Description:
This volume presents the Protogeometric through Hellenistic material (ca. 970-175 B.C.) from ASCSA excavations conducted in the 1950s at Lerna in the Argolid, one of the most important prehistoric sites in Greece. The material derives from two main sources: burials from a Geometric cemetery near the settlement and Late Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic wells from the mound proper. Although the material consists primarily of pottery and other ceramic finds, it also includes human remains, animal bones and shells, coins, inscriptions, and bronze and stone objects. Heather Graybehl provides a petrographic analysis, Mark L. Lawall discusses the transport amphoras and import patterns, David S. Reese presents the faunal material, and David Scahill presents and catalogues two Doric capitals. This study not only gives scholars greater insight into ceramic developments in the Argolid, it brings much-needed focus to the material culture of a historic settlement not known for strategic trading, politics, or military prowess. Lerna VIII will greatly facilitate comparative studies with other modestly sized communities in ancient Greece.

About the Author: Brice L. Erickson is an Associate Professor of Classics at the University of California, Santa Barbara

Reviews:
"Nobody ever went in search of the historical Greek village of Lerna. But through the unwitting efforts of anonymous German soldiers, the professional practice of American prehistorians, and the meticulous work of Erickson, a portrait of the settlement emerged. Erickson's book provides a model for the rehabilitation of aging excavation data. As a compendium of pottery produced and used in the Argolid for more than half a millennium, it will be a valuable tool for excavators and scholars working in the region." Susan I. Rotroff, AJA 123.3 (2019)

"Brice Erickson's The Historical Greek Village is an excellent new addition to the Lerna series and significantly furthers our understanding of the nature and character of the site from circa 970 to 175 B.C." Mark van der Enden, Journal of Greek Archaeology 4 (2019), pp. 529-531

". . . Erickson's functional interpretation and his more general synthesis are important innovations in a traditional volume focusing on excavation pottery. Furthermore, the section which follows the detailed quantitative comparison—on the role of the symposium (or rather, wine drinking) in a provincial village like Lerna—offers a rich and balanced qualitative discussion of the evidence." Vladimir Stissi, BMCR 2020.07.18