Recent scholars have analysed ways in which authors of the Roman era appropriated the figure of ... more Recent scholars have analysed ways in which authors of the Roman era appropriated the figure of Alexander the Great. The essays in this collection, by an international team of scholars, cast a wider net. They show how classical Greek, hellenistic and Roman authors reinterpreted, sometimes misinterpreted, information on ancient Macedonians to serve their own literary and political aims. Although Roman ideas pervade the historiographical tradition, this volume shows that the manipulation of ancient Macedonian history largely occurred much earlier. It reflected the complicated dynastic politics of the Argead royal house, the efforts of Alexander himself to redefine Macedonian kingship, and the competing strategies of the Successors to claim his legacy. Facing the complexity of the source tradition about the ancient Macedonians yields a richer and more balanced reflection of both the history and the historiography of this important and controversial people.
As the founder of the longest-lasting of all the Hellenistic kingdoms, not only was Ptolemy I an ... more As the founder of the longest-lasting of all the Hellenistic kingdoms, not only was Ptolemy I an able soldier and ruler, he was also an historian and, in Egyptian eyes, a living god. His own inclination and experience facilitated continuous acts of self-creation in a variety of forms, whether literary, dynastic, artistic, or political. The chapters in this book, written by field experts in numismatics, gender, warfare, historiography, Egyptology and religion, examine the many ways in which Alexander the Great's most successful Successor consciously made his own legacy.
The Argead Empire of Ancient Macedon had an interesting and fascinating history long before its r... more The Argead Empire of Ancient Macedon had an interesting and fascinating history long before its rise under Philip II and his son Alexander III (the Great). This volume offers an account of the place of Argead Macedonia in the context of its regal, structural, historical, courtly and military traditions in the literary, epigraphic and archaeological sources from the sixth century BCE to the second century CE. The volume is divided into four sections: Argead relations with Achaemenid Persia, political and military matters, coinage, dynastic profile and reception.
As the essays in this collection show, ancient historiography balanced the reporting of facts wit... more As the essays in this collection show, ancient historiography balanced the reporting of facts with shaping and guiding the political interests and behaviours of its audience. Each author, in his day, responded to an ever-evolving contemporary need to see the past in light of present circumstances. Over time, historians became increasingly conscious of the fact that they wrote to show contemporaries what past events justified the present status of this or that place; what heroic or semi-divine lineage gave legitimacy to this or that noble family; and what actions led to a great men’s (and great empire’s) triumphs and tragedies. As Thucydides argues (1.22.4), historiographers wrote history to serve as an aid to judgement (ὠφέλιμα κρίνειν), so that contemporaries could develop the ability to make informed decisions regarding imminent events based on an authoritative understanding of the past.
The essays in this collection examine the historical context about which the ancient historians wrote while at the same time attending to the clues that linked historiographic texts to contemporary concerns. Written by field experts, each chapter sifts through historical literature from the Achaemenid, Athenian, Macedonian and Roman ‘empires’ to tease out context, identify elements of cultural meaning, and deconstruct traditional literary topoi and later interpolation in order to gnaw at the historical kernels underlying them and thereby make sense of the way events and the accounts of those events interact. In this way, attention is given both to the genre and to the context of history-writing in the ancient world.
The ancient Greco-Roman sources on the history of Alexander III and the Successors contain numero... more The ancient Greco-Roman sources on the history of Alexander III and the Successors contain numerous episodes on diverse forms of Macedonian violence. Viewed from a mocking, moralistic perspective, the Macedonians served as a distorted mirror in which Greeks and Romans asserted their identities. The theme of Macedonian violence was also present in Greek comedy. This volume explores four case studies aiming at the deconstruction of these Greco-Roman topoi. The articles examine images of the Macedonians, Alexander, and Demetrius Poliorcetes analyzing the dimensions and expressions of Greco-Roman bias and its socio-political background.
Traders in the Ancient Mediterranean takes a diachronic view of the Mediterranean trader from the... more Traders in the Ancient Mediterranean takes a diachronic view of the Mediterranean trader from the Late Bronze Age through the Roman Imperial period, in an attempt to identify individual behavior and economic choice. The five scholars whose work is presented here, cunningly map ancient trading behavior and in so doing offer a framework on which to hang ancient Mediterranean buying, selling, and transporting of goods.
Greece, Macedon and Persia contains papers related to the history and historiography of warfare, ... more Greece, Macedon and Persia contains papers related to the history and historiography of warfare, political relationships, and power in the Ancient Mediterranean. The contributions, written by 20 international scholars from a variety of methodological and evidentiary perspectives, explore how ancient peoples used war and violence. Alexander the Great and his Successors provide the central themes, but among the other topics explored are Darius the Great’s usurpation of the Persian throne, the Greco-Persian Wars, the failed Athenian expedition to Sicily, and the Macedonian cult of the dead. Some of Alexander and his father Philip’s military strategies are also scrutinized, as are the sources that record those strategies. Finally, part of the collection focuses on Alexander’s legacy, analyzing the conqueror’s influence on diplomacy, military strategy and even dynastic marriage. The result is a rich understanding of ancient history and the place of war within it from the 6th to the 2nd century BCE, from the Persian to the Roman Empires. Presented in honour of Waldemar Heckel, a foremost scholar of Alexander the Great and ancient warfare, the papers reflect his wide range of interests from prosopography to military strategy.
Macedonian Legacies contains a collection of papers related to the history and historiography of ... more Macedonian Legacies contains a collection of papers related to the history and historiography of Ancient Macedonia. The contributions, written by 13 international scholars from a variety of methodological and evidentiary perspectives, explore how the ancient Macedonians lived, fought, and commemorated their accomplishments. Alexander the Great and his Successors provide the central themes, but among the other topics explored are the natural environment, sport and athletics, and religion. The result is a rich understanding of Ancient Macedonian history and the place of war within it from the 5th to the 2nd century BCE.
This book is a discussion about land use, especially politicized land non-use, and attempts to an... more This book is a discussion about land use, especially politicized land non-use, and attempts to answer three questions: (1) why did wealthy (and even some non-wealthy) people in a dry, mountainous region like Greece prioritize the production of animals to such a degree that they removed their best land from cereal or other food cultivation; (2) how did these people justify taking essential land away from food production in order to raise non-food animals such as horses; and (3) how did these choices about land affect those individuals directly and not directly involved in animal production?
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Books by Tim Howe
The essays in this collection examine the historical context about which the ancient historians wrote while at the same time attending to the clues that linked historiographic texts to contemporary concerns. Written by field experts, each chapter sifts through historical literature from the Achaemenid, Athenian, Macedonian and Roman ‘empires’ to tease out context, identify elements of cultural meaning, and deconstruct traditional literary topoi and later interpolation in order to gnaw at the historical kernels underlying them and thereby make sense of the way events and the accounts of those events interact. In this way, attention is given both to the genre and to the context of history-writing in the ancient world.