War in the Hellenistic World: A Social and Cultural History (Ancient World at War)

In the 300 years between the conquest of Alexander the Great and the battle at Actium, continual warfare had a dramatic effect on Hellenistic society and culture. Exploiting the abundant primary sources available, this book examines the many different ways in which war shaped the Hellenistic world. The volume shows how war was intimately connected with economic, social and political life, looking at the connections between war and religion, the ideology of Hellenistic monarchy, the rule of elites, and technological change. At the same time, the book continually draws attention to the experience of war, both from the battlefield perspective of professional soldiers, and from that of its victims – non-combatants, women and children. CONTENTS......Page 9 List of Figures......Page 12 List of Maps......Page 13 List of Abbreviations......Page 15 Table of Important Events......Page 19 Preface......Page 23 1.1. The Visibility of War......Page 27 1.2. The Frequency of Wars......Page 31 1.3. Reasons to Fight......Page 38 2.1. Fighting Against a Neighbor: A Privilege of the Polis......Page 44 2.2. Warfare as a Citizen’s Duty......Page 46 2.3. City and Land: Structure and Hierarchy......Page 52 2.4. The Defense of the City as the Stage of Civic Elites......Page 55 2.5. Local Hero: The Statesman as a Military Leader......Page 57 2.6. Euergetism in War and the Ideology of Inequality......Page 62 2.7. From Individual Services to the Heredity of Leadership......Page 65 3.1. Restless Warriors......Page 70 3.2. Training Fighters......Page 72 3.3. Rituals for Young Warriors......Page 77 4.1. War and the Acceptance of Monarchical Rule......Page 83 4.2. The King and His Army......Page 88 4.3. The King and the City......Page 94 4.4. The Wolf as a Sheep: Royal Peace-makers......Page 97 4.5. War and Mortal Divinity......Page 98 5.1. The Professionalization of Hellenistic Warfare: Definitions and Modifications......Page 104 5.2. The Social Context of Mercenary Service......Page 106 5.3. The Conditions of Service......Page 108 5.4. Garrisons and Foreign Troops in Hellenistic Cities......Page 114 5.5. Professional Ideals: Discipline, Solidarity, Masculinity......Page 119 5.6. Professional Risks: Doctors and Patients......Page 122 5.7. War as a Science: Trainers, Tacticians, and Inventors......Page 123 6.1. War and Masculinity......Page 128 6.2. In the Shadow of Soldiers: Women in Garrisons and Forts......Page 130 6.3. Spectators, Judges, and Defenders: Women’s Share of War......Page 132 6.4. Anonymous Victims......Page 137 7.1. The Budget of War: Fiscal Aspects of Hellenistic Warfare......Page 141 7.2. War and Agriculture......Page 147 7.3. The Economy of Booty......Page 155 7.4. Winners and Losers: The Impact of War on the Hellenistic Economy......Page 163 8.1. Communicating with the Gods, Boasting to Mortals......Page 169 8.2. War and Cult Transfer......Page 175 8.3. Violence against Sanctuaries and the Discourse of War......Page 180 8.4. War and the Supernatural......Page 183 8.5. Pragmatism Versus Tradition: War and the Dynamics of Rituals......Page 186 9.1. War Reflections......Page 192 9.2. War Reveals the Character of Men and Groups......Page 194 9.3. Naming Wars......Page 197 9.4. Deciding and Justifying War......Page 198 9.5. The Right of Conquest......Page 207 9.6. Longing for Peace......Page 210 10.1. Images of Violence in Hellenistic Literature and Art......Page 215 10.2. Blood is Beautiful: Realism and Subtlety in the Representation of Violence......Page 217 10.3. The Beauty of the Unexpected: Peripeteia and the Paradoxon in Narratives of War......Page 233 11.1. The Memory of War: Individual, Collective, Cultural......Page 240 11.2. War in Hellenistic Historiography......Page 243 11.3. The Monumental Historiography of War......Page 246 11.4. Oral Commemoration of War......Page 250 11.5. Commemorative Anniversaries......Page 253 11.6. War Monuments......Page 259 11.7. Collective Identity and the Glori.cation of the Individual......Page 266 12 Breaking Boundaries: How War Shaped the Hellenistic World......Page 271 Bibliography......Page 282 Name Index......Page 308 Subject Index......Page 319 Source Index......Page 330 CONTENTS 9 List of Figures 12 List of Maps 13 List of Abbreviations 15 Table of Important Events 19 Preface 23 1 The Ubiquitous War 27 1.1. The Visibility of War 27 1.2. The Frequency of Wars 31 1.3. Reasons to Fight 38 2 Between Civic Duties and Oligarchic Aspirations: Devoted Citizens, Brave Generals, and Generous Benefactors 44 2.1. Fighting Against a Neighbor: A Privilege of the Polis 44 2.2. Warfare as a Citizen’s Duty 46 2.3. City and Land: Structure and Hierarchy 52 2.4. The Defense of the City as the Stage of Civic Elites 55 2.5. Local Hero: The Statesman as a Military Leader 57 2.6. Euergetism in War and the Ideology of Inequality 62 2.7. From Individual Services to the Heredity of Leadership 65 3 The Age of War: Fighting Young Men 70 3.1. Restless Warriors 70 3.2. Training Fighters 72 3.3. Rituals for Young Warriors 77 4 The Interactive King: War and the Ideology of Hellenistic Monarchy 83 4.1. War and the Acceptance of Monarchical Rule 83 4.2. The King and His Army 88 4.3. The King and the City 94 4.4. The Wolf as a Sheep: Royal Peace-makers 97 4.5. War and Mortal Divinity 98 5 War as a Profession: Officers, Trainers, Doctors, Engineers 104 5.1. The Professionalization of Hellenistic Warfare: Definitions and Modifications 104 5.2. The Social Context of Mercenary Service 106 5.3. The Conditions of Service 108 5.4. Garrisons and Foreign Troops in Hellenistic Cities 114 5.5. Professional Ideals: Discipline, Solidarity, Masculinity 119 5.6. Professional Risks: Doctors and Patients 122 5.7. War as a Science: Trainers, Tacticians, and Inventors 123 6 The Gender of War: Masculine Warriors, Defenseless Women, and Beyond 128 6.1. War and Masculinity 128 6.2. In the Shadow of Soldiers: Women in Garrisons and Forts 130 6.3. Spectators, Judges, and Defenders: Women’s Share of War 132 6.4. Anonymous Victims 137 7 The Cost and Profit of War: Economic Aspects of Hellenistic Warfare 141 7.1. The Budget of War: Fiscal Aspects of Hellenistic Warfare 141 7.2. War and Agriculture 147 7.3. The Economy of Booty 155 7.4. Winners and Losers: The Impact of War on the Hellenistic Economy 163 8 An Age of Miracles and Saviors: The Effects of Hellenistic Wars on Religion 169 8.1. Communicating with the Gods, Boasting to Mortals 169 8.2. War and Cult Transfer 175 8.3. Violence against Sanctuaries and the Discourse of War 180 8.4. War and the Supernatural 183 8.5. Pragmatism Versus Tradition: War and the Dynamics of Rituals 186 9 The Discourse of War 192 9.1. War Reflections 192 9.2. War Reveals the Character of Men and Groups 194 9.3. Naming Wars 197 9.4. Deciding and Justifying War 198 9.5. The Right of Conquest 207 9.6. Longing for Peace 210 10 Aesthetics of War 215 10.1. Images of Violence in Hellenistic Literature and Art 215 10.2. Blood is Beautiful: Realism and Subtlety in the Representation of Violence 217 10.3. The Beauty of the Unexpected: Peripeteia and the Paradoxon in Narratives of War 233 11 The Memory of War 240 11.1. The Memory of War: Individual, Collective, Cultural 240 11.2. War in Hellenistic Historiography 243 11.3. The Monumental Historiography of War 246 11.4. Oral Commemoration of War 250 11.5. Commemorative Anniversaries 253 11.6. War Monuments 259 11.7. Collective Identity and the Glori.cation of the Individual 266 12 Breaking Boundaries: How War Shaped the Hellenistic World 271 Bibliography 282 Name Index 308 Subject Index 319 Source Index 330 If we are to believe the healing miracles of Epidauros, inscribed in the Asklepieion around the mid-fourth century BC, a visitor to that most famous Greek sanctuary would not only admire the newly-built temple and the sumptuous dedications, but also see, among the pilgrims seeking healing in that place, men whose bodies and faces had been marked by the wounds inflicted in war (LiDonnici 1995): "Euhippos bore a spear head in his jaw for six years" (A12); "Gorgias of Herakleia . . . was wounded in the lung by an arrow in some battle, and for a year and six months it was festering so badly, that he filled sixty-seven bowls with pus" (B10); "Antikrates of Knidos . . . had been struck with a spear through both his eyes in some battle, and he became blind and carried around the spearhead with him, inside his face" (B12).

Few historical periods can better demonstrate the complexity of war as a social and cultural force, points out Chaniotis (ancient history, U. of Heidelberg), than the three centuries between Alexander's victory and Kleopatra's defeat in 323-330 BC. Wars ranged from Italy to Afghanistan, from the north shore of the Black Sea to the coast of Africa, and are particularly well documented. He writes for students of classics and history, not to provide a complete narrative, but to survey the various ways war shaped Hellenistic society, mentality, and culture. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Exploiting the abundant primary sources available, this book examines the diverse ways in which war shaped the Hellenistic world.

• An overview of war and society in the Hellenistic world.
  
• Highlights the interdependence of warfare and social phenomena.
  
• Covers a wide range of topics, including social conditions as causes of war, the role of professional warriors, the discourse of war in Hellenistic cities, the budget of war, the collective memory of war, and the aesthetics of war.
  
• Draws on the abundance of primary sources available.

"In the 300 years between the conquest of Alexander the Great and the battle at Actium, continual warfare had a dramatic effect on Hellenistic society and culture. Exploiting the abundant primary sources available, this book examines the many different ways in which war shaped the Hellenstic world."--Jacket