{"product_id":"the-transformation-of-greek-amulets-christopher-a-faraone-9780812249354","title":"The Transformation of Greek Amulets in Roman Imperial Times","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe era of the Roman Empire was distinguished by an explosion of images and texts in a variety of media--metal, papyrus, mosaic, gemstone--all designed to protect, heal, or grant some abstract benefit to the persons who wore them on their bodies or placed them in their homes. In the past scholars have explained this proliferation of readily identifiable amulets by a sudden need for magic or by a precipitous rise in superstition or anxiety in this period, connected, perhaps, with the internal breakdown of Greek rationalism or the migration of superstitious peoples from the East. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eChristopher A. Faraone argues, instead, that these amulets were not invented in this period as a result of an alteration in the Roman worldview or a tidal wave of \"oriental\" influence, but rather that they only become visible to us in the archaeological record as a result of a number of technical innovations and transformations: the increased epigraphic habit of the Imperial period, the miniaturization of traditional domestic amulets, like the triple-faced Hecate, on durable gems, or the utilization of newly crafted Egyptianizing iconography. In short, it is only when explicitly protective or curative texts, or strange new images, are added to traditional Greek amulets, that modern observers realize that these objects were thought to have the power to protect or heal all along. The real question addressed by the book, then, is not why we can identify so many amulets in the Roman Imperial period but, rather, why we have failed to identify them in artifacts of the preceding centuries. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFeaturing more than 120 illustrations, \u003ci\u003eThe Transformation of Greek Amulets in Roman Imperial Times\u003c\/i\u003e is not only a tremendous resource for those working in the fields of ancient magic and religion but also an essential reference for those interested in the religion, culture, and history of the ancient Mediterranean.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Christopher A. Faraone\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0812249356\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780812249354\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Pennsylvania Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/20\/2018\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 512\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 2.75lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 10.20h x 7.40w x 1.70d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 10\/01\/2018","brand":"Christopher A. Faraone","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":43926364094719,"sku":"9780812249354","price":110.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_519941a8-56dc-4361-b9ed-eb666f7b1756.jpg?v=1681082664","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-transformation-of-greek-amulets-christopher-a-faraone-9780812249354","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}