The Archaeology of Lydia, from Gyges to Alexander

by Christopher H. Roosevelt

Overview

In The Archaeology of Lydia: From Gyges to Alexander, Christopher Roosevelt provides the first overview of the regional archaeology of Lydia in western Turkey, including much previously unpublished evidence as well as a fresh synthesis of the archaeology of Sardis, the ancient capital of the region. Combining data from regional surveys, stylistic analyses of artifacts in local museums, ancient texts, and environmental studies, he presents a new perspective on the archaeology of this area. To assess the importance of Lydian landscapes under Lydian and Achaemenid rule, roughly between the seventh and fourth centuries BCE, Roosevelt situates the archaeological evidence within frameworks established by evidence for ancient geography, environmental conditions, and resource availability and exploitation. Drawing on detailed and copiously illustrated evidence presented in a regionally organized catalogue, the book considers the significance of evidence of settlement and burial at Sardis and beyond for understanding Lydian society as a whole and the continuity of cultural traditions across the transition from Lydian to Achaemenid hegemony.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521519878
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	07/06/2009
Pages:	332
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 10.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Christopher Roosevelt is Assistant Professor of Archaeology at Boston University. A member of the Archaeological Institute of America, the American Research Institute in Turkey, the British Institute of Archaeology in Ankara, and the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, he is the recipient of a National Science Foundation Grant for a project entitled 'Environmental and Cultural Dynamics in Central Lydia, Western Turkey'. He has contributed to the American Journal of Archaeology, the Journal of Field Archaeology, and other journals and edited volumes.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction; 2. The cultural and historical framework; 3. Lydian geography and environment; 4. Settlement and society at Sardis; 5. Settlement and society in central and greater Lydia; 6. Burial and society; 7. Conclusions: continuity and change at Sardis and beyond.