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Thursday, October 27, 2011

Exciting New Title on Ephesus

Paul's letter to the Ephesians has seen a recent boon in commentary production of late. First, Frank Thielman's BECNT offering along with Clint Arnold's recent commentary in the ZECNT series, and Tim Gombis' stellar The Drama of Ephesians has provided the student with some quality material on this Pauline letter. I am also eagerly anticipating Fred Long's treatment in the Deo series.

Perhaps, the most significant volume on the background of the ancient city of Ephesus is being published by Harvard University Press at the start of the new year, with the title Ephesus: History, Archaeology, Architecture (ed. Athanasios Sideris).

Here is the description:

Ephesus: History, Archaeology, Architecture is the most complete presentation in English of the ancient Greek city of Ephesus. It is the result of collaboration among numerous Greek and Austrian experts: archaeologists, historians, architects, and graphic designers. Its 472 lavishly-illustrated pages provide an extraordinary wealth of information, including the results of the most recent archaeological excavations, which have been conducted by the Austrian Archaeological Institute for more than a century.
The introductory chapters present in detail the history and archaeology of the city from its Mycenaean past to its fall under the Seljuks in the 11th century CE. The heart of the volume is an analytic discussion of more than 60 buildings and monuments of the ancient city, supported by more than 370 architectural drawings, digital models, and color photographs. Also included are an extended chronological table, a visual and textual glossary (rendering the work accessible even to a nonspecialist public), a list of ancient sources, and a list of more than 600 cited works. This comprehensive volume is an indispensable companion to anyone studying the history and the archaeology of Asia Minor, and Hellenistic and Roman architecture more generally.

The only trouble I see, of course, is cost. This volume will sell for $80- putting it out of price range for many of us.








Wednesday, October 26, 2011