Religion, Society and Culture at Dura-Europos

This book advances our understanding of the religion, society and culture of Dura-Europos, known as the 'Pompeii of the Syrian desert'.

Ted Kaizer (Edited by)

9781107560239, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 22 July 2021

332 pages, 64 b/w illus.
24.4 x 17 x 1.8 cm, 0.534 kg

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.

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, créolité: 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 'scène énigmatique' 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.

Subject Areas: Archaeology [HD], Ancient history: to c 500 CE [HBLA], History [HB]