Hellenistic Greece

Healing centres (asklepieia) in ancient Greece (ca. 500-200 BC) were mainly located well outside densely populated areas such as urban centres and major sanctuaries. The question is why this should be the case. Another research question is whether people travelled to these centres because they specialised in healing particular ailments. From the analysis of votive inscriptions and anatomical votive reliefs it may be concluded that Epidaurus specialised in treating blindness and mental problems, drawing patients from all over Greece; Corinth specialised in curing limbs (mainly hands) female breasts and male genitals; and Athens specialised in curing disorders affecting the torso, eyes and legs. Hence, it is seems that people indeed travelled to specific healing centres in hopes of more effective healing, selecting a healing centre specialised in treating the relevant part of the anatomy.

The much shorter Archaiologikon Deltion for the single year of 2005 invariably offers far fewer reports on the work of the Archaeological Service than the four-year volume with which we were presented last year. This, in itself, is no bad thing, although the geographical and chronological balance generated by such a large dataset is notable by its absence. This unevenness is, as ever, partially offset by the publication of fieldwork, although certain areas maintain a far more visible archaeological presence than others. This is particularly true for the northeastern Peloponnese, which has, in recent years, been the recipient of an almost unparalleled focus of both research and rescue excavation; a fact reflected in the significant contribution made to this year's report by the edited proceedings of the conference The Corinthia and the Northeast Peloponnese: Topography and History from Prehistoric Times until the End of Antiquity (Kissas and Niemeier 2013). A total of 56 individual papers provide details on sites that range in date from the Neolithic to the Byzantine period. A great strength of this collection lies in the contribution of so many current and former staff of the Archaeological Service, and, of the numerous papers that engage directly or indirectly with the archaeology of the Archaic to Roman period, several are discussed in greater depth in the course of this report. A complementary Hesperia supplement detailing the current state of prehistoric and historic research on the Corinthian Isthmus is due to appear before the end of the year (Gebhard and Gregory forthcoming), as is a study of material from Henry Robinson's 1961–1962 excavation in the North Cemetery (Slane forthcoming). The study of religious practice during the Classical period benefits from the publication of the first volume of material from excavations conducted by the Canadian Institute in Greece between 1994 and 2001 in the Sanctuary of Athena at Stymphalos (Schaus 2014a), while the consolidation of synthetic regional studies and individual site reports within Villae Rusticae: Family and Market-oriented Farms in Greece under Roman Rule (Rizakis and Touratsoglou 2013) will no doubt ensure that it becomes a standard text for the study of the rural economy of Roman Greece (see Stewart, this volume).

El presente artículo ofrece al lector el conocimiento y el análisis de aquellas tradiciones elaboradas por diversos autores griegos sobre la fundación de Roma que, por diferentes motivos que también serán abordados, fueron desestimadas en el proceso que condujo a la confección final del mito que tiene lugar en época augústea.

""En Filipo II y el Arte de la Guerra tendremos la oportunidad de conocer en profundidad a uno de los más grandes reyes de la antigua Macedonia. Gracias a su habilidad como estratega, diplomático, político y soldado, heredó un reino pobre, débil y acosado por innumerables enemigos y lo transformó en el más poderoso de toda Grecia.

A lo largo de sus páginas podremos conocer la historia del reino Macedonio, desde sus orígenes míticos hasta la formación de un imperio, de la mano del que, a la postre, se convertiría en el padre del mítico Alejandro Magno y en el forjador de un nuevo ejército que cambiaria el devenir de la guerra en la Antigüedad. Filipo II fue el creador de la falange macedonia, formación que se demostraría como inigualable en el campo de batalla y que reportaría incontables victorias sobre poderosos enemigos, como los ilirios, los tesalios, los tracios, los beocios o los atenienses. Pero no sólo eso, logró integrar en el campo de batalla a la infantería y a la caballería para emplearlos en nuevas formaciones tácticas: armó a sus soldados con las míticas sarissas y apreció como pocos las posibilidades militares que la maquinaria de guerra podía proporcionarle, siendo el mecenas de numerosos avances en este campo. Soñó con conquistar el Imperio persa, cuando ya había logrado lo que nadie antes fue capaz: el control de Grecia.

Sólo la muerte le arrebató esa hazaña, pero sentó las bases de lo que más tarde conseguiría su propio hijo. Su figura levantó tanto odios como pasiones; se le conocía como mujeriego y bebedor, pero también por su habilidad para la oratoria, por sus astucia, determinación y valor. Siempre luchó en primera línea junto a sus soldados y nunca permitió que éstos le llamaran rey, sino solo "General".

La desigual distribución de la riqueza bajo las condiciones actuales del capitalismo es, como bien se sabe, el eje sobre el que Piketty ha centrado su atención; asimismo, forma parte de sus reflexiones el posible rol del estado, a través de los sistemas de tributación, como modo de in-tervenir en la distribución y atenuar el impacto de la desigualdad, incluso de propender a cierta igualación. No son sus respuestas concretas sino los interrogantes y los aspectos conceptuales a veces subyacentes en las respuestas mismas, los que aquí abordamos, en la medida en que nos convocan a reflexionar sobre la especificidad de la Atenas del siglo IV a.C. a partir de cuestiones que no dejan de remitir a la situación presente. Como en muchos otros aspectos de la Grecia antigua, las estimaciones acerca de cuán igualitarias o desiguales fueron las póleis según la distribución de la riqueza han conducido a que, sobre la misma base documental, unos las hayan considerado sociedades relativamente igualitarias, mientras que otros las han percibido como sociedades desiguales. En este contexto, la distribución de la riqueza y la eva-luación del grado de igualdad o desigualdad en la Atenas del siglo IV han encontrado un lugar privilegiado entre los intereses de los especialistas, debido a la conjunción de los datos disponibles sobre población y riqueza y a cierto nivel de consenso dentro de la comunidad académica en cuanto a la posibilidad de usar estos números, más de allá de discusiones sobre la interpretación de ciertos datos. Mi objetivo, tras revisar los datos e interpretaciones plan-teadas, es tratar de ensamblar este conjunto para producir un modelo de distribución de la riqueza entre diferentes sectores de la comunidad de ciudadanos atenienses. A partir de esto, se extrae el coeficiente de Gini con la idea de ponderar, dentro de lo que cabe, el grado de desigualdad que implica determinada disposición de los datos, cuando se asumen ciertos puntos de partida. Mi propia percepción a partir de los diferentes argumentos esgrimidos, conforme a los datos ensamblados, me llevará a proponer un modelo de distribución de la riqueza, con el cual voy a configurar un posible cuadro de distribución de la tierra, el elemento más significativo de la riqueza. Finalmente, planteo diversas cuestiones abiertas al debate conforme a los ejes de este evento. Mi perspectiva es que, a pesar de las importantes disparidades, en términos relativos y comparativos no en términos absolutos, claro está, la sociedad ateniense fue relativamente igualitaria.

This course presents a broad survey of historical forces at work over the past 6,000 years, examining the manners in which human societies have organized themselves along categories of race, ethnicity, class, and gender to meet the challenges of the increasing human population and its demands on natural resources: thus, it examines continuity and change in societies over time, in different places, and among various peoples.

Abstract
This article examines the longstanding rivalry of Rome and Parthia, which began as an unintended consequence of Crassus’ decisive defeat at Carrhae in 53 BCE. It synthesizes the accounts and opinions of numerous Graeco-Roman writers from the Augustan Age to late antiquity in order to help illustrate the new and interconnected post-Carrhae world and its legacy. The rivalry of the Romans and Parthians became a primary focus of their foreign policies and drastically expanded their perceptions of the world in which they interacted. Even after the fall of the Parthians to the rebellious Sassanid Persians in the 220s CE, the Romans continued to find their three-century-long rivalry with the Parthians of interest and relevant to the changing world of late antiquity.

This paper dates to my Spring semester at Oxford University in 2019. Due to Alexander's military prowess, intelligence and ability to rule effectively, I believe that he did not himself believe he was a god, but did accept worship as one because it provided him with validity and easy rulership over the East. These beginning conclusions are stated in the final paragraph, but as I have mused over this question further, I believe that more clues and perhaps definitive answers lie within the life of Olympias and her influence over her son. I intend to revisit this topic once I have read the book Olympias by Elizabeth Carney.

O artigo aqui apresentado tem como objetivo uma análise do Imaginário Romano do Oriente no século I E.C.. Pretende-se fazê-la a partir de trechos retirados do texto anônimo intitulado “O Périplo do Mar Eritreu”, o qual narra portos, cidades e povos descritos pelo autor como parte da jornada realizada através desse universo plural que, em sua época, englobava a Costa Leste da África, a Península Arábica e a Índia.

Chapter III (55)

How Roman Arms Came to Conquer the Successors of Alexander (55)

How Much More Successful Was the Roman Legion than the Macedonian Phalanx? (57)

The Best Soldiers versus the Best Formation (59)

Why the Greeks Were Shocked after Rome’s Domination of Macedon (60)

Final Thoughts on the Impact of Alexander on Polybius’ Work (63)

A fully illustrated catalogue of ancient silver vessels and gems, dating to the centuries following Alexander the Great's conquest of Iran and Bactria up to the pre-Islamic era, from The al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait. By Martha L. Carter with contributions from Prudence O. Harper and Pieter Meyers.

Junto con Heródoto y Tucídides, Polibio es considerado actualmente uno de los tres grandes historiadores griegos de la Antigüedad. Desde su reaparición en la Italia renacentista sus Historias han sido consideradas por diversos pensadores modernos como una fuente de inspiración para la reflexión política y filosófica, pero también por los historiadores a partir del siglo XIX como un objeto de estudio muy significativo, en especial, por la calidad de su información sobre la expansión romana por el Mediterráneo entre los siglos III-II a.C. En las últimas dos décadas se ha incrementado el interés historiográfico por la obra de este historiador helenístico tardío. Nuevos abordajes teóricos han contribuido, en efecto, a poner en evidencia la centralidad de su forma narrativa y su marco político-cultural en la construcción discursiva de sentidos específicos para su público. En consonancia con investigaciones recientes, este libro apunta a dilucidar algunos de los vínculos existentes entre los objetivos didácticos, de formación de la élite griega y romana, y la dimensión de la memoria, la identidad y la autorrepresentación del propio historiador aqueo como político. En líneas generales, y contra la tesis de una "romanización" de su pensamiento, se busca contribuir a resituar a Polibio dentro del horizonte político-cultural propiamente helenístico.

Greek artists and architects were important social agents who played significant roles in the social, cultural, and economic life of the ancient Greek world. In Artists and Artistic Production in Ancient Greece, art historians, archaeologists, and historians explore the roles and impacts of artists and craftsmen in ancient Greek society. The contributing authors draw upon artistic, architectural, literary, epigraphical, and historical evidence to discuss a range of artists, architects, artistic media, and regions. They refer to historiography and modern theory, taking stock of the past while offering some new directions for future research. Incorporating a variety of methodological approaches and making use of often-neglected evidence, Artists and Artistic Production in Ancient Greece re-examines many long-held ideas and provides a deeper understanding of particular artists and architects, their works, and their social agency.

Table of Contents

Preface
1. Introduction: Greek artists, yesterday and today/Kristen Seaman
2. The social and educational background of elite Greek artists/Kristen Seaman
3. Portrait of an artist: Euthymides, son of Pollias/Jenifer Neils
4. Kritios and Nesiotes: two revolutionaries in context/Andrew Stewart
5. Craft identity: mosaics in the Hellenistic East/S. Rebecca Martin
6. Artistic choice and constraint on coins/Isabelle A. Pafford
7. Constructing architects: the so-called 'Theseum architect'/Margaret M. Miles
8. Euphranor/Olga Palagia
9. Politics and personality?: the case of Kephisodotos the Younger/Peter Schultz
10. Artists' signatures on archaic Greek vases from Athens/Sarah Bolmarcich and Georgina Muskett
11. Response: reflections on identity, personality, and originality/Jeffrey M. Hurwit

Ancient Greek sculpture in the Aegean is indubitably connected with the existence of marble quarries in many islands, but it is also the result of a more complicated socio-cultural phenomenon. The societies in the Early Archaic Aegean integrated influences from Egypt, the Near East, Asia Minor and Crete, combined them with their rituals and burial customs, the rising position of the individual in the world, and they contributed in a decisive way to the birth of monumental Greek sculpture. Although in the following periods (Classical and Hellenistic) the important political and artistic centres were to be found elsewhere, the islands of the Aegean did not cease to benefit from their preferential place, in the heart of the Greek world and on the crossroad of the commercial and artistic exchanges.

Este libro propone un estudio de la pólis griega indagando los problemas conexos de los orígenes de la ciudad y sus estructuras de funcionamiento, así como los diversos enfoques forjados por los especialistas para dar cuenta de estos aspectos. Se analiza la pólis en el marco general de la historia grecorromana, apelando al modelo de la ciudad antigua, su formación, su funcionamiento político-institucional y sus condiciones agrarias, económicas y sociales. Se estudia asimismo el papel de la aldea, abordando el problema de cuáles son los conceptos más adecuados para interpretar a los labradores helénicos, así como los vínculos entre la aldea y la ciudad y el lugar que la primera pasa a ocupar una vez ocurrido el surgimiento de la pólis. Por último, se indaga la invención de la política y la democracia, dando un encuadre diferente, y a la vez complementario, de la emergencia de la pólis como forma estatal cuyas prácticas se organizan bajo una lógica política.

The letters of the kingss of the Hellenistic period are interesting for
their content and for their language. In both fields they are primary
historical sources. They show the Hellenistic states as they actually
functioned, their administrative and diplomatic dealings wim subjects
and with officials and occasionally with neighbors. They are not the
products of historians writing for posterity and interested according to
their bent in suppressing either the favorable or the unfavorable aspects
of their subject. Their authors were the principals themselves, concerned
of course with presenting thieir actions in a favorable  light but occupied
only with the execution of a particular design. They deal with details
and they are avowedly biased, but their bias cannot extend to obscuration
of the transaction. By showing the administration of details, they
make it possible to see behind the generalities of political historians and
to form a conception of the Hvins conditions wimin the Greco-oriental
kingdoms of the heirs of Alexander.

After the death of Alexander III of Macedon, the Seleucid Empire emerged as one of the most powerful Hellenistic kingdoms of Asia. His huge territorial extension and the various peoples who came under their control necessitated the creation of a mighty army that would ensure their control and help protectit from its enemies.

The finds from Aigai -the city that after a succession of disasters fer into oblivion under the dust of centuries- have not only given back to the royal metropolis its name and identity, they have also enabled us to re-write the history of Macedonia, and more: the discoveries at Aigai document, in the most enthralling way, the ashtonishing evolution of the Macedonians, a conservative tribe with achaic structures which, under the inspired leadership of Philip II and Alexander the Great, became a radical instrument thet change the history of the world. The new ideas and trends that defined thw course of the Hellenistic world over time generated in the environment of Philip II and left priceless traces in thw soil of Aigai.
Thus, the initiative of the John S. Latsis Public Foundation tales on special significance, as this book provides the opportunity -30 years after the fascinating first publication of Manolis Andronicos' discovery of the royal treasures- to present for the first time, to the public and experts alike, all the finds revealed during the enormous task of restoring the palace, to the royal tombs that have come to light just this year (2013). These finds consolidate the picture, confirming the initial identification, while at the same time paving the way for an overall re-assessment of the Macedonians' contribution to Greece and to civilisation.

Throughout history, the Seleucid military might demonstrated
many times its importance for the maintenance, expansion and defense of the Empire. Rarely the Seleucid army was defeated in a campaign and it happened in front of the almighty Rome. After the defeat at Thermopylae and Magnesia, and following the imminent withdrawal must conquer the Ptolemaic Empire, the new king Antiochus IV Epiphanes held a military parade as never been done before, its real purpose is unknown, but the Seleucids showed the world the power that still had the Empire. Through the stories of several classic sources, we can come closer to this event and what
it could entail.

*My honours thesis for undergraduate degree in Classical Archaeology. Originally written in April 2012, re-edited for upload on Academia in April 2017.*
The museum located on the site of the ancient royal tombs at Vergina, currently display inaccurate signs detailing  the occupants of the tombs. This paper examines the literary, archaeological, and osteological evidence to argue that the remains found in Tomb I belong to Philip II and (one of) his young wife, while the famous Tomb II belongs to Arrhidaeus and his wife Eurydice. The osteological evidence shows no reliable evidence of trauma, but shows signs of having undergone a dry cremation. Philip II was cremated and buried immediately after his death. Arrhidaeus on the other hand was only cremated and buried months after his death, giving his body time to decompose, hence the dry bone cremation. The evidence is clear in this matter, and the signs at the museum should reflect this.

Uno dei massimi problemi della filosofia è certamente rappresentato dalla figura dell’uomo nel suo complesso: la sua origine, la sua natura e la sua destinazione. Nel presente lavoro abbiamo voluto prendere in considerazione le risposte date a tali questioni da parte di alcune culture antiche, generalmente considerate pre-filosofiche:  la cultura sumerica, assira, babilonese, ebraica (tenendo conto della sola Bibbia ebraica) e greca (pre-platonica). L’ordine di esposizione delle tematiche è il seguente: i) concezioni della morte e del regno dei morti; ii) concezioni relative alla possibilità di raggiungere una qualche forma di immortalità; iii) concezioni della nascita, o creazione, dell’umanità e del suo scopo, o missione.

This paper traces the transformation of Spartan βασιλεία from constitutionally-bound office to autocratic rule, focusing on the reception of Hellenistic ideas surrounding βασιλεία by three Spartan kings of the Hellenistic period, Areus I (r. 309-265 BCE), Cleomenes III (r. 235-222 BCE), and Nabis (r. 207-192 BCE). The efforts made by these individual kings to assimilate themselves within the Hellenistic paradigm of monarchy shed light on the impact and reach of these new concepts of kingship and legitimate rule.

El origen del nombre EBRO, es un extracto del libro HIJOS DE TITANES • EL SECRETO ÍBERO, en el cual Enrique Cabrejas nos relata de modo llano su experiencia personal con un descubrimiento extraordinario. El 21 de Abril de 2012 consiguió lo que parecía imposible: descifrar la escritura ibérica. Un hito sin precedentes en la historia de la escritura, solo al alcance de los grandes y comparable a los realizados por Champollion al descodificar la escritura jeroglífica egipcia o Michael Ventris con la escritura de Creta. Desde este instante la obra de Enrique Cabrejas lo convierte en un referente destacado a nivel mundial en historia y lingüística. Las innumerables pruebas y significados que nos reporta, antes desconocidos, son una referencia obligada para todos aquellos que quieran comprender la historia, la lengua antigua e, incluso, también la moderna de nuestro país, o para quienes en el futuro deseen estudiarla e investigarla en profundidad, más si cabe desde el mundo académico. Hasta la fecha, el significado de esas enigmáticas escrituras no se conocía, aunque desde la comunidad científica se le dio validez a un origen indiscutible celta. Estas páginas nos revelan qué hay de cierto en todo ello. La transcripción, resuelta de numerosos textos íberos y celtíberos nos sorprende con un desenlace tan inesperado como fascinante que va más allá del descifrado de una lengua antigua. Capaz de responder a las preguntas que se han formulado los historiadores, lingüistas, investigadores y expertos durante décadas y nunca supieron ni acertaron responder: ¿Quiénes fueron los íberos y los celtíberos? ¿Cómo se llamaban? ¿De dónde vinieron? ¿Cómo llegaron? ¿Cuáles fueron sus costumbres? ¿Qué escritura es la ibérica? ¿Cuál es la ancestral y extraordinaria cultura que nos legaron?
HIJOS DE TITANES • EL SECRETO ÍBERO  nos ilumina y nos abre los ojos, no solo para saber quiénes fuimos sino para conocer quiénes somos. Todo está implícito en su escritura y por primera vez ve la luz a través de esta imprescindible publicación.

By investigating the works of Polybius and Livy, we can discuss an important aspect of the impact of Alexander upon the reputation and image of Rome. Because of the subject of their histories and the political atmosphere in which they were writing - these authors, despite their generally positive opinions of Alexander, ultimately created scenarios where they portrayed the Romans as superior to the Macedonian king. This study has five primary goals: to produce a commentary on the various Alexander passages found in Polybius’ and Livy’s histories; to establish the generally positive opinion of Alexander held by these two writers; to illustrate that a noticeable theme of their works is the ongoing comparison between Alexander and Rome; to demonstrate Polybius’ and Livy’s belief in Roman superiority, even over Alexander; and finally to create an understanding of how this motif influences their greater narratives and alters our appreciation of their works.

This article combines historical analysis with international-relations theory to contend that geopolitical developments around the Eastern Mediterranean in the middle third century BCE were indirectly responsible for the emergence of the Parthian state and a new international system of states in the ancient East. Since the death of Alexander the Great, the Seleucid Empire had ruled over much of the East; however, disastrous military conflicts at home and abroad in the West caused a sudden decline of Seleucid power in the 240s-
230s BCE. The troubles of the Seleucid state caused what political scientists call a power-transition crisis that damaged Seleucid hegemony over the East when the Seleucid satraps of Parthia and Bactria declared their independence. Moreover, the deleterious civil wars between Seleucid dynasts in the West and the rebellions of eastern satraps encouraged the nomadic Parni tribe from the Central Asian steppe (later known as the Parthians), who had been seeking a new homeland for decades, to invade northeastern Iran and establish a new kingdom. With the Parni’s successful conquest of Parthia and its immediate consequences, a new interstate system of tripolarity between the Seleucid Empire, Bactrian Kingdom, and the newly formed Parthian state emerged in the ancient East.

Abstract: This article explores the battle scene on a small bronze plaque recovered during the excavation of the Great Altar of Pergamon, initially published in 1913 and subsequently lost. It argues that the most likely identification of the scene is the Battle of Magnesia, fought in 190 BC. The scene features Attalid cavalry riding to the rescue of distressed Roman legionaries, both fighting in opposition to Antiochus the Great’s heavy phalanx and Gallic cavalry. The heroics of the Attalid cavalry are central to the scene, and likely reflect a courtly narrative that gave Eumenes II and his small contingent outsized credit for the joint victory.

Demetrius Poliorcetes spent seven years of his turbulent life as the king of Macedonia and the ruler of a large part of Greece. Two sources by the same author, Plutarh of Chaeronea (the biography of Poliorcestes himself and that of his protégé and nemesis, Pyrrhus of Epirus), credit the king with extensive military preparations that allegedly resulted in the creation of one of the largest military and naval forces in the Ancient history. Supposedly, in the final years of his reign, Poliorcetes commanded power that dwarfed that of Philip II and rivaled the strength of Alexander the Great. Strangely, when the actual conflict finally began, these forces suddenly disappear from the narrative. Modern historians, although generally highly skeptical of military and population figures asserted by ancient authors, showed surprising tendency to believe Plutarch’s claims and to build wider theories around them. Thus, the grand army Poliorcetes allegedly built was heavily used as an argument in the debate surrounding the effects of Alexander’s conquest on Macedonia proper, and the demography of Macedonia in the 3rd century BC. Few scholars made  attempts to question these figures, in spite of strong reasons to do so, and in spite of the fact that several ancient sources – including Plutarch’s biographies themselves! – do supply information that directly contradicts these claims. In this paper I claim that the whole story of Poliorcetes’ exceptional military preparations for the alleged reconquest of his father’s Asian Empire, as well as the very size of the supposed army, should be rejected as false, as is already the case with many such episodes in writings of Plutarch.