Terracotta Figurines and Plaques from Dura-Europos

by: Downey, S.B.

Price: 116,00 EURO

1 copy in stock

Located above the Euphrates in modern Syria, Dura-Europus was founded as a Hellenistic military settlement. It was conquered repeatedly by Parthians, Romans, and Persians; but evidence from inscriptions, graffiti, and papyri suggests that, throughout all this upheaval, the Greco-Macedonian aristocracy maintained its sway over the city's society.
Susan B. Downey demonstrates how the terracotta figurines and plaques from Dura-Europus, relatively humble products, can shed light on religious beliefs and social practices in cities of mixed Greek and Semitic population. These artifacts reveal the stories of the city's people. Dura is exceptionally well preserved, due to the dry climate and to the fact that it was not re-inhabited after it fell to the Sasanian Persians in approximately C.E. 256. Approximately 300 figurines and plaques were discovered in the excavations of Dura, yet few have been published.
Properly determining the uses of artifacts like these is difficult. The terracottas might have functioned in a religious context, as talismans, or as toys--to name only a few possibilities. This exhaustive collection meticulously catalogues the Dura finds, offering the first complete listing of the terracottas and plaques. Combined with Downey's insightful analyses, the catalogue represents a monumental contribution to our knowledge of the lives and activities of the inhabitants of this important antique center of multiculturalism.
This book will prove an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the social history and religious life of Dura-Europus. Archaeologists, art historians, and general classicists alike will find it valuable.
Susan B. Downey is Professor of Art History, University of California, Los Angeles.

Illustrations xi
Abbreviations xv
INTRODUCTION
1 Dura-Europos: The Site and the Excavations
3 (5)
2 The Place of Terracottas in the Culture of Dura-Europos
8 (14)
3 The Finding Places of the Terracottas
22 (15)
CATALOGUE
Introduction
37 (1)
Moldmade Plaques and Medallions
38 (44)
Female Figurines
82 (24)
Male Figurines
106 (24)
Figurines of Uncertain Sex
130 (3)
Animals (with or without Riders)
133 (76)
Figurines of Uncertain Subject
209 (2)
Bibliography 211 (4)
Index 215 (6)
Plates 221

Subjects:
Antiquities
Archäologische Stätte
Archeologische vondsten
Catalogs
Doura Europos (ville ancienne) Antiquités
Doura-Europos (Ville ancienne)
Dura-Europos
Dura-Europos (Extinct city)
Dura-Europos (Extinct city) Antiquities
Excavations (Archaeology) Syria Dura-Europos
Figurines de terre cuite antiques Catalogues Syrie Doura-Europos (Ville ancienne)
Katalog
Oudheid
Plaques (Arts décoratifs) Catalogues Syrie Doura-Europos (Ville ancienne)
Plaques, plaquettes
Plaques, plaquettes Syria Dura-Europos (Extinct city) Catalogs
Plaques, plaquettes Syria Dura-Europos Catalogs
Reliëfs
Sculpture en terre cuite antique Doura Europos (ville ancienne)
Statuettes
Syria
Syria Antiquities Catalogs
Syria Dura-Europos (Extinct city)
Syrie Antiquités
Syrie Antiquités Catalogues
Terra-cotta figurines, Ancient
Terra-cotta figurines, Ancient Syria Dura-Europos (Extinct city) Catalogs
Terra-cotta figurines, Ancient Syria Dura-Europos Catalogs
Terracotta
Terrakottamodell

Terracotta Figurines and Plaques from Dura-Europos

by: Downey, S.B.

• ISBN-13: 9780472112371 / 978-0-472-11237-1
• ISBN-03: 0472112376 / 0-472-11237-6
• The University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, 2003

Price: 116,00 EURO

1 copy in stock