The volume under review belongs to a series dealing with the history of archaeological sites, and it is both astonishing and heartening that Dura Europos is included in the short list of sites dealt with so far in this collection. Less known than other sites such as Palmyra or Petra, it is one of the most important sites of the Hellenistic and Roman Near East. As B. stresses at the beginning of Chapter 1, the interest and uniqueness of Dura come from its mixed population and diversity of religions and languages combined with the richness of its remains and material. Well known for its mural paintings, especially those of the third-century synagogue that earned her the title of ‘Pompeii of the Syrian desert’, the site also revealed its urban pattern, fortifications, cultural and domestic buildings and a considerable amount of material of high significance. It makes the city a case study for numerous issues such as town planning, religious architecture, Hellenisation and cultural hybridisation, and daily life.
B. has strong affinities with the subject to which she has devoted a great number of studies, starting with her doctoral thesis focusing on domestic architecture. Her knowledge of the site is based on many years of research, including fieldwork at the site with the Mission Franco-Syrienne d'Europos-Doura and extensive archival research mainly in the Yale University Art Gallery (YUAG).
The volume consists of seven chapters, the last one being a conclusion. It is followed by notes, a bibliography and a general index.
Chapter 1 surveys the excavations conducted on the site, going back to the discovery of part of the frescoes in 1920 and the work of P.F Braisted and ending with the work of the French-Syrian Mission, which stopped in 2011. B.’s documented survey is also an analysis of the diverse interpretations of the site and its remains that are a result of changes in methodologies and in the mentalities of those studying the site. B. demonstrates that conceptions can be shaped by political context, in this case especially by colonial politics. As a consequence, the place of Greek culture in Dura has been over-emphasised in the past and re-evaluated during the last three decades.
Chapter 2 is dedicated to the site of Dura during the three major periods of its history: Hellenistic, Parthian and Roman. B. discusses the chronology assigned to the site, which was revised in the light of the last excavations. Archaeological evidence shows that Dura was first a small garrison and developed as a city only around 150 bce.
Chapter 3 deals with the archives of Dura, a subject generally neglected. This chapter is most welcome considering the role of archives in maintaining the historical records of such places as Dura or Palmyra – both having been recently destroyed and/or pillaged.
The next three chapters document the remains and the material uncovered in Dura: texts (Chapter 4), buildings (Chapter 5) and artefacts, under the title ‘The Material Culture and Art of Dura-Europos’ (Chapter 6). The first part of the sixth chapter is an overview of the ceramics, coins and ‘small finds’ recovered, including textiles, glassware and terracotta lamps. The next few pages (pp. 133–43) focus on mural paintings, for which Dura is much renowned, then come sculpture, terracotta and plaster figurines and plaques. One can deplore the brevity of the section devoted to the cult and votive reliefs, but some of them are illustrated and described in previous chapters.
The main interest of these three chapters, aside from the concise and comprehensive overview of all the discoveries in context, consists in the discussions connected to them. B. stresses the importance of taking into account the local character of the productions. She argues for considering the artefacts as testimonies of the life of the inhabitants and not seeing them as works of art, which is a modern conception.
The bibliography supplies the reader with hundreds of references, and it would have been more useful if it was organised thematically. The works of I. Nielsen, who studied the citadel of Dura, would have been worth including and maybe also some of those of M. Avi Yonah. A few mistakes can be found in the bibliography: the paper of A. Rousselle is quoted twice, once incompletely (p. 215), the name ‘de Pontbriand’ is sometimes written ‘du Pontbriand’ (pp. 211 and 213), and the use of capitals in French titles is not always correct. A very small number of typographical errors remains. The index is very useful.
The book comes with more than 50 figures, most of them photographs from the archives of Yale University. A few of them are of poor quality (figs 6.1 and 6.2 for instance), and more recent pictures of a higher resolution could have advantageously replaced them. All the illustrations are in black and white, and one must deplore the fact that the map of the site produced by the French Mission had to be adapted without the colours indicating the functions of the buildings (fig. 2.3). Maps of the Seleucid Empire and of Roman Syria would have been appreciated.
The book provides rich information on one of the most important sites of the Hellenistic and Roman Near East. Its value is increased by the fact that the site has been much damaged during the Syrian war. One will really appreciate the high degree of preciseness and exhaustivity of information given in the limited frame of a general book. The familiarity of the author with the site and its archives can be felt on every page. The book is, moreover, very well written and pleasant to read. There is no doubt that this volume will serve as a useful tool for researchers and students to whom it will provide a rich and updated overview.
