+612 9045 4394
Hardcover
Published: 1st May 2000
ISBN: 9780198152194
Number Of Pages: 424
This work examines a test case for the relationship between the polis and the Hellenistic empire focusing specifically on the interaction between Antiochus III and the cities of Western Asia Minor (226-188 BC). Such a study is possible thanks to a rich epigraphical documentation which has been reproduced extensively and translated in an appendix to this book. Dr Ma approaches this material from a variety of angles: narrative history, structural analyses of imperial power, and analyses of the functions played by language and stereotype in the interaction between rulers and ruled. The result is to further a nuanced appreciation of the relation between the Hellenistic king and the Hellenistic polis by drawing attention to the power of the Hellenistic empires, to the capacity of political language to modify power relations, and to the efforts of the Hellenistic polis to preserve its sense of identity and civic pride, if not its political independence.
`Ma can claim to have brought a sophistication to this material that advances our understanding; and gradually, with scholarly care, the seriously interesting potential of this bridesmaid of a period is revealed.' Simon Goldhill, TLS This is an engrossing book to read, very dense, beautifully written and enormously rewarding for anyone interested in how language can shape power relations. Paola Ceccarelli, Universita dell'Aquila, Italy `Ma's discussions, while always starting from some specific document, are wide-ranging, full of insights and challenging.' Paola Ceccarelli, Universita dell'Aquila, Italy `Ma's choice of taking [this] language seriously, as a tool, as "the standard medium for communication between ruler and ruled, shaping communication and actions", and consequently of trying to see how it worked, is in my opinion one of the things which make his book so important and new.' Paola Ceccarelli, Universita dell'Aquila, Italy `A good overview of the history of the period (223-192 B.C.), taking into account the new epigraphical findings and recent research, has been lacking: this one is detailed, extremely well documented and well-balanced. Moreover, in the course of his narrative Ma manages to show in detail how history gets written and rewritten in the course of the interaction between local communities and a super-poleis power' Paola Ceccarelli, Universita dell'Aquila, Italy `Throughout the book - and this is what in my opinion makes its originality - the focus is sharply maintained on the ways in which power expresses itself through language and on the contrast between imperial and local versions of history.' Paola Ceccarelli, Universita dell'Aquila, Italy `Ancient historians will welcome the appearance of this important and fascinating book, which will be of interest not only to students of Seleukid Asia Minor but also to everyone interested in Hellenistic history.' Paola Ceccarelli, Universita dell'Aquila, Italy `an absorbing and thought-provoking study, which will be essential reading for all serious students of the Hellenistic Near East.' G.R.G. Hambly, CHOICE Nov. 2000, Vol.38, No.3.
| List of Documents in Epigraphical Dossier | |
| Abbreviations | |
| Maps | |
| Introduction: The Great King and the Cities | p. 1 |
| The Seleukid Past in Asia Minor (281-223 B.C.) | p. 26 |
| In all the Land beyond the Taurus, Just as under our Grandfather | p. 26 |
| Seleukid Asia Minor | p. 33 |
| A Seleukid Past? | p. 39 |
| Seleukid Collapse in Anatolia | p. 43 |
| P. Sulpicius Galba's History Lesson | p. 50 |
| The Reconquest of Asia Minor: A Narrative (226-192 B.C.) | p. 53 |
| Achaios (223-213 B.C.) | p. 54 |
| After the Expedition to the Upper Regions (204-202 B.C.) | p. 63 |
| Philip V, the Rhodians, Attalos I, and the Romans (201-200 B.C.) | p. 74 |
| Constructing a Seleukid Space (197-192 B.C.) | p. 82 |
| Contesting the Seleukid Space (197-192 B.C.) | p. 94 |
| Beyond Narrative | p. 102 |
| Empire as Structures | p. 106 |
| Conquest and Control | p. 108 |
| Officials and Administration | p. 122 |
| City Statuses: The Typology of Subordination | p. 150 |
| Beyond Structures | p. 174 |
| Empire as Interaction | p. 179 |
| The Language of Euergetism | p. 182 |
| Talking to: Instrumental Functions | p. 194 |
| Local Meanings and the Self-Identity of the Polis | p. 214 |
| The Successes of Royal Discourse | p. 228 |
| Conclusion: Language and Power in the Hellenistic Age | p. 235 |
| Conclusion, Epilogue, Envoi: 'Once there was a King, Antiochos the Great ...' | p. 243 |
| The Date of OGIS 219 | p. 254 |
| The Date of the Documents from Teos | p. 260 |
| Dubia | p. 266 |
| [Megas] and [Basileus megas] | p. 272 |
| Stratonikeia | p. 277 |
| An Invasion of the Attalid kingdom in 198 B.C.? | p. 279 |
| The Settlement of 188 B.C. | p. 282 |
| Epigraphical Dossier | p. 284 |
| Bibliography | p. 373 |
| Index of Primary Sources | p. 393 |
| General index | p. 396 |
| Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved. |
ISBN: 9780198152194
ISBN-10: 0198152191
Audience:
Professional
Format:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Number Of Pages: 424
Published: 1st May 2000
Country of Publication: GB
Dimensions (cm): 23.39 x 15.6
x 2.39
Weight (kg): 0.74
Earn 380 Qantas Points
on this Book
