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Book Cover for: Hephaistus on the Athenian Acropolis: Current Approaches to the Study of Artifacts Made of Bronze and Other Metals, Nassos Papalexandrou

Hephaistus on the Athenian Acropolis: Current Approaches to the Study of Artifacts Made of Bronze and Other Metals

Nassos Papalexandrou

The study of bronzes and other metals from the Athenian Acropolis traditionally has been overshadowed by the emphasis given to the famous monuments of architecture and sculpture, in part due to the incomplete publication of the metal small finds from the site following the major excavation campaigns in the 19th century. Without attempting to be a comprehensive synthesis on this topic, this volume positions itself against this tradition by resuscitating discussion on the Acropolis bronzes. The introduction reflects on the history of the relevant scholarship vis-a-vis the life of the Acropolis bronzes in various museums and collections in Greece and elsewhere. The six essays provide overviews, reinterpretations, and critical discussions as well as new methodological approaches to various aspects of the existing corpus. Diane Harris-Cline employs Actor-Network theory to showcase the intricate web of social relationships behind each gesture that resulted in the deposition of bronzes on the Acropolis. Andronike Makres and Adele Scafuro reflect on methodological quandaries and detail their efforts to produce a new critical edition of the corpus of inscriptions on dedicatory and other bronzes that takes into account the materiality of this epigraphic record. Amy Sowder Koch reviews the corpus of hydriai from the Acropolis, taking into account newly published examples, and situates them within the larger context of bronze hydriai, seeking to understand Athens' role in bronze hydria production. Germano Sarcone revisits technical and social aspects of the impressively monumental and technically complex tripod-cauldrons from the Acropolis from the eighth century BCE onwards. Nassos Papalexandrou discusses the corpus of griffin cauldrons arguing that their original lavishness added to the prestige of the sanctuary during a formative period of Athenian society. Elena Karakitsou publishes a fascinating inscribed phiale retrieved from the southwestern entablature of the Parthenon along with the remains of a rare ritual deposit.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Archaeological Institute of America
  • Publish Date: Dec 31st, 2023
  • Pages: 148
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 8.98in - 5.91in - 0.32in - 0.60lb
  • EAN: 9781931909440
  • Categories: History - Ancient & ClassicalHistory - Ancient & ClassicalAncient - Greece

About the Author

Papalexandrou, Nassos: - Amy Sowder Koch is associate professor of art history at Towson University in Baltimore, MD. She is an art historian and archaeologist, specializing in the study of ancient bronzes (particularly hydriai). Nassos Papalexandrou teaches at the University of Texas at Austin. His latest book is Bronze Monsters and the Cultures of Wonder: Griffin Cauldrons in the Preclassical Mediterranean, (University of Texas Press, 2021).
Sowder Koch, Amy: - Amy Sowder Koch is associate professor of art history at Towson University in Baltimore, MD. She is an art historian and archaeologist, specializing in the study of ancient bronzes (particularly hydriai). Nassos Papalexandrou teaches at the University of Texas at Austin. His latest book is Bronze Monsters and the Cultures of Wonder: Griffin Cauldrons in the Preclassical Mediterranean, (University of Texas Press, 2021).