The Material Dynamics of Festivals in the Graeco-Roman East by Zahra Newby

The Material Dynamics of Festivals in the Graeco-Roman East by Zahra Newby

The Material Dynamics of Festivals in the Graeco-Roman East explores the various ways in which the experience of civic festivals in the Graeco-Roman East was created and framed by material culture. By the second and third centuries AD, Greek festivals were thriving across the eastern Mediterranean. Much of our knowledge of these festivals, and their associated processions, rituals, banquets, and competitions, comes from material culture-- inscriptions, coins, architecture, and art-works. Yet each of these pieces of material evidence was the result of a conscious act, of what to record, and where and how to record it, with varying patterns discernible across different areas, and in different media. This volume draws attention to the choices made in a variety of different forms of material culture relating to Greek festivals from the Hellenistic to Roman periods, and unpicks the ways in which they encode or forge particular social relationships and power structures, as well as creating senses of community or communication between different groups. These helped to fix ephemeral events into public memory, to present particular views of their significance for the wider community, and to frame the experience of their participants.

This interesting volume follows in the footsteps of several other interesting books that have refreshed ancient Greek and Roman history by placing material evidence at the centre* Giuseppina Marano, Bryn Mawr Classical Review *

Zahra Newby is Professor of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Warwick. Her research focuses on how Greek culture was experienced and adapted in the period of the Roman Empire, explored through the lens of material culture. She has published books and articles on ancient athletics, festivals and mythology in Roman art, including a monograph on Greek Athletics in the Roman World: Victory and Virtue (2005). She was Principal Investigator of the Leverhulme Trust-funded project Materiality and Meaning in Greek Festival Culture of the Roman Imperial Period (2017-2021).

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780192868794
ISBN 10	0192868799
Title	The Material Dynamics of Festivals in the Graeco-Roman East
Author	Zahra Newby
Series	Oxford Studies In Ancient Documents
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Oxford University Press
Year published	2023-10-18
Number of pages	368
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.