In this innovative book Dr Morris seeks to show the many ways in which the excavated remains of burials can and should be a major source of evidence for social historians of the ancient Graeco-Roman world. Burials have a far wider geographical and social range than the surviving literary texts, which were mainly written for a small elite. They provide us with unique insights into how Greeks and Romans constituted and interpreted their own communities. In particular, burials enable the historian to study social change. Ian Morris illustrates the great potential of the material in these respects with examples drawn from societies as diverse in time, space and political context as archaic Rhodes, classical Athens, early imperial Rome and the last days of the western Roman empire.

Shows how the excavated remains of burials are a major source of evidence for social historians of the ancient Graeco-Roman world.
Reviews
"Morris represents a new wave of research in archaeology, and his book is welcome....It is engagingly written and unites a great deal of wide-ranging information." Choice
"Morris has written an excellent book about the interpretation of ancient burial remains and the use of such interpretations for social history." Religious Studies Review
"While aimed primarily at social historians, this work will also be of significant interest to classical archaeologists looking for creative approaches to interpreting the graves they excavate...I once heard an anthropologist claim that classical archaeology has not produced a theorist of note since Pausanias. Morris, citing recent work on Greek burials, asserts that the field may yet answer its critics. This work is part of that response." Clark A. Walz, American Journal of Archaeology



Book Information
ISBN 9780521376112
Author Ian Morris
Format Paperback
Page Count 288
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 410g
Dimensions(mm) 226mm * 152mm * 18mm