Review

Author(s): Eric M. Meyers

Review by: Eric M. Meyers
Source: American Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 104, No. 1 (Jan., 2000), pp. 152-154
Published by: Archaeological Institute of America
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/506820
Accessed: 18-03-2015 19:52 UTC

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152 BOOK REVIEWS [AJA 104
center of the proposed project and required immediate area. The mosaics feature graduated color effects, the
attention. tesserae varying discretely in color in each pattern. This is
A three-year rescue operation was formulated in the shown to striking effect, despite traces of burning, in the
University of Bari's Department of Classical and Christian marvelous color photographs.
Studies, and Giuliano Volpe, the local Roman and Dau- Another church (B) was added, apparently in the sixth
nian scholar, was called in. With a team of 24 specialists century, to make a full ecclesiastical complex, and the
and about the same number of student workers, he un- narthex in front of church A was prolonged to unify the
earthed a site of considerable archaeological importance. two structures. Church B is less well preserved but con-
Some scanty pottery ("ceramiche a vernice nera") and tained 78 burials. Church A was abandoned in the second
an inscription imply the presence of a simple farmhouse of half of the sixth century, after its collapse following a mas-
the first century B.C. or A.D., of which little physical evi- sive fire that also damaged and discolored the mosaics.
dence otherwise remains. The first substantial occupation There was no attempt to rebuild the fallen structure, but
came in the form of a first-century A.D. Roman villa that church B struggled on into the seventh century, when there
lasted into the sixth century. Only small sections of it are were numerous burials of poorer individuals.
preserved, including a pars urbana (quarters for the domi- After three years of emergency excavation, Volpe's book
nus or patron of the villa), and a pars rustica, the work area was published quickly, only one year later, possibly a record
where the numerous slaves would also be housed. for a work of such extraordinary quality. The maps, plans,
Within the villa was a rather well-preserved cella vinaria, and general organization are exemplary. Volpe's own final
wine storage area, characterized by storage jars sunk into interpretive essay separates hypothesis from fact in a straight-
the earth. These dolia were still coated with pitch, which forward manner. Even scholars who do not read Italian well
made them impermeable, necessary for the fermentation will find the book profusely illustrated enough for easy
process. There is also a calcatorium,or crushing area for the comprehension. The photo reproduction, particularly the
grapes, and a lacus vinarius, or basin for the fermentation color processing, is of high quality. The only criticisms con-
of the must. Volpe's crew determined that production de- cern the excessive shadows in a few of the photographs and
clined some 30-40% in the early sixth century. some unnecessary repetition, but this is a minor complaint.
Mosaics, possibly dating to the third century, were found Archaeologists understand that villa sites such as these
at the borders of the winemaking area, creating an odd are difficult to interpret. Ceramic evidence is often meager,
juxtaposition of the pars urbana and the pars rustica that similarities in wall construction, and poor general preser-
cannot be adequately explained. One wonders if the domi- vation all make sequential phasing extremely difficult. But
nus was such a wine lover that he wanted to integrate that Volpe has done a masterful job of setting forth a coherent
part of the villa and its marked aromas into his own more and plausible story of how the villa and ecclesiastical com-
luxurious quarters. plex prospered and declined over the centuries.
The finds from the villa, which the excavators document Best of all are the computer-generated reconstructions of
thoroughly, are of interest mainly to specialists and have a each complex. The mosaics are included in these reconstruc-
wretched look that characterizes rural sites. A battered, tions in full color and must have been time-consuming to
presumed Hercules and a truly hideous Aphrodite Anady- create, but the results are stunning. Viewers get a vivid and
omene will serve as examples. convincing idea of what these structures must have been like.
In the fifth century church A was built, 18 X 30 m, along But one more question about this site must be raised:
with a sizeable baptistery, a narthex, and some additional What are they going to do with it? Although it is not pre-
rooms. The excavators found fallen gray granite columns served well enough to attract casual tourists, it has a Paleo-
that had formed two rows of six in the nave. This discovery christian church with important mosaics. Must the area be
and the appearance of various architectural members al- submerged, or will it become an archaeological island in
low a reasonable estimate of the character and elevation of the middle of an artificial lake? Whatever happens to San
the church, facilitating striking computer reconstructions. Giusto's villa and churches in the future, one must be
Burials were found surrounding the apse, which was prob- grateful to Giuliano Volpe and his dedicated team for the
ably installed in the second half of the fifth century, not complete documentation of the site in this beautiful book.
long after the construction of the church. Analysis of the
bones revealed that for the most part the dead were people DAVID SOREN
who were fairly well off, not common laborers. A small DEPARTMENT OF CLASSICS
horde of low-quality copper-alloy coins was recovered, dat- 371 MLB
able between A.D. 530 and 540, along with small bronze UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
weights and evidence for hanging lamps. TUCSON, ARIZONA 85721
The church is remarkable for having preserved a sur- SOREN@U.ARIZONA.EDU
prising amount of polychrome geometric mosaics that re-
semble tapestries and combine stylistic elements from both
the western and eastern Mediterranean and North Africa. THE JEWS AMONG THE GREEKS AND ROMANS: A
They date between the fifth and early sixth century. The DIASPORAN SOURCEBOOK, by Margaret H. Wil-
mosaics are of interest not only for their quality and quan- liams. Pp. xii + 236. Johns Hopkins University
tity, but also because they have no religious images and
therefore would have been as appropriate in a pagan or Press, Baltimore 1998. $50.00 (cloth); $19.95
domestic structure as in a church. Such aniconic decora- (paper). ISBN 0-8018-5937-9 (cloth); 0-8018-
tion suggests an iconoclasm that must be significant for this 5938-7 (paper).

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2000] BOOK REVIEWS 153

JUDAISM AND CHRISTIANITY IN FIRST-CENTURY West, Williams also includes such topics as Christian use of
ROME,edited by Karl P Donfried and PeterRichard- Jewish magical expertise, Christian disruption of synagogal
worship, and epigraphic evidence for the conversion ofJews
son. Pp. xiv + 329, figs. 5. Eerdmans, Grand Rap- to Christianity. From the time of emperor Theodosius I in
ids 1998. $24.00. ISBN 0-8028-4265-8 (paper). A.D. 379, Jewish-Christian relations everywhere took a de-
cided turn for the worse, and while Williams has listed a
At first reading, The Jews Among the Greeksand Romans
good number of items from that time until A.D. 420, the vast
can give the false impression that its contents are well number of entries concern the earlier periods, which
known and available elsewhere, and that it lacks a critical
may not be characterized in such a manner. The book
apparatus. The work covers the period from Alexander's could well serve an upper-level undergraduate course but
death in 323 B.C. to the end of the Jewish patriarchate in
probably is most easily put to use by graduate students in
A.D. 420, or roughly 750 years. This is an enormous time Classics and Judaic studies, and possibly theology.
span. Although there already exists a critical reference Judaism and Christianity in First-CenturyRome is a collec-
work for what Greek and Latin authors wrote about Jews tion of some of the papers delivered to the SNTS (Stu-
and Judaism, Stern's Greekand Latin Authors on Jews and diorum Novi Testamentum Societas) between 1990 and
Judaism (3 vols.,Jerusalem 1974-1984), the purpose of Wil- 1994. For AJA readers P. Richardson's essay, "Augustan-Era
liams's work is to present evidence "to show what real Jews
Synagogues in Rome," is especially illuminating. In it he
were like in antiquity and how they interacted with Greeks
suggests ways to date synagogues that are known only from
and Romans, both pagan and Christian" (xi). It is this
literary texts and inscriptions. The practice of naming syn-
stated goal that makes Williams's work unique and also dis-
agogues after high-status individuals, he says, occurred pre-
tinguishes it from the similar work of D. Noy, Jewish Inscrip- cisely at a time when Jewish privileges were being reevalu-
tions of WesternEurope (2 vols., Cambridge 1993-1995), and ated. On the basis of the evidence, he suggests that the
W. Horbury and Noy, Jewish Inscriptions of Graeco-Roman
early synagogues in Rome were buildings and not commu-
Egypt (Cambridge 1992). nities or houses.
While this is a handy reference work, one might be in- L.M. White, "Synagogue and Society in Imperial Ostia,"
clined to think that it is not a work of significant scholar- examines the data from Ostia to offer a new chronology
ship because of the absence of a real introduction and the for the synagogue beginning with the middle of the sec-
brevity of commentary in its seven sections: "TheJewish Di- ond century, when it resembled a collegial hall or commu-
aspora in the Hellenistic and Early Roman Imperial Peri- nity center. From the late second to the early third century,
ods"; "Life inside the Jewish Diasporan Community"; Di- the synagogue was renovated through the patronage of Min-
asporan Jews and the Jewish Homeland"; Jewish Interaction dis Faustus, and the inscription bearing Faustus's name sup-
with Greek and Roman Authorities"; "The Jews among the ports the idea that the Jews of Rome and Ostia had close
Greeks"; "The Jews among the Romans"; and "Pagans and social and economic links to the non-Jewish population.
Judaism and Real-life Responses." But there is a wealth of G.E. Snyder, "The Interaction of Jews with Non-Jews in
information here relating to classical sources and inscrip- Rome," takes up the theme of enculturation. StudyingJew-
tions, both within the commentary on individual sections ish inscriptions from Rome and the symbols associated
and inscriptions, and in the footnotes and bibliography. with them, he concludes that 'Jewish enculturation of the
But it is the concordance of sources and indices that make Roman world was negligible," though confirming an active
the volume both useable and extremely helpful. Moreover, Jewish participation in aspects of Greco-Roman culture.
if any text appears in Stern, Noy, or elsewhere, its presence L.V. Rutgers, "Roman Policy toward the Jews: Expul-
is noted in the introductory statement. The scholar who sions from the City of Rome during the First Century C.E.,"
wants to consult other works is given the references to the points out that Roman magistrates responded only to indi-
main collections at the outset. Of special help is the listing of vidual situations concerning the Jews, and that the senatus
Latin or Greek words in the general index, alongside proper consulta were only intended to resolve certain disputes. Ro-
names, places, and other technical terms. If one turns to the man policy vis A vis the Jews must therefore be considered
entry "women" in the index, for example, one finds 44 sepa- on an ad hoc basis as the Romans responded to specific
rate entries, including titles that women held. Or if one disruptions of law and order.
wants to find which pagan literary texts have been consulted, The remainder of essays in this collection are in one way
one can turn right away to the concordance of sources (217) or another tied to early Christian texts mainly in the New
and find out. Testament: "The Formation of the First 'Christian Congre-
A subtopic of particular interest and importance is gations' in Rome in the Context of the Jewish Congrega-
Jewish-Christian relations in the Greek East and Roman tions," by R. Brindle and E.W. Stegeman; "Jewish and
West, and both have entries. Williams is careful to note that Christian Families in First Century Rome," by J.S. Jeffers;
until the so-called triumph of Christianity under Constan- "The Oral World of Early Christianity in Rome," by C.
tine, Jewish relations with Christianized Greek speakers in Osiek; "Romans, Jews, and Christians," by J.C. Walters; and
both East and West are notoriously difficult to document. two essays by C.C. Caragounis on the formative development
In selecting items for the reader, Williams indicates the dif- of the early Christian church in Rome. A general interpre-
ferent kinds of interaction, peaceful and otherwise, that tive essay by K. Donfried introduces the entire volume.
might have taken place between Jews and Christians. The The combination of archaeological studies and social-
range of interaction in the East includes Jewish hostility to historical studies based on texts is a wonderful idea, espe-
Christians, Christian aggression towards Jews, and cooper- cially for the fast-developing field of New Testament ar-
ation and conflict between Jews and Christians. For the chaeology. The Jewish and Christian communities of first-

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All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
154 BOOK REVIEWS [AJA 104

century Rome are of enormous significance to students in Arab conquest. Much of this view rests on the discovery of
many disciplines, and in significant ways this volume breaks a possible tripartite temple in 1989 associated with Obo-
down the walls between classicists and religionists. How the das's initial foundation and dated to 20 B.C. But all that is
government of Rome dealt with these two communities is preserved of the "temple" are the gates and large porch,
the focal point for this collection of essays, and there can and its identification is based on the discovery nearby of in-
be little doubt that we know a great deal more about that scriptions, altars, and reused architectural fragments. The
situation as a result of this book. The SNTS and editors are rest of the building presumably was used in the construc-
to be congratulated for publishing some of the best papers tion of the nearby "North Church" in the fourth century.
of a very important five-year seminar. Even this schematic interpretation of the site is far from
certain: the period before Aretas IV is "obscure," "late 1st
ERIC M. MEYERS
and 2nd century Oboda is regrettably little known," and
DEPARTMENT OF RELIGION "Oboda of the 2nd-3rd centuries has not yet been investi-
DUKE UNIVERSITY gated" (3-4). It is also disturbing that there is no report on
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA 27708-0964 the military camp at Oboda (investigated with Rudolph
EMC@DUKE.EDU Cohen in 1975-1977), which Negev persists in calling Na-
bataean and dating to the first century A.D. Recent excava-
THE ARCHITECTURE OF OBODA: FINAL REPORT, tions by the Israel Antiquities Organization at the military
by
Avraham Negev. ( Qedem36.) Pp. 214, figs. 27, pho- encampment have already suggested a later date. These
crucial elements in the history of the settlement suggest
tographs 294, b&w pls. 5, color pls. 2. Institute of the need for further investigation.
Archaeology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, DAVID F. GRAF
Jerusalem 1997. $44.00. ISSN 0333-5844 (cloth).
DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY
Avraham Negev is the patriarch of Nabataean studies in UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI
Israel, and his contributions to the subject range broadly, CORAL GABLES, FLORIDA 33124-4662
including epigraphy, numismatics, religion, and other as- DGRAF@MIAMI.EDU
pects of their culture. Oboda represents the initial stages
of his scholarship, and this report is tinged with the roman-
ticism of passing years. Negev's work began at Oboda in THE SHAPE OF THE HOLY: EARLY ISLAMIC JERUSA-
1958 and lasted until 1961, with a final campaign in 1989. LEM, by Oleg Grabar, with contributions by Mo-
After an introduction, where he provides his interpreta- hammad al-Asad, Abeer Audeh and Said Nuseibeh.
tion of the history of the settlement, the discussion pro-
ceeds with a sketch of prior research on Oboda (from U. Pp. xiv + 232, color pls. 78, plans 6. Princeton
Seetzen in 1807 to T. Wiegand in 1916), followed by six University Press, Princeton 1996. $65. ISBN 0-691-
chapters on the various phases (Nabataean, Late Roman, 03653-5 (cloth).
and Byzantine periods), and a collection of brief reports
on architectural decoration (by Negev), reused architec- This stimulating book concerns Jerusalem from the
tural elements in subsequent phases (S. Szidat), a one- Muslim to the Crusader conquest (7th-1 th centuries), be-
fore the invasions of the Banu Hilal (11th century) and the
page report on 21 coins ranging from the Nabataean king
Aretas IV (9 B.C.-A.D. 40) to Constantius III (A.D. 421) Mongols (13th century) reshaped almost all of the Islamic
world. This is the period when Muslim conceptions of
provided by A. Kindler (submitted in 1958), and an analy-
sis by R. Rosenthal-Heginbottom of human and animal Jerusalem gained their distinct features. Grabar devoted a
bronze figurines, jewelry, and other objects. Reports have good part of his life to Jerusalem studies and is without
doubt among the masters in his field.
already appeared on the so-called potter's workshop (1976)
and the late Hellenistic and early Roman pottery at the site The book opens with "The Period and Its Sources" (3-
(1986), but the archaeological history of the site is still 20). Grabar emphasizes that the four centuries under dis-
little known. In spite of the fact that this volume is entitled cussion end a longer period that opened with the Roman
a "Final Report," it lacks the expected discussion of stratig- destructions in A.D. 70 and 132. His aim is to understand
raphy with locus references. the influences of Islam on the architecture of a city that
In its place, Negev advances his peculiar hypotheses and earned its living from the piety of its inhabitants and visi-
interpretations, based on circumstantial and negligible ev- tors. He divides the sources into six categories. The first
idence, insensitive to criticisms expressed about his con- three are "remote" written sources, Jerusalem-centered
clusions that appeared earlier. In Negev's view, king Obo- sources, and local documents, categories that overlap in
das III is considered the founder of the settlement many details. Archaeology does not provide much infor-
(although some evidence exists for an earlier foundation) mation-excavations have not been carried out "in ways
as part of the establishment of a trade network between that meet even minimal standards of archaeological prac-
Petra and Gaza. The settlement was named after its deified tice." The most important excavations are those south of
royal founder and prospered until its destruction in the the Haram and at its southeast corner, and those that
middle of the first century A.D., including the abandon- cleared the Western Wall Tunnel. Grabar unfortunately in-
ment of the military camp. King Rabbel II then trans- cludes under his sources both scholarship and visual evi-
formed it into an agricultural center, and the settlement dence, the latter defined as "the web of visual associations
continued to flourish until its final destruction during the and spiritual memories," but these are very subjective.

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