Abstract

Between East and West: the view from a public building in the city of Rhodes

This talk draws on the archaeological finds from a monumental public building at the foot of the Acropolis of Rhodes. Although the complex came to light during rescue excavations by the Greek Archaeological Service in the second half of the 20th century, documentation and study of the material only began after 2017. The range of finds, from ceramic and glass, to coins, inscribed pedestals and plaster fragments, offers glimpses into Rhodian material culture from the late Classical to the Roman period. The quantity and the quality of imports from a single building raise questions about its function but most importantly illustrate the lifestyle of the Rhodian elite and its access to commodities outside the Rhodian State. While textual sources underscore Rhodes’ leading role on the political and cultural stage in the Hellenistic period, the archaeological record helps us to better assess Rhodes’ place within the broader economic network of the eastern and western Mediterranean.