Thasos. The ups and downs of an ancient El Dorado.
Picard| N° d'inventaire | 22066 |
| Format | 24.5 x 30.5 |
| Détails | 240 p., hardcover. |
| Publication | Paris, 2019 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9782708410473 |
Mountainous and wooded, the island of Thasos is very different from the Cyclades, where the Greeks came from, who founded a city there in the 7th century BC, destined for a long history, lasting until the 7th century AD. The exploitation of the gold and silver mines found on its soil, as well as those of the neighboring continent where it was able to reach an agreement with the Thracian tribes, brought Thasos exceptional wealth that quickly aroused covetousness. A naval base of major strategic interest for any power wanting to control the northern Aegean Sea, Thasos also knew how to adapt to the hegemony of Athens, then to that of Macedonia, and finally to that of Rome. This painfully acquired political modesty allowed it to experience different periods of prosperity, notably thanks to the export of its wine, one of the most appreciated in Antiquity, and, later, of its marble. The work carried out on Thasos by the French School of Athens for over a century has revealed the many aspects of a vigorous local culture: an intense political and religious life, attested by numerous inscriptions; an economy, rarely detected on other sites, perceptible here in the exploitation of the territory; singular monuments, such as the passage of the theores or the vast marble rampart with doors decorated with reliefs, onto which was grafted a fortified war port; an artistic and artisanal activity, from sculpture to ceramics, the diversity of which is on display in the new museum. Seven specialists, who have worked on Thasos for many years, present here for the first time to a wide audience the results of research that make Thasos one of the best-known Greek cities today.
Mountainous and wooded, the island of Thasos is very different from the Cyclades, where the Greeks came from, who founded a city there in the 7th century BC, destined for a long history, lasting until the 7th century AD. The exploitation of the gold and silver mines found on its soil, as well as those of the neighboring continent where it was able to reach an agreement with the Thracian tribes, brought Thasos exceptional wealth that quickly aroused covetousness. A naval base of major strategic interest for any power wanting to control the northern Aegean Sea, Thasos also knew how to adapt to the hegemony of Athens, then to that of Macedonia, and finally to that of Rome. This painfully acquired political modesty allowed it to experience different periods of prosperity, notably thanks to the export of its wine, one of the most appreciated in Antiquity, and, later, of its marble. The work carried out on Thasos by the French School of Athens for over a century has revealed the many aspects of a vigorous local culture: an intense political and religious life, attested by numerous inscriptions; an economy, rarely detected on other sites, perceptible here in the exploitation of the territory; singular monuments, such as the passage of the theores or the vast marble rampart with doors decorated with reliefs, onto which was grafted a fortified war port; an artistic and artisanal activity, from sculpture to ceramics, the diversity of which is on display in the new museum. Seven specialists, who have worked on Thasos for many years, present here for the first time to a wide audience the results of research that make Thasos one of the best-known Greek cities today.