The Athenian Agora: Site Guide (Guides) [Paperback]

John McK. Camp II (Author), Craig A. Mauzy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 29, 2010 | ISBN-10: 0876616570 | ISBN-13: 978-0876616574

<DIV><DIV>This useful guide to the archaeological remains viewable in the civic and commercial center of ancient Athens is an essential companion to the interested visitor, or to students of the topography of the classical city. A foldout map provides an overview of the site, keyed to descriptions and plans of every monument still visible: from the boundary stones to the "Great Drain." The fifth edition retains many of the parts that made the earlier editions (1954, 1962, 1976, 1990) so popular, but it also takes full account of both new discoveries and recent scholarship. It is intended for visitors actually touring the site, and is arranged topographically, monument by monument. It also contains color illustrations. To increase portability, this book does not contain a guide to the Agora Museum in the Stoa of Attalos.</DIV></div>

Editorial Reviews

Review

Rare indeed is the book that one could not have wished better done. . . . Readers at every level can count themselves lucky to have so riveting an account of the physical focal point of Western culture. --Peter Green, Choice

About the Author

<DIV><DIV>John McK. Camp II is Director of Excavations at the Athenian Agora and Professor of Classics at Randolph-Macon College in Virginia.</DIV></div>

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 17 and up
  
• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: American School of Classical Studies (April 29, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0876616570
• ISBN-13: 978-0876616574
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #397,638 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > Travel > Europe > Greece > Athens

• Due to this item's unusual size or weight, it requires special handling and will ship separately from other items in your order. Read More

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent Overview of the Heart of Classical Athens, October 1, 2000

By 

Quintus Rex "Quintus Rex" (Princeton, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Athenian Agora: Excavations in the Heart of Classical Athens (New Aspects of Antiquity) (Paperback)

Just as much as the Acropolis was the religious center of ancient Athens, the Agora was its commercial, governmental, and cultural heart. Camp and Renfrew's book finally gives this crucial site the attention and analysis it deserves.

The authors draw on the results of over a half-century of archaeological investigation to relate 1500 years of the city's history. From Athens' rise from obscurity in the days of Homer to its flowering as a military/cultural powerhouse in the 5th century, to the Hellenistic Age and the days of the Roman Empire, to the city's slow decline to the status of Byzantine backwater, this book reveals the evolution of the Agora in hundreds of color and black-and-white illustrations which truly breathe life into the ancient stones and the people who knew them.

The illustrations are sumptuous, and are the true centerpiece of the book. Scores of photographs illustrate the surviving walls and foundations of the Agora's buildings, and careful, clearly-rendered site plans and architectural elevations enable the reader to readily relate disparate elements of the structures and artifacts to their historical and cultural contexts. Accompanying the illustrations is a clear and lucid text which explains the history and the society that the Agora reflected and served.

I heartily recommend this book to those interested in archaeology, classical Greece, the Roman Empire, and urban planning. Echoing Peter Green's review, it's difficult to conceive that this book could have been done any better, and it is unlikely to be superseded for the foreseeable future.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A time machine, between two paper covers., December 20, 2005

By 

Jim Davis "Middle of Life Dude" (Chicagoland) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Athenian Agora: Excavations in the Heart of Classical Athens (New Aspects of Antiquity) (Paperback)

I have had the pleasure of excavating in Greece (as volunteer slave labor). I spent a good deal of time in the Athenian Agora. I felt that I had come to understand a lot of the layout and history of the location. But this book greatly magnified my understanding of what I had seen. For me, it was WONDERFUL to finally get the full story on the site that I thought I knew. The history of the Agora is very rich. This book will bring it to life for you. I'd give it twenty stars if it were possible.