Kingship

Question 1

What was the basic structure of the administration in a Hell kingdom?

Answer 1

King had ultimate power and worked with his court of philoi - administrators and officials - many of whom were governors of their own regions/local areas

Question 2

What was a key source of income for Hell kingdoms?

Answer 2

taxes

Question 3

What was the twofold relationship kings had w art in Hell period?

Answer 3

subjects and patrons of art

Question 4

Signif of Alexander mosaic?

Answer 4

evidence of military details e.g. armour and weaponry
action is v purposeful and choreographed
‘right-hand man’ to Alex could have been an inclusion by a king/dynast patron emphasising role in a combat

Question 5

When was Alexander mosaic made? Where displayed?

Answer 5

c100 BCE (likely a copy of a 4th cent original)
House of the Faun, Pompeii

Question 6

When was the Boscoreale ‘spear-won land’ fresco made? Displayed where?

Answer 6

c50 BCE (likely a copy of c300 BCE original)
Villa of P Fannius Synistor, Boscoreale

Question 7

Origins of the spear-won land idea?

Answer 7

Macedonian idea, acted out by AtG especially in 334 when he took on Asia and was said to have thrown spear onto shore from hull of a boat and claimed ‘he received Asia from the Gods as land won by the spear’ (Diod.Sic)

Question 8

What was the basic formula for king portraits as set by AtG?

Answer 8

youthful
clean shaven
anastole (and tousled hair)
bit later (early 3rd cent) - diadem

Question 9

What became more common as Hellenistic royal portraits developed? Example?

Answer 9

m numerous divinising attributes
Ptolemy III Euergetes’ coin portraits w radiate crown

Question 10

What meaning did nudity carry for portraits of kings?

Answer 10

enabled athleticism to be exposed which was a means of expressing military and political power

Question 11

In what kind of spaces were king portraits displayed?

Answer 11

public civic spaces
sanctuaries

Question 12

What was crucial feature of Macedonian royal cities?

Answer 12

palace / palatial complex

Question 13

What were 3 key themes of Macedonian great tombs’ paintings/iconography?

Answer 13

hunting
fighting
drinking

Question 14

What was a key change in the way in which leaders (now kings) were represented in the Hellenistic period?

Answer 14

they were represented as divine

Question 15

What ruler cult precedents were there for Hell period? Example?

Answer 15

posthumous honours for mortal individuals as divine beings
Lysander: erection of altars, sacrifices to him ‘as a god’, the singing of paeans and the re-naming of the Heraea the ‘Lysandreion’

Question 16

What is the problem that prolongs the debate as to lifetime cult of Phillip II?

Answer 16

lacking evidence which makes the matter difficult to prove/disprove

Question 17

What is the main bit of evidence attesting to worship of Phillip II as divine? Sources?

Answer 17

Phillip II’s own procession, ordered for celebration of his daughter’s marriage, in which a statue of himself was displayed amongst ones of the 12 gods.
Diodorus Siculus = main sources; later authors claim it was Alexander who was displayed in this capacity, but this is likely confusion caused by later displays by AtG.

Question 18

What were the divine characteristics of AtG? Caveat?

Answer 18

-Claims of descendance from Herakles.
-Later regarded as Zeus Ammon’s son.
These did not make AtG himself divine but rather more than a mortal

Question 19

What were the two kinds of cult that could worship an hell king/leader?

Answer 19

civic cult - cities offering divine honours; long tradition in graeco-maced culture; often in thanks for military action, benefaction etc; most common.
royally organised - dynasties have set up cult that is then administered by state priests; only a few kingdoms engaged; mostly a G phenom; two elements - worship of deceased kings and worship of living ruler.

Question 20

What were the four ways in which a king could achieve divine status/divinity?

Answer 20

-divine descent
-deified parents
-divinity of Alexander and links to him
-getting initial ‘godlike honours’

Question 21

What Antiogonid king ruler cult evidence is there at Skepsis (A Minor)?

Answer 21

Demetrius I Poliorcetes honoured w altar, cult image, sacrifices, and festival

Question 22

What did Athens do to honour Demetrius I Poliorcetes?

Answer 22

honoured him as the ‘saviour-god’ after he had defeated Ptolemy I and Demetrius of Phalerum who had been in control of the city; made dedications to him

Question 23

What were the advantages for Antigonids of ruler cult?

Answer 23

greater cultural links with Gs which better validated their power as a Macedonian originating kingdom

Question 24

What Hell kingdom has the most evidence of royal cult?

Answer 24

Ptolemaic

Question 25

Example of civic cult for Ptolemies?

Answer 25

Rhodes honoured Ptolemy I for his liberation of the island from Demetrius Pol with a cult

Question 26

What did Ptolemaic state do in terms of building up a dynastic cult?

Answer 26

-AtG deified under Ptol I
-Ptol I and wife deified by Ptol II
-Ptol II and wife then have a cult, est in his own reign
-Ptolemaia festival, administered by large network of state priests
-Arsinoe II shares temples w egyptian deities

Question 27

What was unique about the ruler cult indivs under the Ptols?

Answer 27

women played a massive part of the cult and were worshipped to a great degree

Question 28

What form did Seleukid royal cult take?

Answer 28

largely civic cult

Question 29

Evidence of civic cult for Seleukids?

Answer 29

Babylonian evidence (Akkadian text) for a ritual on behalf of King Seleucus at Esagil temple - although lack of understanding for this non-g cult environment muddies the waters for extent of this worship.
Aphrodisias cult set up under satrap Anaximbrotos.
Preists appointed for worship of Sel kings in Seleucia in Pieria.

Question 30

Which king appears to have been first living Seleukid king w cult? Signif?

Answer 30

Antiochus III from 193 BCE
late in context of other dynasties and their cults - this was STATE CULT

Question 31

In what ways did royal benefaction benefit the recipient poleis?

Answer 31

aesthetics of urban environment
monetary provision on a level city could never achieve by itself
recognition from king, boost rep among other poleis

Question 32

In what ways did royal benefaction benefit the king/dynasty involved?

Answer 32

‘investment in loyalty’ idea
good way to compete w other kings
strengthens rep amongst subjects

Question 33

Who were the philoi that surrounded the Hellenistic kings?

Answer 33

close friends/supporters who provided advice, did errands, went on embassies, and sat in council on important matters for/with the king

Question 34

What is an example of the use of the philoi by a Hellenistic king? Caveat?

Answer 34

letter of attalus II to priest Attis, 159/8 B.C.
refers to discussing with non-royals; Chloros = most vocal and eventually appears to have convinced the king of his point
This may have been a shift of blame BUT it would have had to be beliveable to be used thus likely that the philoi had this considerable level of influence.

Question 35

What are the professions taht may be found in hellenistic court?

Answer 35

doctors
philosophers
artists
writers
scholars

Question 36

What changed about the philoi in later Hell period?

Answer 36

legitimacy concerns made the structure of the philoi more hierachial and competitive

Question 37

likely function of Nike of Samothrace? Context?

Answer 37

royal benefaction commemorating unknown victory
Samothrace = important arena for patronage of Antigonids and Ptolemies

Question 38

When are most royal statues from? Why?

Answer 38

earlier Hellenistic period
both bias in roman copy record and fewer statues being put up later

Question 39

Where has been found the most surviving royal portraits?

Answer 39

egypt and cyrene

Question 40

What are problems with accessing seleukid honorific statues IF they existed in same numbers as elsewhere?

Answer 40

later building and settlement on the seleukid capitals