Domestic Space in Classical Antiquity

Description

Housing is shaped by culturally-specific expectations about the kinds of architecture and furnishings that are appropriate; about how and where different activities should be carried out; and by and with whom. It is those expectations, and the wider social and cultural systems of which they are a part, that are explored in this volume. At the same time, the book as a whole argues two larger points: first, that while houses, households and families have in recent years become increasingly important as objects of inquiry in Greek and Roman contexts, their potential as sources of information about broader social-historical issues has yet to be fully realised; and second, that greater weight and independence should be given to material culture as a source for studying ancient history. The book will be invaluable for upper-level undergraduates, graduate students and scholars.

Lisa C. Nevett is Associate Professor of Greek Archaeology at the University of Michigan. She has contributed articles and chapters to a wide variety of journals and edited volumes, and her own books include House and Society in the Ancient Greek World (Cambridge University Press, 1999) and Ancient Greek Houses and Households (edited with Bradley A. Ault, 2005).

"This is a welcome interpretation of the chiefly material (archaeological) evidence for households from eighth century BCE Greece through fourth century CE Roman times. The author provides an insightful view of the ordinary activities of daily life in the classical world through its material evidence and clearly shows how much detail is learned from this cultural, sociological, and historical approach." --Choice