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3 - Mind the Gap

Reuniting Words and Walls in the Study of the Classical Greek House

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 July 2022

By
Janett Morgan
Edited by
J. A. Baird  and
April Pudsey
J. A. Baird
Affiliation:
Birkbeck College, University of London
April Pudsey
Affiliation:
Manchester Metropolitan University
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Summary

When 19th-century excavators uncovered domestic buildings at classical Greek urban sites, they also uncovered a problem: words and walls did not match. The clash between sources led to a clash between scholars. This chapter explores the origin of this perceived gap between words and walls and shows that it is the result of clashing philosophies, rather than faulty sources. Discussions of ancient Greek houses began in 16th-century Italy, at a time when no Greek houses were available to study. Scholars created their own plans, drawing on ancient texts and surviving Roman remains. Their designs were intended to facilitate philosophical discussions, not to rebuild the past. In contrast, archaeologists wanted to rebuild. They needed labels to describe the buildings they had found. They mined ancient texts to create a terminology for domestic spaces and features. Inevitably, text and archaeology did not match. It is time to step away from the gap and re-evaluate our approach to investigating ancient houses. Through a re-examination of evidence for 4th-century BCE Athenian houses in texts and material remains, this chapter demonstrates how different ancient sources can work in parallel to advance knowledge of domestic life in the ancient Greek city.

Keywords

VitruviusPrieneOlynthosGreek domestic architecture
Type
Chapter
Information
Housing in the Ancient Mediterranean World
Material and Textual Approaches
 , pp. 96 - 132
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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  • Mind the Gap
  • Edited by J. A. Baird, Birkbeck College, University of London, April Pudsey, Manchester Metropolitan University
  • Book: Housing in the Ancient Mediterranean World
  • Online publication: 08 July 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108954983.004
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  • Mind the Gap
  • Edited by J. A. Baird, Birkbeck College, University of London, April Pudsey, Manchester Metropolitan University
  • Book: Housing in the Ancient Mediterranean World
  • Online publication: 08 July 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108954983.004
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  • Mind the Gap
  • Edited by J. A. Baird, Birkbeck College, University of London, April Pudsey, Manchester Metropolitan University
  • Book: Housing in the Ancient Mediterranean World
  • Online publication: 08 July 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108954983.004
Available formats
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