American Journal of Archaeology

112.4 (October 2008)

Andrew Stewart’s multipart article on the problem of the classical revolution—the so-called Severe Style— continues with a reexamination of finds in Part 2 and a summary of current theories on the origins and significance of the style in the final Part 3.

He concludes that the totality of the evidence from the stratigraphy, architecture, sculpture, pottery, coins, and small finds seems to support the contention that the Tyrannicides of Kritios and Nesiotes, dedicated in 477/6, did indeed inaugurate the Severe Style and that the Greek victories of 480–479 B.C.E. somehow did inspire it, at least in part. He notes that the style appeared suddenly and in revealing circumstances, was confined to the representational arts, and, once it took root, was remarkably uniform across the Greek world. Its subjects are paragons of simplicity, strength, vigor, rationality, self-discipline, and intelligent thought. This characterization is manifested by clear-cut proportions; the lifelike compositional device of contrapposto; dynamic poses and robust modeling; simple, unornamented clothing; and sober facial expressions, either focused on some target or averted from the viewer.

Kathleen Birney explores the Aegean relationships of the cooking pot “à la steatite” and addresses the question of Sea Peoples and Cypriot immigrants in Iron Age Syria.

Eurydice Kefalidou reviews the inscriptions on the Argonauts’ Krater and proposes that one of its figures is the first known representation of Queen Kleite, wife of Kyzikos, who played a role in the Argonauts’ adventure as described by Apollonios Rhodios.

Christopher Ratté and R.R.R. Smith report on archaeological research at Aphrodisias in Caria between 2002 and 2005.

Elizabeth S. Greene, Mark L. Lawall, and Mark E. Polzer examine the cargo and construction of a sixth-century B.C.E. shipwreck at Pabuç Burnu, off the coast of Turkey, to situate the vessel within the developing commercial environment of standardized quality and quantity in the archaic eastern Mediterranean.

Maria Iacovou argues that Greek-speaking people had become a constituent part of the sociopolitical structure of Cyprus by the last centuries of the second millennium as a result of a migration episode.

Ioannis Voskos and A. Bernard Knapp argue that the material culture of 12th- to 11th-century B.C.E. Cyprus reflects an amalgamation of Cypriot, Aegean, and Levantine trends, and along with new mortuary traditions, may be seen as representative of a new elite identity emerging on Cyprus at this time.

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Roman Roth examines Volterran urn sculpture of the second and early first centuries B.C.E.

J. Theodore Peña and Myles McCallum review the evidence from Pompeii for the production and distribution of pottery.

Kathryn Topper examines Late Archaic and Early Classical vases showing images reclining on the ground to explore Athenian discourse about primitive life.

Dragana Mladenović advocates an archaeoastronomical approach to interpreting the orientation of two Late Antique mausolea in eastern Serbia.

Hélène Verreyke and Frank Vermeulen examine Late Antique rural occupation and changing settlement patterns in central Adriatic Italy.

T.H. Carpenter addresses some misconceptions about fourth-century B.C.E. Apulian red-figure pottery.

About the AJA

The American Journal of Archaeology is one of the world's most distinguished and widely distributed classical archaeology journals. It was founded in 1885 and continues to devote itself to the advancement of archaeological studies and to the promotion of interest in them. Circulation of the AJA reaches 53 countries and almost 1,000 universities, learned societies, departments of antiquities, and museums. It is published quarterly in both print and electronic (PDF) formats in January, April, July, and October and is available through membership in the Archaeological Institute of America or by subscription.