The Byzantine Shops at Sardis

by J. Stephens Crawford

Overview

The Byzantine Shops at Sardis form a complex of commercial establishments lining the south wall of Sardis's renowned synagogue and bath complex. They offer scholars a unique opportunity to study urban life and commercial architecture in the Late Antique period. Remarkably well preserved, these shops provide economic data vital to an understanding of the trade and commerce of their time.

J. Stephens Crawford was a primary excavator of the shops and has worked at contemporary sites in Asia Minor. His first-hand insights elucidate his publication of the functions of the shops, which include dye shops, glass shops, a “hardware store,” and a restaurant. Crawford explores the evidence of religious diversity in the shops, where Jews and Christians lived and worked side by side. The contributors to this volume include Martha Goodway, George M. A. Hanfmann, Jane Ayer Scott, Pamela Vandiver, and Michael Weishan. Descriptions of the finds, which are extensively illustrated, are contributed by J. A. Scott. A comprehensive chapter of architectural comparanda from Asia Minor, Greece, Egypt, and the Near East presents some interesting parallels. Pamela Vandiver and Martha Goodway of the Smithsonian Conservation Laboratory provide an appendix of analyses of metal and fruit residues from the crucibles found in the shops, and a numismatic appendix summarizes the currency by mint.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780674089686
Publisher:	Harvard University Press
Publication date:	01/07/1991
Series:	Archaeological Exploration of Sardis Monographs , #9
Pages:	358
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.80(d)

Editorial Reviews

This is the ninth monograph and twelfth volume that presents the results achieved at Sardis since 1958 (the excavation, restoration and landscaping of the Byzantine Shops and the greater Bath-Gymnasium Complex of which they are a part lasted 18 seasons, from 1958-1975). The Shops provide a window on the life, commerce and building of late Roman Sardis, a city which covered an area of three square miles. Includes hundreds of photographs and drawings. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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