Susan E. Alcock – författare

Empires, the largest political systems of the ancient and early modern world, powerfully transformed the lives of people within and even beyond their frontiers in ways quite different from other, non-imperial societies. Appearing in all parts of the globe, and in many different epochs, empires invite comparative analysis - yet few attempts have been made to place imperial systems within such a framework. This book brings together studies by distinguished scholars from diverse academic traditions, including anthropology, archaeology, history and classics. The empires discussed include case studies from Central and South America, the Mediterranean, Europe, the Near East, South East Asia and China, and range in time from the first millennium BC to the early modern era. The book organises these detailed studies into five thematic sections: sources, approaches and definitions; empires in a wider world; imperial integration and imperial subjects; imperial ideologies; and the afterlife of empires.

This book explores the impact of the Roman conquest of Greece from the point of view of the majority of Greek provincials. The author traces social and economic developments from approximately 200 BC to AD 200, drawing on a combination of archaeological and historical sources. Archaeology evidence, in particular the new data provided by archaeological surface survey, is especially emphasized. The work is divided into four separate 'landscapes' - rural, civic, provincal, and sacred. This framework allows an exploration of conditions in the countryside, of the organization of the Early Roman city, of the provincial structure of Greece as a whole, and of the repercussions of conquest upon Greek sacred geography. The book does not aim to present a detailed political history, but offers insights into the many changes that accompanied Greece's passage into the Roman imperial sphere. Both ancient historians and classical archaeologists will find this book of value to them.

Social memory - the shared remembrances of group experience - creates shared identity, and provides people with both an image of their past and a design for their future. But how are we to conceive the memories of past peoples such as, for example, the ancient Greeks? This 2002 book makes a strong case for the use of archaeology, particularly the evidence of landscape and of monuments, to trace patterns in commemoration and forgetfulness. Three detailed case studies (early Roman Greece, Hellenistic and Roman Crete, and Messenia in Archaic to Hellenistic times) focus on societies undergoing different types of social transformation. Material evidence allows us to observe how groups responded to these challenges, and how they made different uses of the past, in the past.

Social memory - the shared remembrances of group experience - creates shared identity, and provides people with both an image of their past and a design for their future. But how are we to conceive the memories of past peoples such as, for example, the ancient Greeks? This 2002 book makes a strong case for the use of archaeology, particularly the evidence of landscape and of monuments, to trace patterns in commemoration and forgetfulness. Three detailed case studies (early Roman Greece, Hellenistic and Roman Crete, and Messenia in Archaic to Hellenistic times) focus on societies undergoing different types of social transformation. Material evidence allows us to observe how groups responded to these challenges, and how they made different uses of the past, in the past.

A unique collection of newly written essays by archaeologists working in a variety of contexts and geographical areas, Archaeologies of Memory is a groundbreaking text that presents a coherent framework for the study of memory in past societies. Serves as an accessible introduction to central issues in the study of memory, including authority and identity, and the role memory plays in their creation and transformation.Presents a collection of newly commissioned essays that provide a coherent framework for the study of memory in past societies.Brings together essays from both anthropological and classical archaeologists.Includes contributions drawn from a variety of cultures and time periods, including New Kingdom Egypt and the prehistoric American Southwest.

A unique collection of newly written essays by archaeologists working in a variety of contexts and geographical areas, Archaeologies of Memory is a groundbreaking text that presents a coherent framework for the study of memory in past societies. Serves as an accessible introduction to central issues in the study of memory, including authority and identity, and the role memory plays in their creation and transformation.Presents a collection of newly commissioned essays that provide a coherent framework for the study of memory in past societies.Brings together essays from both anthropological and classical archaeologists.Includes contributions drawn from a variety of cultures and time periods, including New Kingdom Egypt and the prehistoric American Southwest.

The fully revised second edition of this successful volume includes updates on the latest archaeological research in all chapters, and two new essays on Greek and Roman art.  It retains its unique, paired essay format, as well as key contributions from leading archaeologists and historians of the classical world. Second edition is updated and revised throughout, showcasing the latest research and fresh theoretical approaches in classical archaeologyIncludes brand new essays on ancient Greek and Roman art in a modern contextDesigned to encourage critical thinking about the interpretation of ancient material culture and the role of modern perceptions in shaping the study of art and archaeologyFeatures paired essays – one covering the Greek world, the other, the Roman – to stimulate a dialogue not only between the two ancient cultures, but between scholars from different historiographic and methodological traditionsIncludes maps, chronologies, diagrams, photographs, and short editorial introductions to each chapter

The Roman Empire had a rich and multifaceted visual culture, which was often variegated due to the sprawling geography of its provinces. In this remarkable work of scholarship, a group of international scholars has come together to find alternative ways to discuss the nature and development of the art and archaeology of the Roman provinces. The result is a collection of nineteen compelling essays-accompanied by carefully curated visual documentation, seven detailed maps, and an extensive bibliography-and organized around the four major themes of provincial contexts, tradition and innovation, networks and movements, and local accents in an imperial context. Easy assumptions about provincial life in Rome-from what makes a province to how they interacted with metropolises-give way to more complicated stories. Similarities and divergences in local and regional responses to Rome appear, but not always in predictable places and in far from predictable patterns.The authors dismiss entrenched barriers between art and archaeology, center and provinces, even "good art" and "bad art," extending their observations well beyond the empire's boundaries, and examining phenomena, sites, and monuments not often found in books about Roman art history or archaeology.The book thus functions to encourage continued critical engagement with how scholars study the material past of the Roman Empire and, indeed, of imperial systems in general.