The present volume offers a variety of case studies rather than a theoretically oriented survey of trends and overall approaches towards the fragmentarily preserved ancient material. Nevertheless, the discussions of specific cases are not confined to merely illustrating with examples the patterns already detected and followed by scholars, but also formulate some new theoretical proposals applicable to different kinds of material.

This book stems from the international conference Fragments, Holes, and Wholes: Reconstructing the Ancient World in Theory and Practice (Warsaw, 12–14 June 2014), which was organized by the Committee on Ancient Culture of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Classical Studies of the University of Warsaw, the Institute of Archaeology of the University of Warsaw, and the Institute of Classical Studies of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan.