ISBN:
978-1-107-12379-3 (hardback : alkaline paper)
Language:
English
Pages:
xxii, 310 p. :
,
ill., map, plans ;
,
26 cm.
Year of publication:
2016
Series Statement:
Yale classical studies volume 38
Series Statement:
Yale classical studies ;
Keywords:
City and town life
;
Excavations (Archaeology)
;
Social archaeology
;
HISTORY / Ancient / General.
;
Dura-Europos (Extinct city) Social life and customs.
;
Dura-Europos (Extinct city) Religious life and customs.
Abstract:
"This volume advances our understanding of the religion, society and culture of Dura-Europos, the small town on the Euphrates known since the 1930s as the 'Pompeii of the Syrian desert.' Several features make the site potentially our best source for day-to-day life in a small town situated on the periphery of the Roman world: inscriptions and graffiti in ten ancient languages; sculptures and frescoes combining elements of Classical and Oriental art; the most important papyrological dossier of any military unit in the Roman world; documents relating to the local economy; over a dozen pagan sanctuaries; plus a famously painted synagogue and the earliest Christian house church, all set in a gridiron city plan and surrounded by well-preserved fortifications. Dura's unique findings facilitate the study of life in a provincial small town to a degree that archaeology and history do not usually allow"--
Description / Table of Contents:
Introduction / Ted Kaizer -- 1. Dura-Europos : a Greek town of the Parthian empire / Leonardo Gregoratti -- 2. Everyday life in Roman Dura-Europos : the evidence of dress practices / Jennifer A. Baird -- 3. Acculturation, hybridity, creolite : mapping cultural diversity in Dura-Europos / Michael Sommer -- 4. The problem with Parthian art at Dura / Lucinda Dirven -- 5. Gesture at Dura-Europos : a new interpretation of the so-called "scene enigmatique" / Maura K. Heyn -- 6. Women and the religious life of Dura-Europos / Jean-Baptiste Yon -- 7. Multifunctional sanctuaries at Dura-Europos / Julian Buchmann -- 8. The Mithraeum of Dura-Europos : new perspectives / Tommaso Gnoli -- 9. Imperial representation at Dura-Europos : suggestions for urban paths / Cristina Marta Acqua -- 10. Thoughts on two Latin dipinti / Jacqueline Austin -- 11. The bilingual Palmyrene-Greek inscriptions at Dura-Europos : a comparison with the bilinguals from Palmyra / Loren T. Stuckenbruck -- 12. Economic life in Roman Dura-Europos / Kai Ruffing -- 13. The dangers of adventurous reconstruction : Frank Brown at Dura-Europos / Susan B. Downey -- 14. Dura-Europos and Yale : past, present and future / Lisa R. Brody.
