Download or read book The Hellenistic Court written by Andrew Erskine and published by Classical Press of Wales. This book was released on 2017-12-14 with total page 473 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hellenistic courts were centres of monarchic power, social prestige and high culture in the kingdoms that emerged after the death of Alexander. They were places of refinement, learning and luxury, and also of corruption, rivalry and murder. Surrounded by courtiers of varying loyalty, Hellenistic royal families played roles in a theatre of spectacle and ceremony. Architecture, art, ritual and scholarship were deployed to defend the existence of their dynasties. The present volume, from a team of international experts, examines royal methods and ideologies. It treats the courts of the Ptolemies, Seleucids, Attalids, Antigonids and of lesser dynasties. It also explores the influence, on Greek-speaking courts, of non- Greek culture, of Achaemenid and other Near Eastern royal institutions. It studies the careers of courtesans, concubines and 'friends' of royalty, and the intellectual, ceremonial, and artistic world of the Greek monarchies. The work demonstrates the complexity and motivations of Hellenistic royal civilisation, of courts which governed the transmission of Greek culture to the wider Mediterranean world - and to later ages.

Download or read book Hellenistic Science at Court written by Marquis Berrey and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2017-09-11 with total page 333 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The development of science in the modern world is often held to depend on such institutions as universities, peer-reviewed journals, and democracy. How, then, did new science emerge in the pre-modern culture of the Hellenistic Egyptian monarchy? Berrey argues that the court society formed around the Ptolemaic pharaohs Ptolemy III and IV (reigned successively 246-205/4 BCE) provided an audience for cross-disciplinary, learned knowledge, as physicians, mathematicians, and mechanicians clothed themselves in the virtues of courtiers attendant on the kings. The multicultural Greco-Egyptian court society prized entertainment that drew on earlier literature, mixed genres and cultures, and highlighted motion and sound. New cross-disciplinary science in the Hellenistic period gained its social currency and subsequent scientific success through its entertainment value as court science. Ancient court science sheds light on the long history of scientific interdisciplinarity.

Download or read book Courts and Elites in the Hellenistic Empires written by Strootman Rolf Strootman and published by Edinburgh University Press. This book was released on 2020-07-13 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rolf Strootman brings together various aspects of court culture in the Macedonian empires of the post-Achaemenid Near East. During the Hellenistic Period (c. 330-30 BCE), Alexander the Great and his successors reshaped their Persian and Greco-Macedonian legacies to create a new kind of rulership that was neither 'western' nor 'eastern' and would profoundly influence the later development of court culture and monarchy in both the Roman West and Iranian East.Drawing on the socio-political models of Norbert Elias and Charles Tilly, After the Achaemenids shows how the Hellenistic dynastic courts were instrumental in the integration of local elites in the empires, and the (re)distribution of power, wealth, and status. It analyses the competition among courtiers for royal favour and the, not always successful, attempts of the Hellenistic rulers to use these struggles to their own advantage.It demonstrates the interrelationships of the three competing 'Hellenistic' empires of the Seleukids, Antigonids and Ptolemies, casts new light on the phenomenon of Hellenistic Kingship by approaching it from the angle of the court and covers topics such as palace architecture, royal women, court ceremonial, and coronation ritual.

Download or read book Creating a Hellenistic World written by Andrew Erskine and published by Classical Press of Wales. This book was released on 2010-12-31 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Alexander's conquest of the Persian empire had far-reaching impact, in space and time. Much of the territory that he seized would remain under the control of Macedonian kings until the arrival of the Romans. But Macedonian power also brought with it Greeks and Greek culture. In this book, leading scholars in the field explore the creation of this Hellenistic world, its cultural, political and economic transformations, and how far these were a consequence of Alexander's conquests. New kingdoms were established, new cities such as Alexandria and Antioch were founded, art and literature discovered fresh patrons. Egyptians and Iranians had to come to terms with Graeco-Macedonian rulers and settlers, while Greeks and Macedonians learned the ways of more ancient cultures. The essays presented here offer an exciting interdisciplinary approach to the study of this emerging Hellenistic world, its newness but also its oldness, both real and imagined.

Download or read book Royal Courts in Dynastic States and Empires written by Jeroen Duindam and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2011-08-11 with total page 461 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume presents new research on royal courts from antiquity to the modern world, from Asia to Europe. It addresses the interactions of rulers and and elites at court, as well as the multiple connections between court, capital, and realm.

Download or read book King and Court in Ancient Persia 559 to 331 BCE written by Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones and published by Edinburgh University Press. This book was released on 2014-02-14 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the representation of Persian monarchy and the court of the Achaemenid Great Kings from the point of view of the ancient Iranians themselves and through the sometimes distorted prism of Classical authors.

Download or read book Beyond Alexandria written by Marijn S. Visscher and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2020 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This book aims to further our understanding of Seleucid literature, covering the period from Seleucus I to Antiochus III. Despite the historical importance of the Seleucid Empire during this time, little attention has been devoted to its literature. The works of authors affiliated with the Seleucid court have tended to be overshadowed by works coming out of Alexandria, emerging from the court of the Ptolemies, the main rivals of the Seleucids. This book makes two key points, both of which challenge the idea that "Alexandrian" literature is coterminous with Hellenistic literature as a whole. First, the book sets out to demonstrate that a distinctly Seleucid strand of writing emerged from the Seleucid court, characterized by shared perspectives and thematic concerns. Second, the book argues that Seleucid literature was significant on the wider Hellenistic stage. Specifically, it aims to show that the works of Seleucid authors influenced and provided counterpoints to writers based in Alexandria, including key figures such as Eratosthenes and Callimachus. For this reason, the literature of the Seleucids is not only interesting in its own right; it also provides an important reference point for further understanding of Hellenistic literature in general. These two points are worked out in four chapters, each focusing on a specific 'moment' in Seleucid history and the corresponding literature: the establishment of the Eastern borders under Seleucus I; the consolidation of a symbolical centre at Babylon; the crisis of the Third Syrian War under Seleucus II; the flourishing literary court of Antiochus III"--

Download or read book Regionalism in Hellenistic and Roman Asia Minor written by Collectif and published by Ausonius Éditions. This book was released on 2019-01-22 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Regions and regionalism have been staples of historical analysis for the Greek world for a very long time. What is meant by a region, however, is not always obvious. The contributions in this volume seek to address the question of defining regions and working out the implications of regionalism along different dimensions of analysis for Asia Minor in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Looking at culture, coinage, political institutions, the papers explore different markers of regional identity, consider ways in which these identities may remain stable or change over time, review the character of the interaction between regional entities and hegemonic powers, and challenge the usefulness in some cases of regional analysis. Questions of ethnicity are also addressed. This volume will be of interest to historians working in Asia Minor and also to anyone concerned with the conceptual questions around regions and regionalism in the Mediterranean world.

Download or read book Ancient Greek Law in the 21st Century written by Paula Perlman and published by University of Texas Press. This book was released on 2018-03-14 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ancient Greeks invented written law. Yet, in contrast to later societies in which law became a professional discipline, the Greeks treated laws as components of social and political history, reflecting the daily realities of managing society. To understand Greek law, then, requires looking into extant legal, forensic, and historical texts for evidence of the law in action. From such study has arisen the field of ancient Greek law as a scholarly discipline within classical studies, a field that has come into its own since the 1970s. This edited volume charts new directions for the study of Greek law in the twenty-first century through contributions from eleven leading scholars. The essays in the book’s first section reassess some of the central debates in the field by looking at questions about the role of law in society, the notion of “contracts,” feuding and revenge in the court system, and legal protections for slaves engaged in commerce. The second section breaks new ground by redefining substantive areas of law such as administrative law and sacred law, as well as by examining sources such as Hellenistic inscriptions that have been comparatively neglected in recent scholarship. The third section evaluates the potential of methodological approaches to the study of Greek law, including comparative studies with other cultures and with modern legal theory. The volume ends with an essay that explores pedagogy and the relevance of teaching Greek law in the twenty-first century.

Download or read book Belonging and Isolation in the Hellenistic World written by Sheila L. Ager and published by University of Toronto Press. This book was released on 2013-01-01 with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Hellenistic period was a time of unprecedented cultural exchange. In the wake of Alexander's conquests, Greeks and Macedonians began to encounter new peoples, new ideas, and new ways of life; consequently, this era is generally considered to have been one of unmatched cosmopolitanism. For many individuals, however, the broadening of horizons brought with it an identity crisis and a sense of being adrift in a world that had undergone a radical structural change. Belonging and Isolation in the Hellenistic World presents essays by leading international scholars who consider how the cosmopolitanism of the Hellenistic age also brought about tensions between individuals and communities, and between the small local community and the mega-community of oikoumene, or 'the inhabited earth.' With a range of social, artistic, economic, political, and literary perspectives, the contributors provide a lively exploration of the tensions and opportunities of life in the Hellenistic Mediterranean.

Download or read book The Hellenistic Stoa written by Andrew Erskine and published by Bloomsbury Academic. This book was released on 1990 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Stoicism, which came to be closely identified with the Roman establishment, began as a radical doctrine. Indeed Zeno, the first Stoic (335-263BC), embarrassed his Roman successors by advocating the abolition of money, private property and marriage. How did this change come about? Dr Erskine pieces together the evidence for early Stoic political thought to examine the transition. He sets the philosophy in its historical context showing how political thought and action interrelate in the process. Chapters discuss Stoic attitudes to slavery, Roman imperialism, property and justice, as well as specific cases of political participation such as in third-century Athenian politics, the Spartan revolution and the land reform programme. There has been increasing interest in Hellenistic philosophy. This is the first book to treat in depth the Stoic attitude to society within the context of its political environment.

Download or read book Greek Gold from Hellenistic Egypt written by Michael Pfrommer and published by Getty Publications. This book was released on 2001 with total page 92 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although much is left to the imagination, the basic facts do come to light, and the facets and surfaces of the Getty's golden treasure enrich us with new understanding."--BOOK JACKET.

Download or read book Spear Won Land written by Andrea M. Berlin and published by University of Wisconsin Press. This book was released on 2019-06-25 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sardis, in western Turkey, was one of the great cities of the Aegean and Near Eastern worlds for almost a millennium—a political keystone with a legendary past. Recent archeological work has revealed how the city was transformed in the century following Alexander’s conquests from a traditional capital to a Greek polis, setting the stage for its blossoming as a Roman urban center. This integrated collection of essays by more than a dozen prominent scholars illuminates a crucial stage, from the early fourth century to 189 BCE, when it became one of the most important political centers of Asia Minor. The contributors to this volume are members of the Hellenistic Sardis Project, a research collaboration between long-standing expedition members and scholars keenly interested in the site. These new discussions on the pre-Roman history of Sardis restore the city in the scholarship of the Hellenistic East and will be enlightening to scholars of classical archaeology.

Download or read book Rhetoric and Innovation in Hellenistic Art written by Kristen Seaman and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2020-04-16 with total page 203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explores how rhetorical techniques helped to produce innovations in art of the Hellenistic courts at Pergamon and Alexandria.

Download or read book God s Court and Courtiers in the Book of the Watchers written by Philip Francis Esler and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2017-11-06 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First Enoch is an ancient Judean work that inaugurated the genre of apocalypse. Chapters 1-36 tell the story of the descent of angels called "Watchers" from heaven to earth to marry human women before the time of the flood, the chaos that ensued, and God's response. They also relate the journeying of the righteous scribe Enoch through the cosmos, guided by angels. Heaven, including the place and those who dwell there (God, the angels, and Enoch), plays a central role in the narrative. But how should heaven be understood? Existing scholarship, which presupposes "Judaism" as the appropriate framework, views the Enochic heaven as reflecting the temple in Jerusalem, with God's house replicating its architecture and the angels and Enoch functioning like priests. Yet recent research shows the Judeans constituted an ethnic group, and this view encourages a fresh examination of 1 Enoch 1-36. The actual model for heaven proves to be a king in his court surrounded by his courtiers. The major textual features are explicable in this perspective, whereas the temple-and-priests model is unconvincing. The author was a member of a nontemple, scribal group in Judea that possessed distinctive astronomical knowledge, promoted Enoch as its exemplar, and was involved in the wider sociopolitical world of their time.

Download or read book Pergamon and the Hellenistic Kingdoms of the Ancient World written by Carlos A. Picón and published by Metropolitan Museum of Art. This book was released on 2016-04-18 with total page 374 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Hellenistic period—the nearly three centuries between the death of Alexander the Great, in 323 B.C., and the suicide of the Egyptian queen Kleopatra VII (the famous "Cleopatra"), in 30 B.C.—is one of the most complex and exciting epochs of ancient Greek art. The unprecedented geographic sweep of Alexander's conquests changed the face of the ancient world forever, forging diverse cultural connections and exposing Greek artists to a host of new influences and artistic styles. This beautifully illustrated volume examines the rich diversity of art forms that arose through the patronage of the royal courts of the Hellenistic kingdoms, placing special emphasis on Pergamon, capital of the Attalid dynasty, which ruled over large parts of Asia Minor. With its long history of German-led excavations, Pergamon provides a superb paradigm of a Hellenistic capital, appointed with important civic institutions—a great library, theater, gymnasium, temples, and healing center—that we recognize today as central features of modern urban life. The military triumphs of Alexander and his successors led to the expansion of Greek culture out from the traditional Greek heartland to the Indus River Valley in the east and as far west as the Strait of Gibraltar. These newly established Hellenistic kingdoms concentrated wealth and power, resulting in an unparalleled burst of creativity in all the arts, from architecture and sculpture to seal engraving and glass production. Pergamon and the Hellenistic Kingdoms of the Ancient World brings together the insights of a team of internationally renowned scholars, who reveal how the art of Classical Greece was transformed during this period, melding with predominantly Eastern cultural traditions to yield new standards and conventions in taste and style.

Download or read book Egypt and the Limits of Hellenism written by Ian S. Moyer and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2011-07-07 with total page 359 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a series of studies, Ian Moyer explores the ancient history and modern historiography of relations between Egypt and Greece from the fifth century BCE to the early Roman empire. Beginning with Herodotus, he analyzes key encounters between Greeks and Egyptian priests, the bearers of Egypt's ancient traditions. Four moments unfold as rich micro-histories of cross-cultural interaction: Herodotus' interviews with priests at Thebes; Manetho's composition of an Egyptian history in Greek; the struggles of Egyptian priests on Delos; and a Greek physician's quest for magic in Egypt. In writing these histories, the author moves beyond Orientalizing representations of the Other and colonial metanarratives of the civilizing process to reveal interactions between Greeks and Egyptians as transactional processes in which the traditions, discourses and pragmatic interests of both sides shaped the outcome. The result is a dialogical history of cultural and intellectual exchanges between the great civilizations of Greece and Egypt.