Claire L Lyons – författare

The articles in Naked Truths demonstrate the application of feminist theory to a diverse repertory of classical art: they offer topical and controversial readings on the material culture of the ancient Mediterranean. This volume presents a timely, provocative and beautifully illustrated re-evaluation of how the issues of gender, identity and sexuality reveal 'naked truths' about fundamental human values and social realities, through the compelling symbolism of the body.

The articles in Naked Truths demonstrate the application of feminist theory to a diverse repertory of classical art: they offer topical and controversial readings on the material culture of the ancient Mediterranean. This volume presents a timely, provocative and beautifully illustrated re-evaluation of how the issues of gender, identity and sexuality reveal 'naked truths' about fundamental human values and social realities, through the compelling symbolism of the body.

This is a richly illustrated volume that demonstrates Sicily's essential role in the development of the ancient Mediterranean world. Ancient Sicily, a prosperous island at the crossroads of the Mediterranean, occupied a pivotal place in the region. In the late 8th Century B.C., emigres from the Greek mainland founded colonies along the shores of the region now known as Sicily. Over time, the area grew wealthy from its agricultural abundance, and colonial settlements emerged as formidable metropolises. Sicily is the only English-language book that focuses on the watershed period between 480 B.C. and the Roman conquest of Syracuse in 212 B.C. - a time of great social and political ferment. Essays investigate Sicily not simply as a destination for adventurers and settlers, but as a catalyst that shaped Greek culture at its peak and transmitted Hellenism to Rome. In the opulent courts of the Sicilian city-states, artists, poets, and scientist attained levels of ingenuity rivaling those of "old Greece." Innovation in architecture, engineering, philosophy and literature flourished in mixed cultural communities.

AncientPylos hasd long captivated travelers, archaeologists, and historiansfamiliar with Homer's Iliad and his account of the kingdom of Nestor, the prudent eldercounselor in the Trojan War. Excavations begun in 1939 unearthed the storiedPalace of Nestor in Messenia, an epicenter of Mycenaean civilization at acrossroads between Crete, Mesopotamia, the Levant, and Egypt. Princes of Pylos featuresspectacular works of art and craft, many recently excavated at sites acrossMessenia, including goldwork of unparalleled artistry, masterfully carvedsealstones, weapons, and wall paintings. Essays by an international team of archaeologistsexamine key discoveries, including the Linear B tablets-the earliest written form of the Greeklanguage-that whichdocument the political, religious, and economicorganization of the prosperous Pylian community. New research andcutting-edge science cast light on the 2015 find of the Grave of the GriffinWarrior, an extraordinary, intact burial that preserved thousands ofartifacts, including the celebrated Pylos Combat Agate, one of the finestworks of the Aegean Bronze Age. With over 300 illustrations, Princes of Pylos is the first majorpublication in English to reconstruct life in the kingdom of Pylos during theLate Bronze Age.