The Agora Bone Well [Paperback]

Even though Dorothy Thompson excavated the Agora Bone Well in 1938, the well and its remarkable finds have never been fully studied until now. Located outside the northwest corner of the Athenian Agora and dating to the second quarter of the 2nd century B.C., the well contained the remains of roughly 460 newborn infants, as well as a few older individuals. Also found in the well were the bones of over 150 dogs and an assortment of other animals, plus various artifacts, including an intriguing herm (treated here by Andrew Stewart) and an ivory chape. In addition to a thorough examination of the contents of the well, the authors provide a thoughtful analysis of the neighborhood in which the well was located and carefully compare the deposit with similar accumulations found elsewhere in the Mediterranean. The product of close cooperation between archaeological, palaeoanthropological, and faunal scholars, this interdisciplinary work will be of interest to a large audience across a variety of fields. The Agora Bone Well is a poignant text, effectively marrying scientific methods and humanistic inquiry. The rigorous analysis is relevant to scholars studying ancient childbirth, paleopathology, zooarchaeology, ceramics, mortuary ritual, Athenian topography, and more. Unlike most multidisciplinary volumes, this text weaves together a clear, concise, and coherent narrative. W. Flint Dibble, American Journal Of Archaeology 123.4 (2019) This book represents an invaluable contribution to our understanding of 2nd century BCE Athens and infant death and deviant burials in ancient Greece. It is also a demonstration of what can be accomplished when specialists work together to understand a total picture, one comprised of pieces that would have been considered separately in earlier days. The authors present an honest approach to an imperfect data set, allowing readers to assess the data and its potential interpretations for themselves. It is a welcome update to our understanding l£-