Hellenism and the Local Communities of the Eastern Mediterranean

400 BCE-250 CE

Edited by Boris Chrubasik and Daniel King

Re-introduces Greek culture as an important element in the study of the region and period in question, offering a new perspective on the relationship between Greek and non-Greek communities
Transcends the traditional boundaries of the 'Hellenistic period', questioning orthodox views on defining historical and cultural periods and inviting future debate
Utilizes a multi-disciplinary approach, bringing together cutting edge contributions from political and cultural historians, Hellenists, Assyriologists, and papyrologists

Hellenism and the Local Communities of the Eastern Mediterranean

400 BCE-250 CE

Edited by Boris Chrubasik and Daniel King

Description

Hellenism and the Local Communities of the Eastern Mediterranean offers a timely re-examination of the relationship between Greek and non-Greek cultures in this region between 400 BCE and 250 CE. The conquests of Alexander the Great and his Successors not only radically reshaped the political landscape, but also significantly accelerated cultural change: in recent decades there has been an important historiographical emphasis on the study of the non-Greek cultures of the Eastern Mediterranean, but less focus on how Greek cultural elements became increasingly visible. Although the process of cross-cultural interaction differed greatly across Asia Minor, Egypt, the Levant, and Mesopotamia, the same overarching questions apply: why did the non-Greek communities of the Eastern Mediterranean engage so closely with Greek cultural forms as well as political practices, and how did this engagement translate into their daily lives? In exploring the versatility and adaptability of Greek political structures, such as the polis, and the ways in which Greek and non-Greek cultures interacted in fields such as medicine, literature, and art, the essays in this volume aim to provide new insight into these questions. At the same time, they prompt a re-interrogation of the process of Hellenization, exploring whether it is still a useful concept for explaining and understanding the dynamics of cultural exchange in the Eastern Mediterranean of this period.

Hellenism and the Local Communities of the Eastern Mediterranean

400 BCE-250 CE

Edited by Boris Chrubasik and Daniel King

Frontmatter
List of Illustrations
List of Tables
List of Abbreviations
Notes on Contributors
1. Hellenisma An Introduction
2. The Greek Impact in Asia Minor 400 250 BCE, Stephen Mitchell
3. Trajectories of Hellenism at Tadmor-Palmyra and Dura-Europos, Ted Kaizer
4. The Polis of Babylon: An Historiographical Approach, Philippe Clancier
5. From Pre-Makkabaean Judaea to Hekatomnid Karia and Back Again: The Question of Hellenization, Boris Chrubasik
6. Converging Perspectives on Antiochos III, Johannes Haubold
7. Greek and Egyptian Associations in Egypt: Fact or Fictiona
8. Text and Wisdom in the Letter of Aristeas, Myrto Hatzimichali
9. Medicine between Cultures in the Hellenistic Fayum, Daniel King
Endmatter
Bibliography
Index

Hellenism and the Local Communities of the Eastern Mediterranean

400 BCE-250 CE

Edited by Boris Chrubasik and Daniel King

Author Information

Boris Chrubasik, Assistant Professor in Historical Studies and Classics, University of Toronto,Daniel King, Leventis Lecturer in the Impact of Greek Culture, University of Exeter

Boris Chrubasik is an ancient historian with a particular interest in the history of the Eastern Mediterranean from the Achaemenid to the early Roman periods. He is Assistant Professor in Historical Studies and Classics at the University of Toronto and author of Kings and Usurpers in the Seleukid Empire: The Men who would be King (OUP, 2016).

Daniel King is the Leventis Lecturer in the Impact of Greek Culture at the University of Exeter. His research interests focus particularly on questions of cultural interaction in antiquity and the modern world, as well as on aspects of imperial Greek culture, such as its literary history and the representation of the body. His monograph, Experiencing Pain in Imperial Greek Culture, is forthcoming from Oxford University Press.

Contributors:

Boris Chrubasik, Assistant Professor in Historical Studies and Classics at the University of Toronto
Philippe Clancier, Maître de conférences at Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne
Myrto Hatzimichali, Lecturer in Classics at the University of Cambridge
Johannes Haubold, Professor of Greek at Durham University
Ted Kaizer, Reader in Roman Culture and History at Durham University
Daniel King, Leventis Lecturer in the Impact of Greek Culture at the University of Exeter
Stephen Mitchell, Emeritus Leverhulme Professor of Hellenistic Culture at the University of Exeter
Mario C. D. Paganini, Researcher at the Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften

Hellenism and the Local Communities of the Eastern Mediterranean

400 BCE-250 CE

Edited by Boris Chrubasik and Daniel King

Reviews and Awards

"... the scholarship displayed in the contributions is solid and the wide scope of discussed topics will find interested readers in the disciplines studying Classical and Near Eastern antiquity." --Peter Talloen, Bryn Mawr Classical Review