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Forword
Tomb raiders and treasure hunters
The Mediterranean in Antiquity – a short review
Life in Classical times
Burial customs simplified
Coffins and sarcophagi in many shapes and sizes
Life after death
Burying the dead
The Roman way of death
Houses for the dead
Remembering the dead
Cultural crossroads – the Roman provinces of Syria and Judaea 
A Roman Province
Decapolis and Palmyra – cosmopolitain cities of the East
The Jews
The first Christians
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Glossary

THE MEDITERRANEAN IN ANTIQUITY

Illlustration: Johnny Kreutz © Museum of Cultural History

Classical antiquity is usually defined as the period from 500 BC to AD 500, when Greek and Roman culture dominated the lands around the Mediterranean Sea.

The Arcaic period (750 – 480 BC) Greeks began to settle along the coasts of southern Italy, Sicily, Libya, southern France, Spain and the Black Sea. The Greeks were strongly influenced by the Eastern cultures of Mesopotamia, Asia Minor and Egypt, and were to have a massive cultural impact on the near East, southern Europe and northern Africa.

In the Classical period (480-330 BC) The Greeks reached an unprecedented level of artistic and science. Athens was the centre of philosophy, politics, literature and architecture.

Hellenistic period (330 – 30 BC) Greek influence spread throughout the Mediterranean world where it blended with local traditions. With the conquests of Alexander the Great (336-323 BC), Greek influence reached as Persia and India.

The Roman Republic (509-31 BC) The Romans extended their power over their neighbours- the Italic people and the Etruscans - and then over more and more of the Mediterranean world. They defeated their greatest rivals, the Phoenicians, and large parts of the Greek east came under Roman control. In 146 BC the Romans destroyed the Greek city of Corinth and the Phoenician capital of Carthage. The art they brought back as war booty helped to bring Greek taste and fashion to Rome.

The Roman Empire (31 BC - 395 AD) At its height, the Roman Empire extended from Mesopotamia to Morocco and from Britain to southern Egypt. The Romans were tolerant of most of the religions they encountered, and absorbed traditions from the people they conquered. Roman art was strongly influenced by Egyptian, Etruscan and Greek art.

Late Antiquity (300 – 650 AD) Under the Emperor Constantine the Great (312-337 AD), Christianity became the accepted state religion of the Roman Empire. In 395 AD, the Empire was divided into an eastern and a western part. The Western Empire was invaded by Germanic tribes and finally came under their control in 476 AD. The Eastern, or Byzantine Empire, was significantly reduced in the early 600’s when Palestine, Syria and Egypt fell to the Arabs. This usually marks the end of Classical Antiquity.

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