Imports and Immigrants

by Gail L. Hoffman

While scholars have long acknowledged the importance of artistic relationships between ancient Greece and the Near East, recent discourse on multi-culturalism and diversity has ignited new debate over these issues both among scholars and in the broader public. Charges and countercharges of historical revisionism and systematic undervaluation of the debt owed by ancient Greece to the Near East and Africa have polarized the debate and obscured the actual evidence. In Imports and Immigrants, Gail L. Hoffman explores the primary archaeological basis for such discussions, namely, the preserved physical remains, providing a foundation for constructive discussion of the relations and exchanges between ancient Greece and the Near East. Hoffman confronts major issues such as: What is the body of evidence for considering this topic? How can scholars distinguish between imports to Crete and imitations produced in Crete? How can imported objects be linked to specific Near Eastern points of origin?