Palmyra. History and archaeology of a caravan city at the crossroads of cultures.
CNRS| N° d'inventaire | 20553 |
| Format | 17 x 23 |
| Détails | 244 p., numerous color photographs and drawings, paperback. |
| Publication | Paris, 2017 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9782271066282 |
The tragic news in Syria has revived the myth of Palmyra. It has become urgent to rediscover the grandeur of this Greco-Roman city in the East, on the borders of the Roman and Parthian worlds, then the Persian ones. In this unprecedented historical and archaeological synthesis, Christiane Delplace, one of the best specialists on the site, puts images to words, brings the monuments back to life, and gives us a glimpse of the political and cultural history. By bringing together rare iconography, the author guides us through the series of Palmyrene stories and reveals the different facets of this ancient treasure. The major historical stages of the city are recounted in the most precise manner: Palmyra before the Romans and Antony's raid, the city's rise to power in the 1st century, its apogee in the 2nd century until the perils of the 3rd century, and its decline. At each of these stages, the author gives us a sense of the city's personality, through its places of worship, commerce, war, and the dead. The monuments are explained, commented on, dated, and placed in their context. The sanctuary of Bel, the temples, the great colonnade, the spectacle monuments, the habitat, and the tombs of Palmyra are resurrected. The caravans and Palmyrene tribes are reborn. Palmyra sparkles once again. Putting his ancient art, drawing, at the service of modern science, Jean-Claude Golvin, architect and archaeologist (CNRS), offers here three major graphic reconstructions of Palmyra and its environment.
The tragic news in Syria has revived the myth of Palmyra. It has become urgent to rediscover the grandeur of this Greco-Roman city in the East, on the borders of the Roman and Parthian worlds, then the Persian ones. In this unprecedented historical and archaeological synthesis, Christiane Delplace, one of the best specialists on the site, puts images to words, brings the monuments back to life, and gives us a glimpse of the political and cultural history. By bringing together rare iconography, the author guides us through the series of Palmyrene stories and reveals the different facets of this ancient treasure. The major historical stages of the city are recounted in the most precise manner: Palmyra before the Romans and Antony's raid, the city's rise to power in the 1st century, its apogee in the 2nd century until the perils of the 3rd century, and its decline. At each of these stages, the author gives us a sense of the city's personality, through its places of worship, commerce, war, and the dead. The monuments are explained, commented on, dated, and placed in their context. The sanctuary of Bel, the temples, the great colonnade, the spectacle monuments, the habitat, and the tombs of Palmyra are resurrected. The caravans and Palmyrene tribes are reborn. Palmyra sparkles once again. Putting his ancient art, drawing, at the service of modern science, Jean-Claude Golvin, architect and archaeologist (CNRS), offers here three major graphic reconstructions of Palmyra and its environment.