Creating a Hellenistic World

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.

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.

1. The First Hellenistic ManRobin Lane Fox 2. The Koine. A New Language for a New WorldStephen Colvin 3. The Letter of AristeasRichard Hunter 4. The Silver Shields, Eumenes, and Their HistorianJoseph Roisman 5. From Satrapy to Hellenistic Kingdom: the case of EgyptAlan B. Lloyd 6. Frataraka Rule in Seleucid Persis: a New AppraisalJosef Wiesehofer 7. Early Hellenistic Rhodes: the Struggle for Independence and the Dream of HegemonyHans-Ulrich Wiemer 8. The Significance of Plataia for Greek Eleutheria in the Early Hellenistic PeriodShane Wallace 9. Between Philosophy and the Court: the Life of Persaios of KitionAndrew Erskine 10. Being Royal and Female in the Early Hellenistic PeriodElizabeth Carney 11. How to Marry a Courtesan in the Macedonian CourtsDaniel Ogden 12. A Key to Berenike's Lock? The Hathoric Model of Queenship in Early Ptolemaic EgyptLloyd Llewellyn-Jones and Stephanie Winder 13. Against leptotes: Rethinking Hellenistic AestheticsJames I. Porter 14. Style, Continuity and the Hellenistic BaroquePeter Schultz