Read more
With contributions from thirty archaeologists, epigraphists, historians, and philologists, this book covers Palmyra's archaeological remains and history from its earliest phases in the pre-Roman era to the destruction of many of its monuments during the Syrian Civil War and subsequent looting. The authors give comprehensive overviews of already published evidence, as well as significant new findings and analyses from fieldwork, and cover a broad range of themes, which not only relate to the archaeology and history of the site, but also to its relationship with the rest of the ancient world as a major trade hub during the Roman period.
List of contents
- Contributors
- 1. Palmyra-Tadmor in the Syrian Desert: An Introduction to the Handbook of Palmyra
- Rubina Raja
- Part One Setting and Landscape
- 2. Climate and Environment of Palmyra and the Syrian Desert
- Eivind Heldaas Seland
- 3. The Palmyrene: Hinterland and Sedentarization
- Jørgen Christian Meyer
- Part Two Tadmor-Palmyra in a Longue Durée Perspective
- 4. Glimpses of Tadmur before Alexander: The Pre-Hellenistic Evidence
- John Healey
- 5. Hellenistic Palmyra: A Fata Morgana?
- Andreas Schmidt-Colinet
- 6. Palmyra: The Development of an Ancient City
- Michal Gawlikowski
- 7. Palmyrene Identity and Community: Continuity and Change
- Andrew Smith II
- 8. Palmyra and its "Dark Ages" (273--750): An Archaeological and Historical Reassessment
- Emanuele E. Intagliata
- 9. Palmyra in Late Antique and Medieval Times
- Slawomir Kowalski
- 10. Palmyra and the Third-Century Crisis
- Udo Hartmann
- 11. Queen Zenobia: The Rise and Fall of Her Palmyra
- Nathanael Andrade
- 12. Palmyra and the Military: From the Roman Period to the Islamic Conquest
- Emanuele E. Intagliata
- Part Three Palmyra and Language
- 13. A Bilingual World? Language and Epigraphy in Palmyra
- Jean-Baptiste Yon
- 14. The Palmyrene Tax Tariff
- John Healey
- 15. Aramaic Legal Language from Palmyrene Monumental Inscriptions
- Eleonora Cussini
- Part Four Palmyra and its Contacts
- 16. The Palmyrene Diaspora
- Katia Schörle
- 17. Palmyrene Trading Networks
- Eivind Heldaas Seland
- 18. Palmyrenes in Rome
- Eugenia Schneider
- 19. Palmyra and the Parthians
- Peter Edwell
- 20. Palmyra and Dura-Europos: Contact, Impact, and Differences
- Lucinda Dirven
- Part Five Palmyra and its Monuments
- 21. Urban Layout and Public Space: The Monuments of Palmyra in the Roman and Late Antique Periods Emanuele E. Intagliata
- 22. Domestic Architecture in Palmyra
- Gioia Zenoni
- 23. Religious Architecture: The Temples and Sanctuaries
- Robyn Le Blanc
- 24. Built for Eternity: The Funerary Monuments of Palmyra
- Agnes Henning
- 25. The Fortifications and Military Architecture in Palmyra
- Karol Juchniewicz
- Part Six Palmyra and its Art
- 26. Public Sculptures from Palmyra
- Dagmara Wielgosz-Rondolino
- 27. The Palmyrene Funerary Sculpture
- Rubina Raja
- 28. Palmyrene Women: Breaking the Glass Ceiling or Window Dressing?
- Maura Heyn
- 29. Representations of Men in Palmyra
- Maura Heyn
- 30. Religious Life and Priestly Representations in Palmyra
- Rubina Raja
- 31. Children in Palmyra
- Olympia Bobou
- 32. The Production Economy of Funerary Portraiture
- Julia Steding
- 33. The Banqueting Tesserae from Palmyra: Tokens for Religious Events
- Rubina Raja
- 34. Palmyrene Coinage
- Nathalia Kristensen
- 35. Wall Paintings and Stucco Work in Palmyrene Funerary Hypogea
- Hélène Eristov, Claude Vibert-Guigue, Nicole Blanc
- 36. A Note on Quarries and Textiles in Palmyra
- Andreas Schmidt-Colinet
- 37. Postludium: Palmyra and the Civil War
- Annie Sartre-Fauriat
About the author
Rubina Raja is Professor of Classical Art and Archaeology at Aarhus University, Denmark and Director of the Danish National Research Foundation's Centre of Excellence for Urban Network Evolutions and the Palmyra Portrait Project. She has published extensively on culture and societies in the Eastern Roman Empire. Her monographs include Pearl of the Desert: A History of Palmyra (2022), Urban Development and Regional Identity in the Eastern Roman Provinces, 50 BC--AD 250: Aphrodisias, Athens, Ephesos, Gerasa (2012), and The Ingholt Archive (2023), published in four volumes and co-authored with Olympia Bobou, Amy Miranda, and Jean-Baptiste Yon.
Summary
The monumental remains of Palmyra (also known as Tadmor) have fascinated travelers and scholars for centuries. The Oxford Handbook of Palmyra gives a detailed analysis of the archaeology and history of this ancient oasis city in the Syrian Desert, spanning evidence from several millennia. With contributions from thirty archaeologists, epigraphists, historians, and philologists, this book covers the city's archaeological findings and history from its earliest mentions in the pre-Roman era to the destruction of many of its monuments during the Syrian Civil War and the subsequent looting. The authors recap evidence and present significant new findings and analyses from fieldwork they or others undertook in Palmyra prior to the 2011 conflict and discuss the recent occupation by ISIS and calls to defend the site's remains from current and future threats.
A broad range of themes are covered, which not only relate to the archaeology and history of the site, but also to its standing and relationship with the rest of the ancient world as a major trade hub connecting routes from East to West during the Roman period. Thirty-seven chapters relay firsthand expert knowledge in an accessible style and include up-to-date bibliographies, making this handbook an ideal and comprehensive resource for professional researchers, students, and anyone interested in this major UNESCO World Heritage Site.
