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  • A Jew in the Roman Bathhouse: Cultural Interaction in the Ancient Mediterranean

    A Jew in the Roman Bathhouse by Eliav, Yaron;

    Cultural Interaction in the Ancient Mediterranean

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      • Publisher's listprice GBP 38.00
      • The price is estimated because at the time of ordering we do not know what conversion rates will apply to HUF / product currency when the book arrives. In case HUF is weaker, the price increases slightly, in case HUF is stronger, the price goes lower slightly.

        18 154 Ft (17 290 Ft + 5% VAT)
      • Discount 10% (cc. 1 815 Ft off)
      • Discounted price 16 339 Ft (15 561 Ft + 5% VAT)

    18 154 Ft

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    Availability

    Estimated delivery time: Expected time of arrival: end of January 2026.
    Not in stock at Prospero.

    Why don't you give exact delivery time?

    Delivery time is estimated on our previous experiences. We give estimations only, because we order from outside Hungary, and the delivery time mainly depends on how quickly the publisher supplies the book. Faster or slower deliveries both happen, but we do our best to supply as quickly as possible.

    Product details:

    • Publisher Princeton University Press
    • Date of Publication 16 May 2023
    • Number of Volumes Print PDF

    • ISBN 9780691243436
    • Binding Hardback
    • No. of pages392 pages
    • Size 234x155 mm
    • Language English
    • Illustrations 27 b/w illus. 3 maps.
    • 454

    Categories

    Long description:

    A provocative account of Jewish encounters with the public baths of ancient Rome

    Public bathhouses embodied the Roman way of life, from food and fashion to sculpture and sports. The most popular institution of the ancient Mediterranean world, the baths drew people of all backgrounds. They were places suffused with nudity, sex, and magic. A Jew in the Roman Bathhouse reveals how Jews navigated this space with ease and confidence, engaging with Roman bath culture rather than avoiding it.

    In this landmark interdisciplinary work of cultural history, Yaron Eliav uses the Roman bathhouse as a social laboratory to reexamine how Jews interacted with Graeco-Roman culture. He reconstructs their thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about the baths and the activities that took place there, documenting their pleasures as well as their anxieties and concerns. Archaeologists have excavated hundreds of bathhouse facilities across the Mediterranean. Graeco-Roman writers mention the bathhouse frequently, and rabbinic literature contains hundreds of references to the baths. Eliav draws on the archaeological and literary record to offer fresh perspectives on the Jews of antiquity, developing a new model for the ways smaller and often weaker groups interact with large, dominant cultures.

    A compelling and richly evocative work of scholarship, A Jew in the Roman Bathhouse challenges us to rethink the relationship between Judaism and Graeco-Roman society, shedding new light on how cross-cultural engagement shaped Western civilization.



    "Writing entertainingly and informatively on both archaeology and the Talmud is a rare gift, and the author brings enthusiasm and erudition to his explanations of Roman engineering feats."---Sara Jo Ben Zvi, Segula

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