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Author’s Preface
- University of Texas Press
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xiii I begin with a matter of particular importance to me: expressing my profound gratitude to Joseph Coleman Carter, director of the Institute for Classical Archaeology (ICA). Professor Carter initially intended to be the author of a new, comprehensive work on the grave stelai of Chersonesos. Over time, though, coordinating the constantly expanding Chersonesos project in collaboration with the National Preserve of Tauric Chersonesos (NPTC) became such a responsibility that he was unable to pursue the study of the gravestones . In the end, showing an incomparable generosity of spirit, he handed the privilege of writing this volume to this author. He has also supported my work in every imaginable way, trusted my judgment when I decided that some huge stone blocks somewhere in the city wall were probably parts of our gravestones, and, by doing so, provided me with an example of what scientific endeavor can be, and what, in fact, it always should be. Likewise, I owe my unbounded gratitude to the National Preserve of Tauric Chersonesos and its director , Leonid Marchenko, who supported my work with sympathy and interest. I began working in Chersonesos as a senior research fellow in the German Research Foundation’s (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft , or DFG) priority program “Forms and Approaches in Acculturation in the Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea Area,” based out of Ruhr University in Bochum. I cannot give enough credit to Adolf Hoffmann, then director of the Istanbul Section of the German Archaeological Institute, for making it possible for me to continue that work freely in Istanbul . I must also thank the DFG and its reviewers for accepting me into their priority program in the first place, and for providing funds for my position from December 2001 to March 2003 and for certain additional materials later on. A great many people were involved in the creation of this book, making it perhaps more appropriate that I relate briefly the events of the past years rather than simply give a list of their names; this may also help to explain why publication of this unique group of monuments has taken so long. Although the gravestones of Chersonesos had already witnessed a fair amount of turmoil in their history, their reexamination from 2001 to 2006 is likely to remain vivid in the memories of those involved for a long time to come. I began to study the gravestones in the summer of 2001 following a brief introductory visit in the summer of 2000. At that time the stelai were stored in a dilapidated but nonetheless remarkable complex that had once been part of the monastery associated with the cathedral of St. Volodymyr at Chersonesos. Officially called Fondi 4, it served as a storage space for the stelai and other artifacts. After being tentatively arranged and cataloged by Professor Carter and photographer Chris Williams, they stood, one next to the other, leaning against steel support structures built especially for that purpose (Fig. vi). In that dimly lit setting—a circumstance practical for my work—I photographed the stelai under ultraviolet (UV) and raking light, and made the first attempts to find matches among the various pieces. Meanwhile, a small garden of stones took shape in front of the building as additional stele fragments were found. These were discovered, or rediscovered, at three different locations around the excavation site, but no space could be made for them in the storage structure, which by then was bursting at the seams. Author’s Preface Richard Posamentir Figure vi The author, Joseph Carter, and John Twilley in Fondi 4. xiv Chersonesan Studies 1: The Polychrome Grave Stelai In the winter of 2001–2002 the condition of the building’s wooden roof, which had long before begun a gradual slide into disrepair, deteriorated to such an extent that relocating the valuable monuments had become imperative by the summer of 2002. After considerable debate, we decided with heavy hearts to move the gravestones into the “Ancient Hall” of the Chersonesos Museum. Formerly the monastery’s refectory, this was the exhibition space for artifacts from the Greek and Roman periods. Architect Jodi Lane supplied digital plans for this facility; these plans managed to convince even those with lingering doubts that the project could succeed (Fig. vii). Meanwhile, the ever increasing number of unrestored and uncleaned stele fragments would be stored temporarily in steel storage buildings (see Fig. 3.4) constructed for the Preserve by ICA. Within days these temporary structures were built in what had been the garden of the monastery. Three...