Review by Choice Review
Cremna was an independent and prosperous Hellenistic city in ancient Pisidia (modern-day southern Turkey). After Rome's annexation of central Asia Minor and Augustus' refounding of the city as a colony, Cremna evolved into an important cultural (and later strategic) center. The city's support of a local revolt against Roman authority led to its siege and surrender in 278 CE. After its heyday, habitation continued until some point in the sixth century. Such is its story based primarily on an archaeological survey conducted between 1985 and 1987. Particularly valuable are the authors' careful discussion of the evidence (whether textual, artistic, epigraphic, or numismatic) and their scrupulous honesty regarding the strengths and weaknesses of their conclusions. Suppositions, unavoidable in a study based on a survey rather than an excavation, are clearly labeled as such. Whether the discussion concerns the relationship between personal income and site of residence, Roman siege tactics, architectural decoration, or aqueducts, the authors always place the evidence in context (in terms of the immediate locale, Asia Minor and the Roman world). The result is twofold: an informative work of urban and military history and an insight into how scholars reconstruct the past. Upper-division undergraduates and above. R. T. Ingoglia Felician College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
