Dura-Europos

by J.A. Baird, Thomas Harrison (Editor)

Dura-Europos on the Syrian Euphrates was the subject of extensive excavations in the 1920s and 30s by French and American archaeologists, and is one of the most important archaeological sites of the Roman Near East. A Seleucid, Parthian, and Roman site, its place between East and West is a vexed question in both the ancient and modern worlds. The site was home to at least nineteen sanctuaries, amongst them a Synagogue and Christian building, and from inscriptions, parchments, and graffiti many languages are attested, including Greek, Latin, Persian, Palmyrene, and Hebrew.

This book provides an overview of the site and its history, situating Dura-Europos in its geographical, historical, and intellectual contexts, tracing the story of the site and its afterlives in scholarly and popular perceptions. Based on the author's work excavating at the site with the Mission Franco-Syrienne d'Europos-Doura and extensive archival research, the volume draws together threads of Dura-Europos' legacy and significance, and discusses how the multicultural, religiously plural and polyglot site has been recovered and shaped by archaeology.

240 pages, Paperback

First published June 14, 2018

Reviews

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really comprehensive and accessible overview of the site of Dura-Europos! I especially enjoyed the section about material culture and art, no surprise, and loved the little details about the cute little dolls made of bone fragments. Look up "bone dolls from Dura-Europos," and you won't be disappointed.

Helped me as part of my Praxis course this semester to compare and contrast examples of material culture from different areas of the Levant, thinking about the material at Beth Shemesh in a hands-on, more all-encompassing way and Dura-Europos artifacts more theoretically, as they were not as easily accessible to me tactility-wise this semester.

[∂ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great in every aspect and really fascinating. As valuable as the text itself are the footnotes and up-to-date bibliography.

[Wolfram Grajetzki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good summary on Dura Europos, one of my favorite ancient towns. The author uses archive material, the archaeological remains and the written sources to draw her picture. Perhaps some background knowledge is needed. This book is not for the casual reader, but i can not imagine a casual reader interested in this fascinating place.