Courts and Elites in the Hellenistic Empires: The Near East After the Achaemenids, C. 330 to 30 Bce (Edinburgh Studies in Ancient P) - Softcover

Rolf Strootman

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1474474802 ISBN 13: 9781474474801

Publisher: Edinburgh University Press, 2020

Synopsis

The first complete study of royal courts in the post-Achaemenid Near East. 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. 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. Covers topics such as palace architecture, royal women, court ceremonial, and coronation ritual.

About this title

About the Author

Rolf Strootman graduated in ancient history and archaeology at the University of Leiden. In 2007 he received his PhD for a study of court culture in the Hellenistic period. He is currently a lecturer at the History Department of the University of Utrecht. His research and teaching focus on empire, monarchical ritual and cultural encounters in the Near East, Iran and Central Asia, and on modern western perceptions of the Middle East.

From the Back Cover

'Rolf Strootman tells the fascinating story of the Hellenistic Near East as seen through the eyes of those in power. Theoretically informed and brilliantly written, this is a masterly biography of a political institution.' Michael Sommer, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg The first complete study of royal courts in the Hellenistic Near East 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 to 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 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, this book shows how the Macedonian dynastic courts were instrumental in the integration of local elites in the Hellenistic 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. Rolf Strootman is Associate Professor of Ancient History at the University of Utrecht. Cover image: Antiochos I of Kommagene shaking hands with Herakles (detail). First-century BCE relief from Arsameia (c) Klaus-Peter Simon/Wikimedia Commons. Cover design: [EUP logo] www.euppublishing.com

Edition details

• Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
• Publication date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1474474802
• ISBN 13: 9781474474801
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 344