New Publication: <em>Marble Statuettes of the Roman Period</em>

The 独家爆料 is pleased to announce the publication of Marble Statuettes of the Roman Period (Agora XXXIX), by Brian Martens.

The excavations of the Athenian Agora have played a major role in bringing to light the rich sculptural legacy of ancient Athens. The project’s storerooms boast one of the most important bodies of sculpture from classical antiquity, covering the complete range and history of output in a storied center of artistic production. This volume presents, for the first time, the marble statuettes and statuette fragments, carved between the 1st century BCE and the 4th century CE, that have been excavated from the Agora since 1931. Comprising one in six figural sculptures found at the site, these works are testament to a thriving demand for small divine images in Roman-period Greece that has been insufficiently recognized until now. Among these broken and battered figures are the portraits of polytheistic Athens: naked Aphrodite at her bath, winged Eros assisting his mother, tired Herakles after a labor, teenage Artemis aiming her bow, attentive Asklepios dispatching cures. The author marshals a detailed and heavily illustrated catalogue of 672 objects to offer new data to the study of Greek iconography and sculptural production. Taken as a collective whole, the statuettes document the vibrant religion, society, and art of Athens and beyond.

 

Contents
Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. Findspots and Chronologies
Chapter 3. Iconographic Choice
Chapter 4. Sanctuary Settings
Chapter 5. Domestic Settings
Chapter 6. Making and Trading
Chapter 7. Final Remarks
Chapter 8. Catalogue: Female Figures
Chapter 9. Catalogue: Male Figures
Chapter 10. Catalogue: Unidentified Figures
Appendix I. Gazetteer of Sculptor’s Studios
Appendix II. The Marble Provenance

Agora XXXIX
704 pp, 188 b/w and color figs, 192 pls, 27 tables
9" x 12"
Cloth, ISBN: 978-0-87661-239-2

Marble Statuettes of the Roman Period (Agora XXXIX) can be ordered from our distribution partner, .