War in the Hellenistic World: A Social and Cultural History

by Angelos Chaniotis

Overview

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

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• 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780631226079
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	02/11/2005
Series:	Ancient World at War , #5
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.15(d)

About the Author

Angelos Chaniotis is Professor of Ancient History at the University of Heidelberg. He is the author of Historie und Historiker in den griechischen Inschriften (1988), Die Verträge zwischen kretischen Städten in der hellenistischen Zeit (1996) as well as numerous articles on Hellenistic and Roman history and Greek epigraphy. Together with P. Ducrey he has edited Army and Power in the Ancient World (2002).

Table of Contents

List of Figures x

List of Maps xi

List of Abbreviations xiii

Table of Important Events xvii

Preface xxi

1 The Ubiquitous War 1

1.1. The Visibility of War 1.2. The Frequency of Wars

1.3. Reasons to Fight

2 Between Civic Duties and Oligarchic Aspirations: Devoted Citizens, Brave Generals, and Generous Benefactors 18

2.1. Fighting Against a Neighbor: A Privilege of the Polis

2.2. Warfare as a Citizen’s Duty

2.3. City and Land: Structure and Hierarchy

2.4. The Defense of the City as the Stage of Civic Elites

2.5. Local Hero: The Statesman as a Military Leader

2.6. Euergetism in War and the Ideology of Inequality

2.7. From Individual Services to the Heredity of Leadership

3 The Age of War: Fighting Young Men 44

3.1. Restless Warriors 3.2. Training Fighters 3.3. Rituals for Young Warriors

4 The Interactive King: War and the Ideology of Hellenistic Monarchy 57

4.1. War and the Acceptance of Monarchical Rule

4.2. The King and His Army

4.3. The King and the City

4.4. The Wolf as a Sheep: Royal Peace-makers 4.5. War and Mortal Divinity

5 War as a Profession: Officers, Trainers, Doctors, Engineers 78

5.1. The Professionalization of Hellenistic Warfare: Definitions and Modifications

5.2. The Social Context of Mercenary Service

5.3. The Conditions of Service

5.4. Garrisons and Foreign Troops in Hellenistic Cities

5.5. Professional Ideals: Discipline, Solidarity, Masculinity

5.6. Professional Risks: Doctors and Patients

5.7. War as a Science: Trainers, Tacticians, and Inventors

6 The Gender of War: Masculine Warriors, Defenseless Women, and Beyond 102

6.1. War and Masculinity

6.2. In the Shadow of Soldiers: Women in Garrisons and Forts

6.3. Spectators, Judges, and Defenders: Women’s Share of War

6.4. Anonymous Victims

7 The Cost and Profit of War: Economic Aspects of Hellenistic Warfare 115

7.1. The Budget of War: Fiscal Aspects of Hellenistic Warfare

7.2. War and Agriculture

7.3. The Economy of Booty

7.4. Winners and Losers: The Impact of War on the Hellenistic Economy

8 An Age of Miracles and Saviors: The Effects of Hellenistic Wars on Religion 143

8.1. Communicating with the Gods, Boasting to Mortals

8.2. War and Cult Transfer

8.3. Violence against Sanctuaries and the Discourse of War

8.4. War and the Supernatural 8.5. Pragmatism Versus Tradition: War and the Dynamics of Rituals

9 The Discourse of War 166

9.1. War Reflections

9.2. War Reveals the Character of Men and Groups

9.3. Naming Wars

9.4. Deciding and Justifying War

9.5. The Right of Conquest

9.6. Longing for Peace

10 Aesthetics of War 189

10.1. Images of Violence in Hellenistic Literature and Art

10.2. Blood is Beautiful: Realism and Subtlety in the Representation of Violence

10.3. The Beauty of the Unexpected: Peripeteia and the Paradoxon in Narratives of War

11 The Memory of War 214

11.1. The Memory of War: Individual, Collective, Cultural

11.2. War in Hellenistic Historiography

11.3. The Monumental Historiography of War

11.4. Oral Commemoration of War

11.5. Commemorative Anniversaries

11.6. War Monuments

11.7. Collective Identity and the Glorification of the Individual

12 Breaking Boundaries: How War Shaped the Hellenistic World 245

Bibliography 256

Name Index 282

Subject Index 293

Source Index 304

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“War in the Hellenistic World will remain an indispensable book for any person wanting to study war in this period and, more generally, the Hellenistic culture and way of life.” Pierre Ducrey, University of Lausanne

"War in the Hellenistic World is a worthy addition to the growing body of recent scholarship on ancient military history … I would not hesitate to recommend it to interested students, academics, and non-experts as a point of departure for further inquiry." Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"A useful pedagogical resource and a welcome addition to the social surveys of the Hellenistic period. Chaniotis offers a clearly written, well-supported analysis of the significant roles warfare played in shaping Greek politics, society, and economy." Scholia

"War in the Hellenistic World is more accessible to a university than a school readership, but would make a welcome addition to the library of anybody with a keen interest in either the history of warfare or the Hellenistic period in general." Journal of Classics Teaching

"With its apt choice of evidence, engaging discussions and suggestions for further reading at the end of every chapter, Chaniotis's work is likely to be immensely useful to scholars or students investigating almost any aspect of hellenistic culture and society." Journal of Hellenistic Studies

"Chaniotis has treated his subject with finesse and scholarly vigour. The book will be required reading for students of war and culture in Hellenistic times, and an indispensable work for any scholar interested in ancient warfare."
sehepunkte

“Chaniotis is one of the most distinguished experts … it makes for a book that … is highly innovative and individualistic … .An indispensable survey.”
Canadian Journal of History

Editorial Reviews

“War in the Hellenistic World will remain an indispensable book for any person wanting to study war in this period and, more generally, the Hellenistic culture and way of life.” Pierre Ducrey, University of Lausanne

"War in the Hellenistic World is a worthy addition to the growing body of recent scholarship on ancient military history … I would not hesitate to recommend it to interested students, academics, and non-experts as a point of departure for further inquiry." Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"A useful pedagogical resource and a welcome addition to the social surveys of the Hellenistic period. Chaniotis offers a clearly written, well-supported analysis of the significant roles warfare played in shaping Greek politics, society, and economy." Scholia

"War in the Hellenistic World is more accessible to a university than a school readership, but would make a welcome addition to the library of anybody with a keen interest in either the history of warfare or the Hellenistic period in general." Journal of Classics Teaching

"With its apt choice of evidence, engaging discussions and suggestions for further reading at the end of every chapter, Chaniotis's work is likely to be immensely useful to scholars or students investigating almost any aspect of hellenistic culture and society." Journal of Hellenistic Studies

"Chaniotis has treated his subject with finesse and scholarly vigour. The book will be required reading for students of war and culture in Hellenistic times, and an indispensable work for any scholar interested in ancient warfare."
sehepunkte

“Chaniotis is one of the most distinguished experts … it makes for a book that … is highly innovative and individualistic … .An indispensable survey.”
Canadian Journal of History

From the Publisher