Inscriptions from the Athenian Agora


Book Description

Many types of written records are found in the Agora, and this booklet presents a sample of the more than 10,000 inventoried inscriptions written on stone. The texts illustrated include diplomatic agreements, commemorative plaques for athletic victories, records of court judgements, boundary stones identifying different buildings, and fragmentary inscriptions featuring names (over 30,000 individual Athenians are now recorded).










Graffiti in the Athenian Agora


Book Description

Like fragments of overheard conversations, the thousands of informal inscriptions scratched and painted on potsherds, tiles, and other objects give us a unique insight into the everyday life of the Athenian Agora. Some are marks of ownership, or the notes of merchants, but many are sexual innuendos, often accompanied by graphic illustrations. Using her wide contextual knowledge, the author suggests why these scraps of sentences were written, and what they can tell us about one of the first widely literate societies.




Women in the Athenian Agora


Book Description

Using evidence from the Athenian Agora, the authors show how objects discovered during excavations provide a vivid picture of women's lives. The book is structured according to the social roles women played: as owners of property, companions (in and outside of marriage), participants in ritual, craftspeople, producers, and consumers. A final section moves from the ancient world to the modern, discussing the role of women as archaeologists in the early years of the Agora excavations.




The Athenian Citizen


Book Description

Using archaeological evidence from excavations at the heart of ancient Athens, this volume shows how tribal identity was central to all aspects of civic life, guiding the reader through the duties of citizenship as soldier in times of war and as juror during the peace.




The Symposium in Context


Book Description

This book presents the first well-preserved set of sympotic pottery which served a Late Archaic house in the Athenian Agora. The deposit contains household and fine-ware pottery, nearly all the figured pieces of which are forms associated with communal drinking. Since it comes from a single house, the pottery also reflects purchasing patterns and thematic preferences of the homeowner. The multifaceted approach adopted in this book shows that meaning and use are inherently related, and that through archaeology one can restore a context of use for a class of objects frequently studied in isolation. Winner of the 2013 James R. Wiseman Book Award given by the Archaeological Institute of America.




Sacred Thresholds: The Door to the Sanctuary in Late Antiquity


Book Description

Sacred Thresholds. The Door to the Sanctuary in Late Antiquity offers a far-reaching account of boundaries within pagan and Christian sanctuaries: gateways in a precinct, outer doors of a temple or church, inner doors of a cella. The study of these liminal spaces within Late Antiquity – itself a key period of transition during the spread of Christianity, when cultural paradigms were redefined – demands an approach that is both interdisciplinary and diachronic. Emilie van Opstall brings together both upcoming and noted scholars of Greek and Latin literature and epigraphy, archaeology, art history, philosophy, and religion to discuss the experience of those who crossed from the worldly to the divine, both physically and symbolically. What did this passage from the profane to the sacred mean to them, on a sensory, emotive and intellectual level? Who was excluded, and who was admitted? The articles each offer a unique perspective on pagan and Christian sanctuary doors in the Late Antique Mediterranean.




Politics and the Street in Democratic Athens


Book Description

This book examines 'informal' politics, such as gossip and political theatrics, and how they related to more 'formal' politics of assembly and courts.




The Athenian Agora


Book Description

In 2006 it will be 75 years since excavations by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens started in the ancient Agora. Almost every year since 1931 new areas of the ancient civic center have been cleared and exciting discoveries made, and this book presents the latest, detailed, account of the monuments and artifacts that can be seen on a visit to the site. After a short introduction to the history of the Agora, each monument is described in turn. Famous buildings like the Tholos or Stoa of Attalos are discussed in detail, but also lesser-known areas, passed over by other books, are revealed. Plans and color illustrations help locate the reader, while a large fold-out map at the back of the book distinguishes the different chronological phases of the Agora. For the first time this map also shows discoveries made in the last few years at the northern edge of the site. A final section presents a guide to the museum, substantially reorganized in preparation for the 2004 Olympic Games. Written by the director of the Agora excavations for over a decade, this book presents the most detailed and up-to-date coverage available of the birthplace of democracy. It will be invaluable for any visitor to or student of the site.