The Furniture and Furnishings of Ancient Greek Houses and Tombs

Book excerpt: In this book, Dimitra Andrianou analyzes the furniture and furnishings found in late Classical and Hellenistic houses, tombs, and inscriptions of ancient Greece. Questioning the wealth of images of furniture as portrayed on vases, she focuses on the actual remains of furniture found in houses; analyzes the symbolic nature of elaborate furniture used in every day and in the afterlife; discusses their types and uses in houses, tombs, and sanctuaries; and assembles their ancient vocabulary. The material evidence has been gathered from sites throughout the entire area of Greece that was ruled by the Macedonian kings and is supported by material and literary comparanda from contemporary neighboring sites.