Seleukid Royal Women: Creation, Representation and Distortion of Hellenistic Queenship in the Seleukid Empire (Historia - Einzelschriften)

The study of royal women has been one of the most dynamic fields of inquiry into the Hellenistic world (ca. 336-30 BC) and has dramatically shifted our perceptions of gender, status, and influence in the ancient world. Amid numerous works on the Ptolemies, Antigonids, and Argeads, this volume is the first to examine the roles and representations of the women of the Seleukid dynasty and its clients. These royal women were born or married into a dynasty that ruled an empire spanning dozens of cultures and languages, encompassing territory from western Asia Minor to modern-day Afghanistan. As representatives of their family's prestige, they were highly influential in shaping the culture and legacy of this Empire that spanned East and West. The contributions of this volume offer a systematic scrutiny of the representation of female Seleukids in visual and textual media. Avoiding Eurocentric perspectives in favour of embracing the diversity of the Empire, these scholars examine the interaction of Seleukid women with royal traditions ranging from Persia, Bactria, and Judaea to their Hellenistic contemporaries. The result is a landmark achievement in the study of ancient women. Contents 6 List of Illustrations 8 Preface & Acknowledgements 10 Noble Women in China, Rome, and in-between – A Prologue 14 Introduction 18 I Experimenting with the Role of the Royal Consort: the First Two Basilissai of the Seleukids 24 The Making of a Queen – Seleukos Nikator and His Wives 26 Apama and Stratonike – Marriage and Legitimacy 40 Seleukid Love and Power: Stratonike I 68 The Diplomacy of Seleukid Women: Apama and Stratonike 88 II Representation, Visibility and Distortion of Seleukid Queenship 106 Laodike I, Berenike Phernophoros, Dynastic Murders, and the Outbreak of the Third Syrian War (253–246 BC) 108 The Fate of Kleopatra Tryphaina, or: Poetic Justice in Justin 136 Female Seleukid Portraits: Where Are They? 144 III Dynastic Intermarriage and Hellenistic Queenship in the Shadow of the Seleukids 174 Princess & Tigress: Apama of Kyrene 176 Marriage Diplomacy and the Political Role of Royal Women in the Seleukid Far East 192 ‘The Heroic Company of My Forebears’: the Ancestor Galleries of Antiochos I of Kommagene at Nemrut Daği and the Role of Royal Women in the Transmission of Hellenistic Kingship 210 A Dynasty without Women? The Hasmoneans between Jewish Traditions and Hellenistic Influence 232 Kleopatra Selene – A Look at the Moon and Her Bright Side 254 Consolidated Bibliography 274 Index Locorum 306 Index Nominum 309 Index Rerum 313 Genealogical Tables Drafted by Alex McAuley 320 a) The Early Seleukids 320 b) The Late Seleukids 321 c) The Ptolemies 322 d) The Antigonids 323