A Cultural History of Furniture in Antiquity by Dimitra Andri... - 9781350595484

A Cultural History of Furniture in AntiquityAuthor(s): Dimitra Andrianou\nFormat: Paperback\nPublisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, United Kingdom\nImprint: Bloomsbury Academic\nISBN-13: 9781350595484, 978-1350595484\nSynopsis\nCovering the period from 2500 BCE to the Byzantine Era, this volume in A Cultural History of Furniture focuses on the social history of furniture found in houses, tombs, and temples as narrated through the archaeological evidence. The earliest furniture can be seen as an attempt by humans to enhance their safety, comfort, and social standing but it can also offer opportunities for understanding human behavior, values, and thought: fine furniture was among the most valuable of possessions in the ancient world so it expressed power, wealth, and status. It was appreciated as art, used in diplomacy (both as a gift and as tribute), and recorded as booty. At the same time, its practical and ceremonial uses yield important clues about the domestic environment and dail.