This new book published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH should be of wide interest for classical archaeologists who understand how particular contexts, theory, and method frame archaeological research, data, results, and conclusions at the end of the day. As one of the longest-running excavations in the Mediterranean, references to Corinth are plentiful. I am also glad to see due attention paid to smaller rural sites in the Mediterranean. Here are the details:
Haggis, Donald, and Carla Antonaccio, eds. Classical Archaeology in Context: Theory and Practice in Excavation in the Greek World. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG, 2015.
- Publisher page
- Some content available via Google Books
“This book compiles a series of case studies derived from archaeological excavation in Greek cultural contexts in the Mediterranean (ca. 800-100 B.C), addressing the current state of the field, the goals and direction of Greek archaeology, and its place in archaeological thought and practice. Overviews of archaeological sites and analyses of assemblages and contexts explore how new forms of data; methods of data recovery and analysis; and sampling strategies have affected the discourse in classical archaeology and the range of research questions and strategies at our disposal. Recent excavations and field practices are steering the way that we approach Greek cultural landscapes and form broader theoretical perspectives, while generating new research questions and interpretive frameworks that in turn affect how we sample sites, collect and study material remains, and ultimately construct the archaeological record. The book confronts the implications of an integrated dialogue between realms of data and interpretive methodologies, addressing how reengagement with the site, assemblage, or artifact, from the excavation context can structure the way that we link archaeological and systemic contexts in classical archaeology.”
1. Donald C. Haggis and Carla M. Antonaccio, “A Contextual Archaeology of Ancient Greece”
Historical Contexts and Intellectual Traditions
2. James Whitley, “Scholarly Traditions and Scientific Paradigms: Method and Reflexivity in the Study of Ancient Praisos”
3. Carla M. Antonaccio, “Re-excavating Morgantina”
4. David B. Small, “A Defective Master Narrative in Greek Archaeology
5. Tamar Hodos, “Lycia and Classical Archaeology: The Changing Nature of Archaeology in Turkey”
Mortuary Contexts
6. Alexandra Alexandridou, “Shedding Light on Mortuary Practices in Early Archaic Attica: The Case of the Offering Trenches”
7. Anna Lagia, “The Potential and Limitations of Bioarchaeological Investigations in Classical Contexts in Greece: An Example from the Polis of Athens”
Urban and Rural Contexts
8. Jamieson C. Donati, “The Greek Agora in its Peloponnesian Context(s)”
9. Donald C. Haggis, “The Archaeology of Urbanization: Research Design and the Excavation of an Archaic Greek City on Crete”
10. Manolis I. Stefanakis, Konstantinos Kalogeropoulos, Andreas Georgopoulos, and Chryssi Bourbou, “Exploring the Ancient Demos of Kymissaleis on Rhodes: Multdisciplinary Experimental Research and Theoretical Issues”
11. Kalliope E. Galanaki, Christina Papadaki, and Kostis S. Christakis, “The Hellenistic Settlement on Prophetes Elias Hill at Arkalochori, Crete: Preliminary Remarks”
12. Evi Margaritis, “Cultivating Classical Archaeology: Agricultural Activities, Use of Space and Occupation Patterns in Hellenistic Greece”
Sanctuary Contexts
13. Athanasia Kyriakou and Alexandros Tourtas, “Detecting Patterns through Context Analysis: A Case Study of Deposits from the Sanctuary of Eukleia at Aegae (Vergina)”
14. Dimitra Mylona, “From Fish Bones to Fishermen: Views from the Sanctuary of Poseidon at Kalaureia”
a similarly-titled monograph in 1994 (St. Paul’s Theology of Proclamation: 1 Corinthians 1-4 and Greco-Roman Rhetoric; SNTS Monograph Series). As he states in the introduction to this new book, prior to the twentieth century, interpreters understood “words of wisdom” in 1 Cor 1:17 as a reference to Greco-Roman rhetoric and philosophy. Due in part to growing interest in Gnosticism, the first half of the twentieth century understood “words of wisdom” in the light of Gnostic mythology. Paul’s opponents were “gnostic pneumatics” who downplayed the significance of the Cross. In this book, Liftin argues the earlier view was correct. When Paul describes his own mission as preaching the Cross “not with words of the wise,” he has Greco-Roman rhetoric in mind…. This is a stimulating and challenging book operating at two levels. On the one hand, Liftin provides an academic introduction to Greco-Roman rhetoric as a background for reading 1 Corinthians 1-4 in a proper cultural context. But at another level, Liftin wants to challenge the churches to be faithful to God in their preaching of the Gospel. His call is to reject the sin of the Corinthians who used their culture to judge the success of the Gospel. In the end, it is this topic which needs to be addressed more directly by Liftin.”
Here’s the Abstract: “The first letter to the Corinthians is one of the most discussed biblical books in New Testament scholarship today. Despite this, there has been no consensus on its arrangement and central theme, in particular why the topic of the resurrection was left until the end of the letter, and what its theological significance would have been to the Corinthian church. Matthew R. Malcolm analyses this rhetoric of ‘reversal’, examines the unity of the epistle, and addresses key problems behind particular chapters. He argues that while Jewish and Greco-Roman resources contribute significantly to the overall arrangement of the letter, Paul writes as one whose identity and rhetorical resources of structure and imagery have been transformed by his preaching, or kerygma, of Christ. The study will be of interest to students of New Testament studies, Pauline theology and early Christianity.”
Corinthian Matters 