Hellenistic art in Asia Minor is characterized by diverse cultural influences, both indigenous and Greek. This work presents a comprehensive catalogue of the Hellenistic pottery found at Sardis by two archaeological expeditions. The main catalogue includes over 750 items from the current excavations; in addition, material from some 50 Hellenistic tombs excavated in the early twentieth century is published in its entirety for the first time. The early Hellenistic material consists of imports from Greek cities and close local imitations, along with purely Lydian wares typical of the "late Lydian" phase that followed the Persian conquest. By the late Hellenistic period, Sardis boasts a full range of Greek shapes and styles; indeed, the influence of new conquerors, the Romans, was felt as well. Thus the ceramic finds from Sardis reflect the changing fortunes of the city, bearing witness to the tenacity of indigenous customs and the influences of foreign powers.

The Hellenistic Pottery from Sardis: The Finds through 1994 (Archaeological Exploration of Sardis Monographs)

History

Rotroff, Susan I.

Oliver Jr., Andrew

Ancient Civilizations

Archaeological Exploration of Sardis

This generously illustrated volume, honoring Crawford H. Greenewalt, Jr., field director of the Sardis Expedition for over thirty years, and commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the Harvard– Cornell archaeological excavation, presents new studies by scholars closely involved with Professor Greenewalt’s excavations at this site in western Turkey. The essays span the Archaic to the Late Antique periods, focusing primarily on Sardis itself but also touching on other archaeological sites in the eastern Mediterranean. Three papers publish for the first time an Archaic painted tomb near Sardis with lavish interior furnishings. Papers on Sardis in late antiquity focus on domestic wall paintings, spolia used in the late Roman Synagogue, and late fifth-century coin hoards. Other Sardis papers examine the layout of the city from the Lydian to the Roman periods, the transformation of Sardis from an imperial capital to a Hellenistic polis, the reuse of pottery in the Lydian period, and the history and achievements of the conservation program at the site. Studies of an Archaic seal from Gordion, queenly patronage of Hellenistic rotundas, and ancient and modern approaches to architectural ornament round out the volume.

Love for Lydia: A Sardis Anniversary Volume Presented to Crawford H. Greenewalt, Jr. (Archaeological Exploration of Sardis Reports)

This richly illustrated volume examines monuments of Sardis and environs in the context of contemporary developments in Lydia and throughout the ancient Mediterranean and Near East. It illuminates traditions of Anatolian kingship, technological exchange between Lydia and Greece and the Near East, and the origins of Persian imperial architecture.

Lydian Architecture: Ashlar Masonry Structures at Sardis (Archaeological Exploration of Sardis Reports)

Ratté, Christopher

Although the treasury of King Croesus held great quantities of gold and silver plate, the Lydians clearly loved fine ceramic wares imported from Greece. This preference was entirely appropriate for the capital of the expansive Lydian Kingdom, which occupied a pivotal position between the city states of the Greeks and the gigantic empire of the Persians. The importation of Greek pottery corresponds to the visits from poets, philosophers, and politicians mentioned by the historian Herodotus.
This collaborative work consists of three generously illustrated sections presenting the ceramic finds excavated at Sardis, but produced in the mainland Greek centers of Corinth, Athens, and Sparta. Judith Snyder Schaeffer analyzes the Corinthian imports, Nancy H. Ramage the Attic, and Crawford H. Greenewalt, Jr., the Lakonian. Their study of this material from the Harvard-Cornell excavations at Sardis offers new evidence of the taste for specific Greek wares and shapes in Anatolia before the time of Alexander the Great.

The Corinthian, Attic, and Lakonian Pottery from Sardis (Archaeological Exploration of Sardis Monographs)

Arts & Photography

Ramage, Nancy H.

Schaeffer, Judith Snyder

Greenewalt Jr., Crawford H.

History & Criticism

This much-anticipated publication of two major Lydian excavation sectors at Sardis is the first in-depth presentation of the architecture and associated pottery and other artifacts found in the houses of inhabitants of this legendary city. It traces continuous occupation outside the city walls from the Late Bronze Age to the middle of the sixth century BC, when the Persians under Cyrus the Great captured the capital city of King Croesus. This book represents a remarkable synthesis of a vast quantity of everyday materials into a vivid picture of daily life in early Sardis in the period when the Lydians were conquering most of western Turkey. The authors describe many small structures and a wealth of artifacts that collectively document the lives of ordinary Lydians, in what appear to be both domestic and craft contexts. Because the Lydians maintained cultural and economic contacts throughout the eastern Mediterranean and the Near East, scholars working in Greece, Anatolia, and the Near East will find this first presentation of Lydian pottery and other objects, as well as vernacular architecture, of great interest and value. The two-volume book discusses the chronology, history, and evidence of everyday life, and catalogues nearly 800 objects, illustrated by more than 300 color plates of photos and detailed drawings.

Ordinary Lydians at Home: The Lydian Trenches of the House of Bronzes and Pactolus Cliff at Sardis (Archaeological Exploration of Sardis Reports)

Ramage, Andrew

Gürtekin-Demir, R. Gül

The Synagogue at Sardis (Archaeological Exploration of Sardis Reports)

Seager, Andrew R.

The fabulous wealth of the Lydian Kingdom (in what is now western Turkey) was renowned throughout the classical world--in fact, Lydia's kings created the world's first coinage. The Harvard-Cornell Sardis Expedition has unearthed a gold refinery from the time of King Croesus (the sixth century B.C.) where impure gold from the Pactolus River was treated to produce pure gold and silver. Though the ancient treasure is now gone, this volume illuminates the industry and technology that produced the riches and offers the first authoritative survey of early gold refining and assaying techniques from around the world. The authors fully describe the excavation of the only known ancient refinery and the scientific study at the British Museum to reconstruct the refining process. The unique evidence from Sardis and accounts from historical sources shed light on ancient metallurgy.

King Croesus' Gold: Excavations at Sardis and the History of Gold Refining

Politics & Social Sciences

Craddock, Paul

Archaeology

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