Religion : Antiquities & Archaeology

This book contributes to the small but growing literature on the interaction between religion and power in antiquity. Edwards focusses on the eastern "Greek" provinces in the first and second centuries A.D.--the period during which Christianity, Judaism, and numerous other religions and cults exploded across the Roman Empire. His purpose is to show how the local elite classes appropriated and manipulated mythic and religious images and practices to establish and consolidate their social, political, and economic power. Edwards considers both archaeological and literary evidence. He examines coins, epigraphs, statuary, building complexes, mosaics, and paintings from across Asia Minor and Syria-Palestine looking for evidence of sponsorship by local elites and the meaning of such sponsorship. On the literary side, Edwards selects one representative figure from each of the three major religio-cultural traditions: the Greek writer, Chariton of Aphrodisias; the Jewish historian, Josephus; and the Christian evangelist, the author of Luke Acts. He illustrates how each writer's use of religion reflects the interaction of local elite groups with the "web of power" that existed in political, cultural, and social spheres of the Roman Empire. more...

Price: $110.00

This collection of essays explores the circumstances of an archaeological hoax in which a box of skeletal remains was passed off as belonging to James, the brother of Jesus. Contributors discuss the role of media sensationalism, the use and misuse of religion, and the responsibilities of scholars as public interpreters of discoveries with religious significance. more...

Price: $29.95

The papers collected in this volume present a systematic and comprehensive survey of women's role in the religion of the Ancient Greek polis. more...

Price: $40.95

This volume contains the revised versions of lectures that were delivered by scholars from Germany, England, USA, Finland and, more recently, Russia to the first five international symposia on ancient oriental languages and cultures held between 1998 and 2004 at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Tartu, Estonia. Particular emphasis is placed on the analysis of specific problems of the history of religion and medicine, of linguistics and of the archaeology of the Eastern Mediterranean. more...

Price: $158.00

The first book-length treatment of the most important, and controversial, inscription found in Israel in recent years. The inscription contains a possible mention of the name 'David' and is thought by many scholars to verify the existence of this king. Contains a full account of the discovery, epigraphic analysis, palaeographical analysis, possible arrangement of the three fragments discovered, textual analysis and historical commentary. It is more thorough in each of these treatments than any preceding discussion, and reviews all of the major theories about the inscription, with a well-considered conclusion.This is a volume 360 in the Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement series and volume 12 in the Copenhagen International Seminar subseries. more...

Price: $170.00