Komast figures (literally "revellers") on black-figure vases have long been associated with the worship of Dionysos and the origins of Greek drama. In this fully illustrated study, Tyler Jo Smith takes a fresh look at the evidence for komasts, both on vases and in other artistic media produced throughout Archaic Greece. She concludes that the meaning of the dancing figures differs between different regions, such as Corinth, Athens, and Laconia. Komasts are instrumental to the spread of the human figure in early Archaic Greek art and a vital link in the story of both visual and festival...

In the ancient world physical beauty was highly admired, often to excess. Focusing on those whose appearance did not conform to the "ideal proportion," this book examines dwarfs in myths and everyday life in ancient Egypt and Greece. Dasen covers areas such as the history of caricature and the portrait; medical history, in particular the development of the perception of congenital disorders; social history; and history of religion, with questions on the magical and ritual efficacy of the malformed in sacred and theatrical contexts. This unique and fascinating work provides a wealth of...

The Late Mannerists were Athenian vase-painters working in the fifth-century BC. They specialized in shapes used during the symposium, and had a particular flair for story telling. Their unusual style of painting combines elements of the Late Archaic period with characteristics of the Classical period. This is a richly illustrated study of the workshop.

The popularity of Orpheus the Thracian throughout the Greek world attests to the prominence of the Odrysians among their Greek and Macedonian neighbors in the fifth century BC. Archibald analyzes the cultural amalgam the Odrysian governing elite formed from native, Persian, and Greek elements, and provides new data on the external relations of Athens, Thasos, and Macedon in the classical and early Hellenistic periods.

This is an extensive study of Dionysian imagery found primarily in scenes on red-figure vases of the fifth-century BC but also in the architectural sculpture, coins, and theatre of the same period. Thomas Carpenter seeks to define a methodology for using this imagery as evidence for cultural and religious activity, and challenges some commonly-held views about the meaning of Dionysian iconography, at the same time pointing to problems inherent in the evidence under scrutiny.

This lavishly illustrated volume traces the development of Greek gem engraving from Alexander to Augustus.

This book is a unique, fully illustrated, and fascinating study of all the known carved reliefs decorating official inscriptions in classical and Hellenistic Athens. The author's new and illuminating work on the iconography of these reliefs shows how the gods, heroes, and other personifications were not simply decorative, but integral to the overall political message.

Decorated architectural terracottas and roof tiles are now the most commonly found artifacts in Greece. This is the first book to look in detail at the many variations in the style and technique of roof architecture across Greece, and to show exactly how the roofs were made. The book is fully illustrated with numerous photographs, figures, and maps.

The fortifications built around Greek cities are among the most impressive of ancient remains. McNicoll analyzes and illustrates fortified sites, ranging from Ephesus and Assos on the Aegean to Dura Europus on the Euphrates. These sites provide fascinating evidence of secular classical architecture, as well as insights on the political history of Hellenistic Greece.

This generously illustrated book examines the textual and archaeological evidence for the history of Cyprus from 750 to 500 BC. Reyes first surveys what is known about the local population of Cyprus and the political and social organization of the island. He then offers a narrative account of the period within a chronological framework more detailed than any analysis currently available. Finally, he discusses the internal and external relations of Cyprus by studying specific groups of pottery, seals, and sculpture.