Companion to the Hellenistic World

Andrew Erskine is Head of Classics at the University of Edinburgh. He is the author of The Hellenistic Stoa: Political Thought and Action (1990) and Troy between Greece and Rome: Local Tradition and Imperial Power (2001). He has held an Alexander von Humboldt fellowship at the University of Munich.

• List of Figures xList of Contributors xiiPreface xviiAcknowledgements xviiiAncient Authors: Abbreviations and Glossary xixReference Work: Abbreviations xxivPart I Narratives 17                     Part II: Protagonists 103Part III: Change and Continuity 175  Part IV: Greeks and Others 247Part V: Society and Economy 311Part VI: Gods and Men 405Part VII: Arts and Sciences 447Bibliography 515Chronology 567Index 574

—"This extremely appealing collection pulls off that hardest of tricks: it is simultaneously authoritative and exciting, its findings new as well as true. The Hellenistic age was an age of marvels and this impeccably edited work is itself a Hellenistic marvel. Scholars, students and interested non-professionals will devour it with pleasure and go away nourished, as I did." —Professor Simon Hornblower, University College London "Blackwell and Erskine have done a splendid job with the Hellenistic Companion and I’m extremely pleased to have a copy, both as a guide for my own contributions and for future reference. It is, I think, the best comprehensive book on the Hellenistic world available and a “must have” for everyone working in this field." —Professor Waldemar Heckel, University of Calgary"I've found Erskine's Hellenistic World to be an excellent volume." —Professor Michael Whitby, University of Warwick"The Companion to the Hellenistic World is very impressive indeed both in its breadth and its depth, and sets an exhilaratingly high standard for the new series." —Professor Justina Gregory, Smith College"This Companion, which I recommend without reservation, is extremely well edited and referenced, with comprehensive lists of abbreviations of both ancient authors and reference works, and a good bibliography and index. The choice of cover illustration (a basalt Egyptian-style statue of Ptolemy I) is inspired, illustrating pictorially what the book conveys in erudite scholarship: a fusion of themes and cultures in a politically- and socially-diverse but unified world, which provided continuity for its distinct heritages whilst evolving an individuality of its own." —Bryn Mawr Classical Review "A Companion to the Hellenistic World provides a comprehensive and enlightening survey of the current state of Hellenistic scholarship and will be required reading for students and teachers for years to come." —Stanley Burstein, Classical Review"A Companion to the Hellenistic World is admirable and very enjoyable, and shows clearly how progress has been made in this subject in recent years. Andrew Erskine has brought together some of the very best historians now working on the period and they have produced as exciting a collection of essays as he could possibly have hoped for." —Times Literary Supplement"Massive and multifaceted like the Seleukid kingdom itself, the Companion is nevertheless a compelling read for the scholar, and an accessible reference for the student ... Clear, learned and a joy to read; it is warmly recommended to students, scholars looking for an authoritative general survey and an up-to-date and handy bibliography, and indeed to anyone wishing to broaden his or her horizons." —Journal of Hellenic Studies"Lucid and stimulating writing...a first-rate research-tool for the specialist and a rich mine for the thesis writer. It is also a "good read", and anyone who is interested in imperialism, propaganda, the mechanics of power and resistance, and the political manipulation of culture will be intrigued by the contemporary resonance of many of the issues discussed." —Mouseion