Journal Of Greek Archaeology Volume 5 2020

Volume 5 of the Journal of Greek Archaeology is the richest and most diverse so far. Keeping to the core brief to cover all major periods of Greek Archaeology, articles range from the Neolithic through Greco-Roman times, the Middle Ages and up to the 19th century AD. Geographically, papers range from Sicily through the Aegean to Turkey.

The Byzantine world contained many important cities throughout its empire. Although it was not ‘urban’ in the sense of the word today, its cities played a far more fundamental role than those of its European neighbors. This book, through a collection of twenty-four chapters, discusses aspects of, and different approaches to, Byzantine urbanism from the early to late Byzantine periods. It provides both a chronological and thematic perspective to the study of Byzantine cities, bringing together literary, documentary, and archival sources with archaeological results, material culture, art, and architecture, resulting in a rich synthesis of the variety of regional and sub-regional transformations of Byzantine urban landscapes. Organized into four sections, this book covers: Theory and Historiography, Geography and Economy, Architecture and the Built Environment, and Daily Life and Material Culture. It includes more specialized accounts that address the centripetal role of Constantinople and its broader influence across the empire. Such new perspectives help to challenge the historiographical balance between ‘margins and metropolis,’ and also to include geographical areas often regarded as peripheral, like the coastal urban centers of the Byzantine Mediterranean as well as cities on islands, such as Crete, Cyprus, and Sicily which have more recently yielded well-excavated and stratigraphically sound urban sites. The Routledge Handbook of the Byzantine City provides both an overview and detailed study of the Byzantine city to specialist scholars, students, and enthusiasts alike and, therefore, will appeal to all those interested in Byzantine urbanism and society, as well as those studying medieval society in general.

True to its initial aims, the latest volume of the Journal of Greek Archaeology runs the whole chronological range of Greek Archaeology, while including every kind of material culture.

Volume 6 maintains the journal's goal to cover the broad chronological spread of Greek Archaeology, ranging from a new review of the Mesolithic occupation at Theopetra, one of the most important hunter-gatherer sites in Greece, to a detailed analysis of how the distribution of Middle Byzantine churches in the Peloponnese enlightens us into the evolution of human settlement and land use. Prehistory is richly represented in further articles, as we learn about Middle Bronze Age society on Lefkas, the dispute over exotic primates portrayed on the frescoes of Santorini, a new Minoan-style peak sanctuary on Naxos, and Post-Palatial settlement structure on Crete. Bridging prehistory to historical times, a detailed study rethinks the burial and settlement evidence for Early Iron Age Athens, then entering the Archaic period, an original article links textual analysis and material culture to investigate dedicatory behaviour in Ionian sanctuaries. As a special treat, that doyen of Greek plastic arts Andrew Stewart, asks us to look again at the evidence for the birth of the Classical Style in Greek sculpture. Greek theatres in Sicily are next contextualised into contemporary politics, while the sacred Classical landscape of the island of Salamis is explored with innovative GIS-techniques. For the seven-hundred years or so of Roman rule we are given an indepth presentation of regional economics from Central Greece, and a thorough review of harbours and maritime navigation for Late Roman Crete. Finally we must mention a methodological article, deploying the rich data from the Nemea landscape survey, to tackle issues of changing land use and the sometimes controversial topic of ancient manuring.

A Companion that examines together two pivotal periods of Greek archaeology and offers a rich analysis of early Greek culture A Companion to the Archaeology of Early Greece and the Mediterranean offers an original and inclusive review of two key periods of Greek archaeology, which are typically treated separately—the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age. It presents an in-depth exploration of the society and material culture of Greece and the Mediterranean, from the 14th to the early 7th centuries BC. The two-volume companion sets Aegean developments within their broader geographic and cultural context, and presents the wide-ranging interactions with the Mediterranean. The companion bridges the gap that typically exists between Prehistoric and Classical Archaeology and examines material culture and social practice across Greece and the Mediterranean. A number of specialists examine the environment and demography, and analyze a range of textual and archaeological evidence to shed light on socio-political and cultural developments. The companion also emphasizes regionalism in the archaeology of early Greece and examines the responses of different regions to major phenomena such as state formation, literacy, migration and colonization. Comprehensive in scope, this important companion: Outlines major developments in the two key phases of early Greece, the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age Includes studies of the geography, chronology and demography of early Greece Explores the development of early Greek state and society and examines economy, religion, art and material culture Sets Aegean developments within their Mediterranean context Written for students, and scholars interested in the material culture of the era, ACompanion to the Archaeology of Early Greece and the Mediterranean offers a comprehensive and authoritative guide that bridges the gap between the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age. 2020 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title Winner!

Dura-Europos is one of Syria's most important archaeological sites. Situated on the edge of the Euphrates river, it was the subject of extensive excavations in the 1920s and 30s by teams from Yale University and the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres. Controlled variously by Seleucid, Parthian, and Roman powers, the site was one of impressive religious and linguistic diversity: it was home to at least nineteen sanctuaries, amongst them a Synagogue and a Christian building, and many languages, including Greek, Latin, Persian, Palmyrene, and Hebrew which were excavated on inscriptions, parchments, and graffiti. Based on the author's work excavating at the site with the Mission Franco-Syrienne d'Europos-Doura and extensive archival research, this book provides an overview of the site and its history, and traces the story of its investigation from archaeological discovery to contemporary destruction.

In this rich volume our articles range across all the main phases of Greek Archaeology from Prehistory to the Postmedieval era, and cover a wonderful range of topics. Studies of individual sites begin with an overview by Michael Boyd of Colin Renfrew's research project on the Cycladic island of Keros at the truly remarkable prehistoric sanctuary centre of Dhaskaleio, but we also have an update by Corien Wiersma on the exciting new survey and excavations at the Mycenaean palace of Agios Vassilios near Sparta. Welcome news appears from Northern Greece, till not so long ago rather neglected by scholarship, with Bronze to Iron Age house and household cooking research papers from the Toumba mound and sites around Mount Olympus, by Kalliopi Efkleidou and Anastasia Dimoula. Landscape studies begin at the grandest scale with Bernard Knapp's article on the interconnections of Bronze Age Cyprus and Kostas Sbonias' article on the coastal economy of Corfu, then scale down geographically to Nadia Coutsinas' analysis of long-term settlement dynamics in Eastern Crete and Natasha Dakouri-Hild's high-tech survey project at Aphidna in Attica. Michalis Karambinis follows up his earlier study of the Roman cities of the province of Achaia (JGA 3, 2018), with a survey of the cities of Roman Crete. In a related topic, Anastasia Yangaki offers us an authoritative study of the archaeology of beekeeping on Late Antique Crete. We try hard never to neglect Greek art and architecture in our Journal, and are delighted to have a redating of the architectural history of the famous Archaic to Classical Athena Aphaia temple on Aegina by Hansgeorg Bankel, partnered by a study of the significance of its terracotta votive figurines by Maria Spathi. Andrew Stewart exhibits his immense learning in the field of Greek and Roman sculpture with an in-depth investigation of the statues of the Homeric hero Protesilaos. Always enthusiastic to keep up our coverage of the Medieval and Post-Medieval archaeology of Greece, we welcome two articles on Byzantine and Frankish ceramics from Nauplia and Crete, by Anastasia Vassiliou and Matteo Randazzo. Finally Michael Fotiadis dissects debates concerning the origins and nature of 'Aegean prehistoric civilisation' during the 19th century's discovery and subsequent evaluation of Bronze Age Greece, a theme which has continued to be central to later and current approaches to ethnic and cultural continuity on the Greek homeland. - From the foreword by John Bintliff, General Editor