Kingship Flashcards
What was the basic structure of the administration in a Hell kingdom?
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
What was a key source of income for Hell kingdoms?
taxes
What was the twofold relationship kings had w art in Hell period?
subjects and patrons of art
Signif of Alexander mosaic?
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
When was Alexander mosaic made? Where displayed?
c100 BCE (likely a copy of a 4th cent original)
House of the Faun, Pompeii
When was the Boscoreale ‘spear-won land’ fresco made? Displayed where?
c50 BCE (likely a copy of c300 BCE original)
Villa of P Fannius Synistor, Boscoreale
Origins of the spear-won land idea?
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)
What was the basic formula for king portraits as set by AtG?
youthful
clean shaven
anastole (and tousled hair)
bit later (early 3rd cent) - diadem
What became more common as Hellenistic royal portraits developed? Example?
m numerous divinising attributes
Ptolemy III Euergetes’ coin portraits w radiate crown
What meaning did nudity carry for portraits of kings?
enabled athleticism to be exposed which was a means of expressing military and political power
In what kind of spaces were king portraits displayed?
public civic spaces
sanctuaries
What was crucial feature of Macedonian royal cities?
palace / palatial complex
What were 3 key themes of Macedonian great tombs’ paintings/iconography?
hunting
fighting
drinking
What was a key change in the way in which leaders (now kings) were represented in the Hellenistic period?
they were represented as divine
What ruler cult precedents were there for Hell period? Example?
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’
What is the problem that prolongs the debate as to lifetime cult of Phillip II?
lacking evidence which makes the matter difficult to prove/disprove
What is the main bit of evidence attesting to worship of Phillip II as divine? Sources?
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.
What were the divine characteristics of AtG? Caveat?
-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
What were the two kinds of cult that could worship an hell king/leader?
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.
What were the four ways in which a king could achieve divine status/divinity?
-divine descent
-deified parents
-divinity of Alexander and links to him
-getting initial ‘godlike honours’
What Antiogonid king ruler cult evidence is there at Skepsis (A Minor)?
Demetrius I Poliorcetes honoured w altar, cult image, sacrifices, and festival
What did Athens do to honour Demetrius I Poliorcetes?
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
What were the advantages for Antigonids of ruler cult?
greater cultural links with Gs which better validated their power as a Macedonian originating kingdom
What Hell kingdom has the most evidence of royal cult?
Ptolemaic
Example of civic cult for Ptolemies?
Rhodes honoured Ptolemy I for his liberation of the island from Demetrius Pol with a cult
What did Ptolemaic state do in terms of building up a dynastic cult?
-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
What was unique about the ruler cult indivs under the Ptols?
women played a massive part of the cult and were worshipped to a great degree
What form did Seleukid royal cult take?
largely civic cult
Evidence of civic cult for Seleukids?
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.
Which king appears to have been first living Seleukid king w cult? Signif?
Antiochus III from 193 BCE
late in context of other dynasties and their cults - this was STATE CULT
In what ways did royal benefaction benefit the recipient poleis?
aesthetics of urban environment
monetary provision on a level city could never achieve by itself
recognition from king, boost rep among other poleis
In what ways did royal benefaction benefit the king/dynasty involved?
‘investment in loyalty’ idea
good way to compete w other kings
strengthens rep amongst subjects
Who were the philoi that surrounded the Hellenistic kings?
close friends/supporters who provided advice, did errands, went on embassies, and sat in council on important matters for/with the king
What is an example of the use of the philoi by a Hellenistic king? Caveat?
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.
What are the professions taht may be found in hellenistic court?
doctors
philosophers
artists
writers
scholars
What changed about the philoi in later Hell period?
legitimacy concerns made the structure of the philoi more hierachial and competitive
likely function of Nike of Samothrace? Context?
royal benefaction commemorating unknown victory
Samothrace = important arena for patronage of Antigonids and Ptolemies
When are most royal statues from? Why?
earlier Hellenistic period
both bias in roman copy record and fewer statues being put up later
Where has been found the most surviving royal portraits?
egypt and cyrene
What are problems with accessing seleukid honorific statues IF they existed in same numbers as elsewhere?
later building and settlement on the seleukid capitals
