Aegean Interactions: Delos and its Networks in the Third Century

Description

The third century BC was a particularly troubled period of ancient Greek history, when the Aegean sea became the main stage for power struggles between various royal circles and dynasties, including the Antigonids and the Ptolemies. This volume addresses the history of interaction in the Aegean world during this time by focusing on the island of Delos, which housed one of its most important regional sanctuaries. It draws on contemporary network theory and approaches to regionalism, as well as thorough investigation of the Delian epigraphic and material evidence, to explore how and to what degree the islands of the southern Aegean formed active networks of political, religious, and cultural interaction. Four case studies examine different types of networks on and around Delos, covering the federal organisation of islands into the so-called 'Islanders' League', the participation of Delian and other agents in the processes of monumentalisation of the Delian landscape, the network of honours of the Delian community, and the social dynamics of dedication through the record of dedicants in the Delian inventories. They reveal not only that these kinds of regional interaction in the southern Aegean were pervasive, but also that they had a significant impact on the creation of a regional identity; one that persisted despite the political changes of the age. Cover Aegean Interactions: Delos and its Networks in the Third Century Copyright Dedication Acknowledgements Contents List of Figures List of Tables List of Abbreviations Note to the Reader 1: Introduction: Delos, its Networks, Regionalism, and the Aegean World 1.1. Delians, the Parasites of the God 1.2. Delos, its History, and Historiography 1.3. Networks, Regionalism, and the Economy 1.4. Aegean Interactions 2: The Politics of Connectivity: A History of the Islanders´ League 2.1. Introduction 2.2. Evidence, Dates, Structure, Membership 2.3. Agency, Negotiation of Power, and Expression of Identity 2.4. Conclusions 3: Building, Investing, and Displaying on Delos: A History of Third- and Second-Century Monumentalization 3.1. Introduction 3.2. Delian Civic Building Activity 3.3. Delian Religious Building Activity 3.4. Private Initiative 3.5. Royal Investment 3.6. Conclusions: Monumentalization, Funding, and Control of Space 4: Proxenies, Statues, Crowns: The Delian Network of Honours 4.1. Introduction: Honours, Publication, and Audience 4.2. Proxeny Decrees: Format, Language, Familial Relations, Associated Honours, and Proposers 4.3. The Reasoning for Honours and the Activities of Honorands 4.4. The Delian Network of Honours 4.5. Conclusion 5: The Social Dynamics of Dedication: The Delian Inventories of the Third Century BC 5.1. Introduction 5.2. The Delian Inventories 5.3. Some Problems 5.4. Inventories and Ancient History 5.5. Communities of Worship 5.6. Methodology 5.7. Gender Dynamics 5.8. Individual Dedications Versus Community/Collective Dedications 5.9. Delians and Non-Delians: the Geography of Distance for the Delian Network of Dedicants 5.10. Status Dynamics: Elite and Non-Elite Dedicants in the Inventories 5.11. Conclusions 6: Conclusions Appendices APPENDIX 1: Honours Given to Individuals in Decrees of the Delian Demos and Boule APPENDIX 2: Honours Given by the Delians to Individuals, Evidenced Through the Inscriptions of Dedications of Statues and Exedras APPENDIX 3: Honours to Individuals Awarded by the Delians: Mentioned in the Delian Accounts (largely based on Baslez and Vial 1987, esp. 282) and Elsewhere APPENDIX 4: The Geographic Spread of Delian Honours: A List of Toponyms Associated with the Ethnic Names of Honorands APPENDIX 5: Dedicants Recorded in the Delian Inventories in the Period 314–200 BC (IG XI.2 137 to ID 372) Bibliography General Index Index of Places Index of Sources