Theory and Practice in Late Antique Archaeology


Book Description

An exploration of theoretical frameworks, methodology and field practice suited to the late antique Mediterranean. Broad themes such as long-term change, topography, the economy and social life are covered, but in terms of the issues and problems being tackled by scholars of late antiquity.




Changing Townscapes in North Africa from Late Antiquity to the Arab Conquest


Book Description

"This book examines the complex transition of North Africa from the Late Roman period to the Arab conquest, focusing on three provinces: Zeugitana, Byzacena and Tripolitana. In particular, it considers the continuity and transformation of towns, as a result of economic, political and social changes. The period sees the wide diffusion of Christianity, the imposition of Vandal rule and Arianism, the presence of a new Empire and the Arab/Muslim takeover. It is also a period of archaeological and material transition: physically towns changed and classical structures, in particular, decayed and were reused. The evidence considered here encompasses a wide range of material, including publications from 1800 (Italian and French colonial excavations) to modern times. These data form the basis for a detailed review of archaeological evidence in this geographical area and for the analysis of the processes of evolution that characterised North African cities"--




The Art and Archaeology of Venetian Ships and Boats


Book Description

Presents a brief history of Venetian art and then catalogues each known piece of Venetian art that depicts watercraft. Through detailed analysis of these images the author reveals important facts about the construction, rigging, and use of these watercraft.




East and West


Book Description

The End of Antiquity saw an increase in the divide between East and West. This crucial development in the history of the Late and Post-Roman World was addressed in a series of linked papers delivered at the first plenary conference of the European Science Foundation's scientific programme on the Transformation of the Roman World, held in 1995. A group of leading scholars addressed questions of social, cultural, artistic and linguistic change, concentrating largely on developments within the East, while changes in the West were explored in a series of responses.




Cultural Interplay in the Eighth Century


Book Description

This is the first detailed study of the Trier Gospels manuscript and its implications for early book production.




The Exultet in Southern Italy


Book Description

And why on many of the later surviving documents were the pictures turned upside-down in relation to the text? Finally, and most basically, why produce these documents at all? What does it mean to 'lavish such care and talent on manuscripts to be used but once a year?




Ambiguous Women in Medieval Art


Book Description

Ambiguous Women in Medieval Art brings together the work of seven researchers who, coming from different perspectives, and in some cases different disciplines, approach the question of ambiguity in relation to different case-studies where the represented women do not follow the ever-present dichotomy exemplified by Eve and Mary. In doing so, they demonstrate the complexities of a topic that is as contemporary as it is ancient. Through them, we can get valuable insights on the understanding and experience of gender in the past and the ways in which these experiences have shaped our own understanding of this topic.