Seleukid Ideology: Creation, Reception and Response

Description

Seleukid Perspectives explore the largest successor kingdom to Alexander the Great's empire. Seleukid kings established their power on the battlefield but did not rely on coercion alone. They constructed an ideal of kingship to render their authority morally and religiously acceptable. For this, they considered the traditions and sensitivities of their soldiers, subjects, and neighbours, while facing the pretensions of their rivals. What was beneficial or tolerable varied dramatically from one polity to the next. This book examines local influence on and reactions to Seleukid claims by focusing on rituals, discourse, and creative moments in which ideological themes were shaped. Seleukos I (320-281 BCE) closely engaged with the imagery of Alexander and Macedonian rivals, borrowed from Near Eastern traditions, and courted sanctuaries of Apollo. Case studies for his descendants are drawn from Anatolia, Syria, Judaea, Babylonia, and Persia. Praise of the dynasty was more than flattery but part of a process in which subjects actively contributed to perpetuating, modifying, or undermining the royal image. The volume encourages new debates on the complexity and efficacy of Seleukid Ideology. Title Contents Preface of the Series Editors Preface of the Volume Editors List of Figures 1. Richard Wenghofer and Altay Coşkun — Introduction: The Dialectics of Seleukid Ideology Section I: Formation of Seleukid Dynastic Ideology 2. Kyle Erickson — Royal Propaganda and the Creation of Royal Status for Seleukos I 3. Eva Anagnostou-Laoutides — The King-Ship of the Seleukids: An Alternative Paradigm for the Anchor Symbol 4. Altay Coşkun — The First Seleukid Benefactions in Miletos and the Creation of a Dynastic Ideology Section II: Enacting Seleukid Kingship 5. Babett Edelmann-Singer — Material Culture, Ritual Performance, and Seleukid Rule: Antiochos IV and the Procession at Daphne in 166 BCE 6. Stephen Harrison — Antiochos at Daphne and Xerxes at Sardeis: A Comparative Perspective on the Seleukid Vision of Empire 7. Rolf Strootman — Ritual Mutilation and the Construction of Treason: The Execution of Molon and Achaios by Antiochos III 8. Benjamin E. Scolnic — Second-Hand Propaganda: Polybios and Zeno on the Role of Antiochos IV at the Battle of Panion Section III: Resisting Seleukid Royal Authority 9. Deirdre Klokow — Connectivity and Rural Spaces in the Seleukid Empire 10. Gillian Ramsey — Rebel Poleis: The Politics of Anti-Seleukid Violence Section IV: Reframing Seleukid Ideology 11. Germain Payen — Le royaume artaxiade dans l’Empire séleucide: de dominé à dominant 12. Benjamin E. Scolnic — Śar Wars – How a Judaean Author in the 160’s BCE Transformed a Ptolemaic View of Hellenistic History into a Theology for His Time 13. Eran Almagor — “To All Parts of the Kingdom”: The Book of Esther as a Seleukid Text Section V: Re-Assessing Seleukid Ideology 14. Richard Wenghofer — Diplomatic Resistance to Seleukid Hegemony 15. Altay Coşkun — The Efficacy of Ideological Discourse: Loyalty to the Seleukid Dynasty in Babylonia, Judaea, and Asia Minor About the Authors Index of Names Index of Sources