The Stones of Athens

by Richard Ernest Wycherley

Interpreting the monuments of Athens in light of literature, R. E. Wycherley brings before us the city the ancients knew. Philosophers, statesmen, travelers, dramatists, poets, private citizens―the words of all these suggest how the city looked at various periods, how its monuments came to be built, and how they served the people in daily life. Professor Wycherley concentrates on the classical period, illustrating his work with plans, reconstructions, and photographs.

Originally published in 1978.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Genres: Greece, History, Classical Studies

314 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1977

Reviews

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the earliest archaeology books I read on ancient Greece. It hooked me.

[Russell Jurney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an exceptional book describing the state of Athenian archaeology in the late 70s. It is fascinating and the best archaeology book I have read!

[Zachary · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fairly comprehensive introduction to the most important monuments and sites of classical Athens, The Stones of Athens by R. E. Wycherley (1976) has without a doubt been superseded by John M. Camp’s The Archaeology of Athens (2001), primarily due to the fact that recent archaeological efforts in the past three decades have not only shed considerable light on domestic and political life in Athens, but also challenged long-held interpretations that, at the time of Wycherley’s writing, seemed indisputable. Take, for instance, Wycherley’s discussion of the so-called Stratageion in the Agora, whose function recent excavations seem to indicate more likely served commercial interests rather than those of Athens’ board of generals (John M. Camp, “Preliminary Report on the 2009 Excavation Season”). Similarly, Wycherley cannot specifically position the Stoa Poikile, “one of the most celebrated monuments of Athens” (38), as only excavations in the past two decades have confirmed its location across modern Hadrian Street at the north end of the Agora.

Nevertheless, Wycherley’s account is not entirely useless by any means and will still greatly inform the twenty-first century reader eager to learn more about Athens’ archaeology. He divides the book into twelve relatively concise chapters that, as Wycherley himself asserts, can easily stand on their own as helpful academic articles ready-made for quick reference. These range from short segments that treat the likes of the Erectheion, Piraeus, and the gymnasia of Athens to lengthier discussions on the Agora and the Parthenon. Wycherley’s prose is unambiguous and direct and accompanied by numerous architectural plans, diagrams, reconstructions, and photographs that help familiarize the reader with the topography and monuments of the city. Particularly enlightening are his analyses of dozens of small shrines peppered throughout Athens–like that of Pankrates, from which the modern neighborhood of Pangrati takes its name–and his breakdown of the successive stages of the Theater of Dionysus on the southern slopes of the Acropolis. Wycherley’s postscript titled “The Stones” is also noteworthy for its welcome treatment of the various materials, including conglomerate, poros, and Pentelic and Hymettian marble, used by the Athenians of antiquity to construct their homes, public buildings, and impressive temples.

Unfortunately, Wycherley more or less neglects extensive documentation of archaeological sites dating to Roman and Late Roman periods, focusing instead on the Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic city. Fortunately, Camp’s The Archaeology of Athens corrects this misstep and one should turn there for a more comprehensive analysis of the structures of post-Classical Athens. In short, while out of date, The Stones of Athens offers students a different kind of introduction than The Archaeology of Athens primarily because of its deft organization into twelve comparatively independent chapters. Despite its age, it still serves as an informative overview of the archaeology of the polis of Themistocles, Pericles, and the hundreds of thousands of others who inhabited the city throughout the Classical period.

[Midori · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is amazing how classical a book can be. The "Stones" is a wonderful guide to Ancient Athenian topography with plans and rare black and white pictures. Though the Parthenon and the Erectheion are treated in two different chapters, the book's focus is not on the most important buildings of the city but rather on its general features. The only flaw detected was in the last chapter: since different building stones and their qualities are discussed, pictures with samples of each stone treated would have been extremely helpful.