites as seen, changed, and interpreted through time; entries on major works of art excavated during the Renaissance; and works that were known in the Middle Ages.

This book compiles a series of case studies derived from archaeological excavation in Greek cultural contexts in the Mediterranean (ca. 800-100 B.C), addressing the current state of the field, the goals and direction of Greek archaeology, and its place in archaeological thought and practice. Overviews of archaeological sites and analyses of assemblages and contexts explore how new forms of data; methods of data recovery and analysis; and sampling strategies have affected the discourse in classical archaeology and the range of research questions and strategies at our disposal. Recent excavations and field practices are steering the way that we approach Greek cultural landscapes and form broader theoretical perspectives, while generating new research questions and interpretive frameworks that in turn affect how we sample sites, collect and study material remains, and ultimately construct the archaeological record. The book confronts the implications of an integrated dialogue between realms of data and interpretive methodologies, addressing how reengagement with the site, assemblage, or artifact, from the excavation context can structure the way that we link archaeological and systemic contexts in classical archaeology.

This book presents a selection of eighteen land battles and sieges that span the Classical Greek period, from the Persian invasions to the eclipse of the traditional hoplite heavy infantry at the hands of the Macedonians. This of course is the golden age of the hoplite phalanx but Owen Rees is keen to cover all aspects of battle, including mercenary armies and the rise of light infantry, emphasising the variety and tactical developments across the period. Each battle is set in context with a brief background and then the battlefield and opposing forces are discussed before the narrative and analysis of the fighting is given and rounded off with consideration of the aftermath and strategic implications. Written in an accessible narrative tone, a key feature of the book is the authors choice of battles, which collectively challenge popularly held beliefs such as the invincibility of the Spartans. The text is well supported by dozens of tactical diagrams showing deployments and various phase of the battles.

Archaeologists do not discover the past but take the fragmentary remains which they recover and make something of them. Archaeology is a process of detection and supposition; this is what makes it so fascinating. However, the interpretations of archaeologists differ and change over time. They depend upon the amount of evidence available, the ideas and preconceptions of the archaeologist and their interests and aims. Michael Shanks's enlivening work is a guide to the discipline of classical archaeology and its objects. It assesses archaeology as a means of reconstructing ancient Greek society using the latest approaches of social archaeology. In addition, The Classical Archaeology of Greece outlines the history of the discipline and discusses why Classical Greece continues to fascinate us and why it has had such an impact on European civilization and identity.

This volume sheds new light on the significance and meaning of material culture for the study of pilgrimage in the ancient world, focusing in particular on Classical and Hellenistic Greece, the Roman Empire and Late Antiquity. It thus discusses how archaeological evidence can be used to advance our understanding of ancient pilgrimage and ritual experience. The volume brings together a group of scholars who explore some of the rich archaeological evidence for sacred travel and movement, such as the material footprint of different activities undertaken by pilgrims, the spatial organization of sanctuaries and the wider catchment of pilgrimage sites, as well as the relationship between architecture, art and ritual. Contributions also tackle both methodological and theoretical issues related to the study of pilgrimage, sacred travel and other types of movement to, from and within sanctuaries through case studies stretching from the first millennium BC to the early medieval period.