Classical archaeology has undergone profound change in recent years; new theoretical positions and the development of cutting–edge methodologies have prompted classical archaeologists to pose more challenging questions of the extraordinarily rich data we possess from the ancient Mediterranean world. Classical Archaeology is designed to encourage further critical thinking about the role of ancient material culture in modern times and the role of modern preoccupations in shaping the study of ancient material.

Authored by leading archaeologists and historians of the classical world, Classical Archaeology contains thematic pairs of essays (each pair comprised of one essay from the Greek world and one from the Roman) that explore ideas such as the ancient environment, rural landscape, urban spaces, cults and rituals, identity and its material expression, and Mediterranean links with a wider world. Maps, chronologies, diagrams, photographs, and short editorial introductions to each chapter connect the paired essays and provide the reader with vital background and context. These features, as well as the editors comprehensive introduction and their final reflective chapter, make Classical Archaeology indispensable to all students of classical Greece and Rome.