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

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

'… the individual contributions … are characterized by a thorough and critical stance, and form a prime example for the re-assessment of faulty interpretations of the archaeological material made in the past, based not only on the original artefacts, but also on secondary archaeological archives, to which the contemporary scholar will unfortunately too often be confined when it comes to studying Dura-Europos, like many other sites in Syria, following the tragic events of the last decade.' Nolke Tasma, Bibliotheca Orientalis

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]