New Publication: The Sanctuary of Athena at Sounion (AAAC 4)

The American School of Classical Studies at Athens is pleased to announce the publication of The Sanctuary of Athena at Sounion (AAAC 4) by Barbara Barletta.

The Temple of Athena at Sounion has long been recognized as one of the most unusual buildings in the architectural history of Greece. Its plan, with columns uniquely on the front and only one side, is unparalleled in the Greek world. Excavations of the temple and other buildings there, however, were complicated by the fact that many architectural pieces from the site had been reused in a Roman temple in the Athenian Agora. Here, Barletta provides a fascinating examination of the early excavations at Sounion, the debate over who was worshipped at the so-called Small Temple within the sanctuary, the varied architectural influences on the Temple of Athena, and the later use of its architectural pieces in the Athenian Agora. Building on unpublished work by William B. Dinsmoor Jr. and Homer A. Thompson, this study represents the first comprehensive view of the temple and its sanctuary.

Contents
Chapter 1: Investigations in the Sanctuary of Athena
Chapter 2: The Small Temple in the Sanctuary of Athena
Chapter 3: The Temple of Athena: Description and Reconstruction
Chapter 4: The Temple of Athena in Context
Chapter 5: Afterlife of the Temple of Athena
Chapter 6: Conclusions
Catalogue of Architectural Finds

Published with the support of the Getty Foundation, the Ancient Art and Architecture in Context series aims to demonstrate, through case studies of specific artifacts and monuments, that aesthetic study, contextual investigation, and technical examination are complementary tools in the quest to retrieve meaning from the past. By demonstrating the rich understanding that can be gained through combining archaeological and art historical data, and integrating maps and plans of contexts with detailed images of objects, each book shows by example how archaeological and art historical approaches to the past have much to offer each other.

The Sanctuary of Athena at Sounion
Ancient Art and Architecture in Context 4
360pp, 247 col and b/w figs, 2 tables
Cloth, 9.5" x 11.5"
ISBN: 978-0-87661-967-4

The Sanctuary of Athena at Sounion can be ordered from our distribution partners: Casemate Academic (in North America) or Oxbow Books (outside North America).