The Pasts of Roman Anatolia : Interpreters, Traces, Horizons

In this volume, Felipe Rojas examines how the inhabitants of Roman Anatolia interacted with the physical traces of earlier civilizations in their midst. Combining material and textual evidence, he shows that interest in and knowledge about pre-classical remains was deep and widespread. Indeed, ancient interaction with the remnants of even more ancient pasts was a vital part of life for many and diverse people in Roman Anatolia. Such interaction ranged from the purported translation of Bronze and Iron Age inscriptions to the physical manipulation of monuments and objects, including prehistoric earthen mounds and archaic statues. Occasionally, it even involved the production of fake antiquities. Offering new insights into both the archaeology and history of the Roman Mediterranean, Rojas's book is also an innovative contribution to the archaeology and anthropology of memory. Cover 1 Half-title 3 Title page 5 Copyright information 6 Table of Contents 9 List of Figures 11 List of Maps 14 Note on Cover Illustration 17 Acknowledgments 19 1 Introduction 25 Two Examples: the Mace-Head and the Goddess 26 Geographic and Chronological Scope 29 Archaeology, Antiquarianism, and Archaeophilia 30 Why Roman Anatolia? 32 Evidence 35 Chapter Breakdown 39 2 Interpreters 42 Caesar and the “Phrygian” Peasant at Troy 43 C. Licinius Mucianus, Pliny the Elder, and the Temple-Wardens of Asia 47 Pausanias, the Lydian Guides, and the Plowmen in Temenothyrae 54 Collectors of Lydiaka in Sardis 59 Priests of the Storm God in Cilicia 67 Athletes by a Hittite Giant in Pisidia 74 Imperial Archaeophilia in the Troad 80 Conclusions 83 3 Traces 85 The Limits of Ivriz 88 “Signs” of the Tantalids on Mount Sipylus 91 Dancing on the “Throne” in Lycaonia 95 Dragon Spoor in Western Anatolia 104 The Exploding Cucumber of Immortality along the Hermus River 106 Respiratory History in Hierapolis 112 Living Traces: Anatolian Mountain-People 117 Tmolus, Mountain-Person 120 Conclusions 126 4 Horizons 128 Carp in Urfa: Abraham, Abgaris, Atargatis 130 Asianics in Aphrodisias 134 Persianism in Pontus 139 The Layered Mound at Zela 140 Dancing History 143 Jewish Leontomania in Sardis 146 Dragon Spoor in Christian Anatolia 151 Philip the Dragon-Slayer in Hierapolis 152 Pionius in the Katakekaumene 154 The Chapel of Saint Mary in the Corycian Cave 155 Jonah and the Vishap in Lake Van 159 A Christian Mountain-Person: Saint Ariadne of Prymnessus and her Anatolian Predecessors 161 Conclusions 164 5 Beyond Anatolia 168 Entangled Discourses 170 Cicero and the Tomb of Archimedes in Sicily 170 Arrian and the Anchors of the Argo in Colchis 174 An Egyptian Merchant and the “Traces” of Alexander’s Generals in Gujarat 177 Expert Senses 181 Julia Balbilla, the Egyptian Priests, and the Sound of an Ancient King in Egyptian Thebes 181 Connoisseurs of Necrocorinthia in Greece and Rome 186 Other Pasts 190 An Aristocratic Collector of Antiquities in Iberia 190 The Records of the Turdetani 193 A Centurion among Petroglyphs by the Caspian Sea 197 Coda: A Modern Archaeophile in the Borluk Valley 200 6 The Past in Things: Ancient Archaeophilia and Modern Archaeology 204 Notes 211 1 Introduction 211 2 Interpreters 214 3 Traces 220 4 Horizons 228 5 Beyond Anatolia 235 6 The Past in Things: Ancient Archaeophilia and Modern Archaeology 240 Bibliography 241 Abbreviations 241 Index of Ancient Sources 265 General Index 268 The book is aimed at readers interested in the eastern Mediterranean during the Roman period. It examines what the Romans and their contemporaries thought about ruins and other physical traces of even older pasts, including, for example, the city of Troy, the fossilized bones of prehistoric creatures, and cuneiform and hieroglyphs. Examines How People In The Roman Past Thought About Even Earlier Ruins And Material Remains-it Examines Incidents That Could Be Described As 'archaeology In Antiquity'.