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THE FUR NITUR E AND FUR NISHINGS OF
ANCIEN T GR EEK HOUSES AND TOMBS
In this book, Dimitra Andrianou analyzes the furniture and furnishings found
in late Classical and Hellenistic houses, tombs, and inscriptions of ancient
Greece. Questioning the wealth of images of furniture as portrayed on vases,
she focuses on the actual remains of furniture found in houses; analyzes the
symbolic nature of elaborate furniture used every day and in the afterlife;
discusses their types and uses in houses, tombs, and sanctuaries; and assem-
bles their ancient vocabulary. The material evidence has been gathered from
sites throughout the entire area of Greece that was ruled by the Macedonian
kings and is supported by material and literary comparanda from contemporary
neighboring sites.
Dimitra Andrianou is Researcher in Hellenistic History and Archaeology at
the National Hellenic Research Foundation in Athens. A recipient of fel-
lowships from the Fulbright Foundation, the Leventis Foundation, and the
American School of Classical Studies at Athens, she has excavated extensively
in Greece, Cyprus, and Asia Minor.
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Dimitra Andrianou
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THE FUR NITUR E AND
FUR NISHINGS OF
ANCIENT GR EEK
HOUSES AND TOMBS
Dimitra Andrianou
National Hellenic Research Foundation, Athens
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978-0-521-76087-4 - The Furniture and Furnishings of Ancient Greek Houses and Tombs
Dimitra Andrianou
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© Dimitra Andrianou 2009
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and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements,
no reproduction of any part may take place without the written
permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published 2009
Printed in the United States of America
A catalog record for this publication is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Andrianou, Dimitra.
The furniture and furnishings of ancient Greek houses and tombs / Dimitra Andrianou .
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-521-76087-4 (hardback)
1. Furniture–Greece. 2. House furnishings–Greece. 3. Grave goods–Greece.
4. Greece–Antiquities. I. Title.
NK2305. A53 2009
749. 0938–dc22 2008037421
ISBN 978-0-521-76087-4 Hardback
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Dimitra Andrianou
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To Angelos
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Dimitra Andrianou
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CONTENTS
List of Figures page xi
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction to the Subject xv
1 HISTOR IOGR A PH Y 1
Urban Studies 1
Furniture Studies 5
Why Study Ancient Furniture? 10
Overview of Evidence 12
Epigraphic and Literary Sources 12
Visual Representations 16
Excavated Objects 17
2 FUR NITUR E 22
Seats 22
Literary Evidence 22
Archaeological Evidence: Domestic 22
Catalogue 1–4 23
Archaeological Evidence: Funerary 25
Catalogue 5–12 28
Bed-couches 31
Literary Evidence 31
Archaeological Evidence: Domestic 34
Catalogue 13–20 35
vii
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Dimitra Andrianou
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viii CON TEN TS
Archaeological Evidence: Funerary 39
Catalogue 21–46 43
Tables 50
Literary Evidence 50
Archaeological Evidence: Domestic 51
Catalogue 47–51 52
Archaeological Evidence: Funerary 55
Catalogue 52–58 55
Discussion 59
Storage Furniture 63
Containers 63
Literary Evidence 64
Archaeological Evidence: Domestic 65
Catalogue 59–62 66
Archaeological Evidence: Funerary 67
Catalogue 63–89 71
Open Cupboards 82
Literary Evidence 82
Visual Evidence 83
Shelves 83
Domestic Context 83
Funerary Context 84
Discussion 85
3 FUR NISHINGS 90
Textiles: Overview 90
Literary Evidence 90
Materials 91
Visual Evidence 92
Funerary Context 92
Catalogue 90–96 92
Bedclothes 96
Visual Evidence 96
Literary Evidence 97
Archaeological Evidence:
Funerary 98
Valances 99
Visual Evidence 99
Curtains 99
Visual Evidence 99
Literary Evidence 99
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CON TEN TS ix
Rugs and Mats 100
Literary Evidence 100
Weaving Furniture: Looms, Loom Weights, Spindle Whorls,
and Spools 101
Domestic Context 101
Visual Evidence 105
Literary Evidence 105
Discussion 106
4 SACR ED FUR NIT UR E IN T R EASUR E LISTS 107
Vocabulary of Furniture and Furnishings 109
Containers 110
Chairs and Footstools 113
Bed-couches and Tables 113
Tableaux 114
Washbasins and Troughs 115
Rugs, Cushions, and Pillows 115
The Significance of Furniture Dedications 115
Mobilier du culte 116
Safekeeping and Storage 119
Display 121
Discussion 121
5 FUR NITUR E, LUXURY, A N D FUNER A RY
SYM BOLISM IN M ACEDONIA 123
A PPEN DIX I: ACROPOLIS OF AT HENS 131
Temple of Athena on the Acropolis of Athens 131
Opisthodomos (405–386 b.c.) 131
Pronaos (434/3 to 408/7 b.c.) 132
Parthenon 132
Hekatompedon 133
Erechtheion 136
Chalkotheke (369/368 B.C.) 136
Artemis Brauronia 136
Athenian Asklepieion 137
A PPEN DIX II: M AJOR A N D MINOR T R EASUR ES
OF DELOS 139
Delian Inventories of the Major Treasures 139
Delian Inventories of the Minor Treasures 142
Non-precious Delian Treasures 147
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x CON TEN TS
A PPEN DIX III: SM A LL ER SHR INES A N D HEROA 151
A PPEN DIX I V: DELIA N CHRONOLOGIES 153
Notes 155
Bibliography 191
Index 209
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FIGUR ES
1a Map of sites mentioned in the catalogues of excavated
objects from domestic context page 20
1b Map of sites mentioned in the catalogues of excavated
objects from funerary context 21
2 Marble armchair, Delos 24
3 Set of marble legs from a seat or a bench, Delos 25
4a Miniature seat, Stageira 26
4b Miniature seat (reverse), Stageira 26
5a Miniature seat, Stageira 26
5b Miniature seat (reverse), Stageira 26
6a Silver diphros, Stavroupolis 29
6b Silver diphros, Stavroupolis (reconstruction in the
Museum of Thessaloniki) 29
7 Bell-shaped hollow “tubes” of bronze, Delos 36
8a, b Bronze bed-foot from the House of the Seals, Delos 37
9 a–d Clay molds, Pella 39
10 Ivory satyr from fulcrum, Athens 40
11 Wooden stretcher (reconstructed), Veroia 43
12 Frit bed-leg, Pella 48
13 Table-tops and table-legs, Delos 53
14a, b Marble table from the House of Hermes, Delos 54
15a Marble table-top, Vergina 56
15b Marble table-top (reverse), Vergina 57
16a Table-top, Pella 58
xi
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xii FIGUR ES
16b Table-top, Pella (reconstruction in the Museum of Pella) 59
17 Marble table-top from the House of the Mosaics, Eretria 60
18a–d Box revetments, Kallion 68, 69
19 Bronze box from House IV, Eretria 70
20a Wooden box (reconstruction), Elis 74
20b,c Box revetments, Elis 75
21 Marble box (θήκη) from the Macedonian tomb B, Pella 77
22 Wooden box, Stavroupolis 81
23 Cloth from the “Tomb of Philip,” Vergina 94
24 Gold threads from the Macedonian tomb B, Pella 95
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ACK NOW LEDGMEN TS
Many scholars have contributed in a multitude of ways to the completion of
this book – from its early stages as a Bryn Mawr PhD dissertation up through
this present publication. Above all I am indebted to my PhD advisor, Professor
Stella Miller-Collett, for her continuous support throughout my graduate
studies and in all the phases of my dissertation research.
I received further valuable advice during the additional research and writ-
ing of this book from a number of people who not only shared my enthusiasm
about domestic affairs in ancient Greece but who also nurtured my wide-
ranging interests and answered many of my questions. For this, thanks go to
Dr. B. Ault, Dr. N. Cahill, Dr. I. Delemen, Dr. M. Haagsma, Dr. R. Hamilton,
Dr. M. Jameson, Dr. J. Johnson, Dr. E. Kosmetatou, Dr. N. Kourou, Dr. V.
Lambrinoudakis, Dr. K. Lapatin, Dr. D. Romano, Dr. Y. Spantidaki, and, in
particular Dr. C. Prêtre, Dr. I. Romano, Dr. E. Simpson, Dr. M. Trümper,
and Dr. B. Tsakirgis. I am also indebted to the excavators of numerous sites in
Macedonia and in particular to Dr. M. Besios, Dr. A. Chrysostomou, Dr. S.
Drougou, Dr. M. Lilimbaki-Akamati, Dr. D. Ignatiadou, Dr. K. Sismanidis,
and Dr. P. Themelis.
As a researcher at the National Hellenic Research Foundation I owe a
special debt of thanks to my director Dr. M. B. Hatzopoulos for his con-
tinual support, comments, and advice and for allowing me to devote much of
my time to the completion of this book. Further thanks go to Dr. A. Tataki
and Dr. S. Zoumbaki for their epigraphical assistance, which saved me from
diverse errors.
xiii
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xiv ACK NOWLEDGMEN TS
Last, but not least, I am indebted to Dr. C. Downey Verfenstein for her
excellent editing skills and comments and to my brother Iraklis Andrianos for
his technical advice on the manipulation of the illustrations, comments on
the presentation of the material, continous support, and insight.
This book is dedicated to my husband, Dr. Angelos Lazoudis.
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INTRODUCTION TO THE SUBJECT
In the last two decades, studies on domestic complexes and household
οκονομία have attracted scholars who have turned their attention to the
domestic environment and daily life . Domestic architecture, space identifi
identifica-
ca-
tion, and gender areas are all subjects of interest in current scholarship. One
facet of the domestic sphere that has been noticeably neglected, however, is
the material record of furniture and furnishings found inside the house . The
body of evidence that physically constitutes the ancient household has been
confined to primary publications and is rarely used to elucidate the primary
context of domestic pottery, architecture, or sculpture.
The main aim of the present study is to bridge this gap by presenting
and analyzing movable domestic objects in their primary context as well as
new archaeological evidence concerning the interior layout of ancient Greek
houses . Since the study of houses has advanced considerably in the past two
decades, and thus the context in which we find furniture is now better under-
stood, there is no better time to examine the existing evidence for objects
that increase comfort and the organization of living or are used to perform
certain household tasks. In addition, valuable new material unearthed in
the last two and a half decades of excavations in northern Greece now sheds
more light on aspects of both daily life and the afterlife. Here, for the first
time, visual, material, and literary evidence on the subject is gathered for
scholarly review.
To advance the discussion in an organized manner, the presentation will
fall into two major categories: (1) furniture, to be understood in the prevail-
ing modern sense of movable , useful, or ornamental domestic objects, and
xv
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xvi INTRODUCTION TO THE SUBJECT
(2) furnishings, namely textiles that cover furniture (e.g., bedding ) to increase
comfort and materials that “metaphorically” drape the house interior (e.g.,
curtains ). To provide a sense of continuity, this work begins with the late
Classical period in the fourth century b.c. and spans the Hellenistic era until
the Roman invasions of the first century b.c. It incorporates the material evi-
dence excavated in the whole area of Greece ruled by the Macedonian kings
with material and literary comparanda from contemporary sites in Cyprus ,
Asia Minor, and Egypt .
This study is intended as a window into ancient house interiors , daily
life , house management, house decoration , luxury, and wealth . To make
this window of analysis wider, literary and visual evidence will be discussed
where and when available. A brief review of the scholarship on houses , the
main context in which furniture is found, will serve as both an introductory
account of the progress on the subject and a summary of the state of publica-
tion of the so-called minor objects , in which furniture pieces often belong.
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