Abstract
Review of (M.L.) Popkin, 'Souvenirs and the Experience of Empire in Ancient Rome'. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2022. ISBN: 9781316517567.
This book demonstrates that objects purchased and then transported home created not just memories of travel but also articulated the meaning of those places people or spectacles. The topic of souvenirs is something of a lacuna both in historical thought and in artefact studies. However, 2021 saw the publication of K. Cassibry's Destinations of the Mind: Portraying Places on the Roman Empire's Souvenirs (for a review see AJA 126 [2022] E 138-40). P. notes that her book was submitted prior to the publication of Cassibry's. Not surprinsingly, there are some areas of overlap notably around the representation of cities on glass vessels, most famously of Baiae and Puteoli, and of the forts of the western part of Hadrian Wall on enamelled vessels. Both authors come from the discipline of Art History and seek to demonstrate that ordinary objects of material culture can sustain as much debate a 'canonical artworks and monument ' (p. xvi). This is a beautiful book with 132 illustrations almost al1in colour. It would seem that the reluctance to include colour images may be waning in the third decade of the twenty-first century. The book is also a great read and thought-provoking, and it allows readers to run further with the ideas presented.
This book demonstrates that objects purchased and then transported home created not just memories of travel but also articulated the meaning of those places people or spectacles. The topic of souvenirs is something of a lacuna both in historical thought and in artefact studies. However, 2021 saw the publication of K. Cassibry's Destinations of the Mind: Portraying Places on the Roman Empire's Souvenirs (for a review see AJA 126 [2022] E 138-40). P. notes that her book was submitted prior to the publication of Cassibry's. Not surprinsingly, there are some areas of overlap notably around the representation of cities on glass vessels, most famously of Baiae and Puteoli, and of the forts of the western part of Hadrian Wall on enamelled vessels. Both authors come from the discipline of Art History and seek to demonstrate that ordinary objects of material culture can sustain as much debate a 'canonical artworks and monument ' (p. xvi). This is a beautiful book with 132 illustrations almost al1in colour. It would seem that the reluctance to include colour images may be waning in the third decade of the twenty-first century. The book is also a great read and thought-provoking, and it allows readers to run further with the ideas presented.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 654-656 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | The Classical Review |
| Volume | 73 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Oct 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Accepted Author Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.Keywords
- Souvenirs
- Book Review
- ancient Rome
- Artefacts