Carol L. Lawton

This volume includes all of the Classical, Hellenistic, and Roman votive reliefs found to date in the excavations of the Athenian Agora. In addition to providing a catalogue of the reliefs arranged according to their subjects, the author treats the history of their discovery, their production and workmanship, iconography, and function. A large part of the study is devoted to discussion of the original contexts of the reliefs in an attempt to determine their relationship to shrines in the vicinity and to investigate what they can tell us about the character of religious activity in the vicinity of the Agora. The work will be an important reference for historians of Greek art as well as of Greek religion.

The 5th-century B.C. poet Pindar remarked on the rich sculptural decoration of the Athenian Agora, and, indeed, over 3,500 pieces of various types of sculpture have been uncovered during its excavation. This full-colour guide sheds new light on the marble industry in and around the Agora, including rich evidence for sculptors' workshops, their tools, and techniques. The text discusses the works of both famous and anonymous artists.

A unique, fully illustrated, and fascinating study of all the known carved reliefs decorating official inscriptions in classical and Hellenistic Athens. The author's new and illuminating work on the iconography of these reliefs shows how the gods, heroes, and other personifications were not simply decorative, but integral to the overall political message.