The Bath-Gymnasium at Sardis is the most important known example of a complex that combines the gymnasium, a Greek institution, with the Roman bath, a unique architectural and cultural embodiment comparable in size and organization to the great Imperial thermae of Rome. The restoration by the Harvard-Cornell Expedition of the "Marble Court" or Imperial cult hall provides a rare opportunity to appreciate firsthand the scale and elegance of the major Imperial monuments. In this fully illustrated volume Fikret Yeg l describes the complex from the palaestra of the east through the richly decorated Marble Court to the vast swimming pool, lofty halls, and hot baths, including analysis of the excavation, evidence for structural systems, roofing, vaulting, and decoration, and the significance of building inscriptions. The author traces the building history from its completion in the second century through five centuries of renovation and redecoration. Mehmet Bolgil, a practicing architect who was in charge of the restoration at Sardis, contributes a clear description of the reconstruction process.

In this lavishly illustrated two-volume monograph, Fikret K. Yegül offers a wide-ranging overview of the Temple of Artemis at Sardis. His block-by-block description of the extant elements of the building elucidates the two primary phases in the temple's design and construction, which date to the Hellenistic and the Roman imperial periods.

A great metropolis of the ancient world, "golden" Sardis was the place where legendary Croesus ruled, where coinage was invented. Since 1958 an archaeological team has been working at the site to retrieve evidence of the rich Lydian culture as well as of the prehistoric Anatolian settlement and the Hellenistic and Roman civilizations that followed the Lydian kingdom. Here is a comprehensive and fully illustrated account of what the team has learned, presented by the eminent archaeologist who led the expedition. George Hanfmann and his collaborators survey the environment of Sardis, the crops and animal life, the mineral resources, the industries for which the city was famed, and the pattern of settlement. The history of Sardis is then reconstructed, from the early Bronze Age to Late Antiquity. Archaeologists who have done the excavating contribute descriptions of shops and houses, graves, the precinct and Altar of Artemis, the Acropolis, gold-working installations and techniques, the bath and gymnasium complex, and the Synagogue. The material finds are studied in the context of other evidence, and there emerges an overall picture of the Lydian society, culture, and religion, the Greek and subsequently the Roman impact, the Jewish community, and the Christianization of Sardis. Historians of the ancient world will find this account invaluable.

In Bathing in the Roman World, Fikret Yegul examines the social and cultural aspects of one of the key Roman institutions. Guiding the reader through the customs, rituals, and activities associated with public bathing, Yegul traces the origins and development of baths and bathing customs and analyzes the sophisticated technology and architecture of bath complexes, which were among the most imposing of all Roman building types. He also examines the reception of bathing throughout the classical world and the transformation of bathing culture across three continents in Byzantine and Christian societies. The volume concludes with an epilogue on bathing and cleanliness in post-classical Europe, revealing the changes and continuities in culture that have made public bathing a viable phenomenon even in the modern era. Richly illustrated and written in an accessible manner, this book is geared to undergraduates for use in courses on Roman architecture, archaeology, civilization, and social and cultural history.

This new volume in the New Documents series continues the efforts of the Ancient History Documentary Research Centre at Macquarie University to make available Greek inscriptions and papyri that shed light on the Graeco-Roman world -- the context in which the Christian church developed. Volume 9 includes a selection of secular texts as well as documents directly relating to Judaica and ecclesiastica. Notable entries include "The Ecumenical Synod of Dionysiac Artists, " "The Elders and Rulers (Archons) of the Jews, " and "Fragment from the Unknown Gospel (Papyrus Egerton 2)." Texts and translations are printed side by side; full indices and references are also provided.Since it is being published in honor of Paul Barrett, this volume includes a special preface by Alanna Nobbs, an introductory reflection on Barrett's career and New Testament history by E. A. Judge, and a bibliography of Barrett's work compiled by C. B. Forbes.

This volume examines the arrival and development of a distinctively Roman building type in an area of southwest Turkey where the numerous cities, who were highly competitive in their public building, left a remarkable wealth of ancient remains. Many new plans and photographs represent the full range of Lycian bath buildings. The building techniques employed and how Roman bathing habits fitted into the sporting life of Asia Minor under the Empire are also explored.

In Gardens of the Roman Empire, the pioneering archaeologist Wilhelmina F. Jashemski sets out to examine the role of ancient Roman gardens in daily life throughout the empire. This study, therefore, includes for the first time, archaeological, literary, and artistic evidence about ancient Roman gardens across the entire Roman Empire from Britain to Arabia. Through well-illustrated essays by leading scholars in the field, various types of gardens are examined, from how Romans actually created their gardens to the experience of gardens as revealed in literature and art. Demonstrating the central role and value of gardens in Roman civilization, Jashemski and a distinguished, international team of contributors have created a landmark reference work that will serve as the foundation for future scholarship on this topic. An accompanying digital catalogue will be made available at: www.gardensoftheromanempire.org.