Hellenistic kingdoms - Hellenistic History

Alexander the Great,alexander's campaigns,Ancient History,coin,coins,godesses,gods,greece,hellenistic,hellenistic asia,hellenistic cities,Hellenistic greece,Hellenistic kingdoms,hellenistic period,hellenistic successors,History,ptolemies,seleucids

Architects of the Hellenistic Age Part I: The Legacy of Alexander’s Companions

by Hellenistic Historyupdated on March 28, 2024March 26, 2024Leave a Comment

The conquests of Alexander the Great should be understated. From 336 to 323 BCE, Alexander would usher in a new era in world history. To aid him in this immense task were his “Companions”. These were Alexander’s closest friends and confidants. Some were childhood friends, others had fought with his father Philip II or gained …

Ancient History,diplomatic relation,hellenistic,hellenistic asia,Hellenistic kingdoms,seleucids

Hellenistic Babylon and Seleucid Imperial Ideology

by Hellenistic Historyon September 11, 2023September 11, 2023Leave a Comment

The academic year has started again, so it is time for another guest post. This time Derek from the Hellenistic Age Podcast delves deeper into the connections of the ancient city of Babylon with the Seleucid Dynasty. How did the Seleucid rulers navigate the complexities of Babylonian traditions and local customs? What lessons can we …

Ancient History,greek polis,greek politics,hellenistic,hellenistic asia,Hellenistic kingdoms,hellenistic period

Hellenistic cities IV: Pergamon

by Hellenistic Historyupdated on May 3, 2023February 22, 2023Leave a Comment

Today we continue with a new part of our series on Hellenistic cities: Pergamon. This was an ancient city located in modern-day Turkey, which played a significant role in the political and cultural landscape of the Hellenistic period. The city’s strategic location, powerful rulers, and impressive monuments made it a major player in the Hellenistic …

Alexander the Great,ancient greece,Ancient History,biography,diplomatic relation,greek polis,Hellenistic greece,Hellenistic kingdoms,hellenistic successors,literary sources,References

The Dark Side of Alexander The Great

by Hellenistic Historyupdated on September 24, 2022September 6, 2022Leave a Comment

When Alexander died in 323 in Babylon, his myth immediately spread throughout the known world. For centuries, the Macedonian king has fascinated rulers, leaders and-the everyday man. The rapidity of his conquests and his young age made him legendary. Many were inspired by him, and even today his personality continues to enchant. Ancient sources tell …

ancient greece,Ancient History,diplomatic relation,greece,greek polis,greek politics,hellenistic,hellenistic cities,Hellenistic greece,Hellenistic kingdoms,hellenistic successors

Hellenistic Cities III: Messene

by Hellenistic Historyon May 28, 2022May 28, 2022Leave a Comment

The last post in this series is from quite a while ago. About high time we change this and delve into the short history of yet another Greek city during the Hellenistic period. This time we turn our eye to Messene. This city lies in the southern part of the Peloponnese in close proximity to …

Alexander the Great,ancient greece,Ancient History,Archaeology,city,coin,coins,greek polis,greek politics,hellenistic,Hellenistic greece,Hellenistic kingdoms,hellenistic successors,History,ptolemies,seleucids

Myth and Polis XI: Hellenistic kings and kinship myth

by Hellenistic Historyon March 17, 2022March 17, 2022Leave a Comment

We have now reached the eleventh part of the series on the use of mythological kinship in Greek diplomatic interaction. Since most of the sources come from the epigraphic material of the Hellenistic period, we have already looked several times at how mythological kinship was used by cities in that period in their interactions with …

Alexander the Great,ancient greece,Ancient History,Archaeology,city,hellenistic,hellenistic cities,Hellenistic kingdoms,hellenistic successors,History,ptolemies,Uncategorized

Hellenistic cities III: Hybrid Worship in Alexandria

by Hellenistic Historyupdated on October 8, 2021October 8, 2021Leave a Comment

This is third part of our series on Hellenistic cities where we explore some very famous poleis such as Alexandria or Pergamon as well as some that are a little more obscure like Megalopolis. Each post tells us more about the general history, population or specific aspects of these Greek cities. In today’s post Shiro …

Alexander the Great,ancient greece,Ancient History,Archaeology,city,greek polis,greek politics,hellenistic,hellenistic cities,Hellenistic kingdoms,literary sources,polis

Myth and polis VIII: Alexander’s use of myth during his campaigns

by Hellenistic Historyon September 25, 2021September 25, 2021Leave a Comment

We have already reached the eighth part of this series. In the last two contributions, I have paid extensive attention to the figure of Alexander the Great and we have looked at which mythological ancestors the Macedonian king had and how this descent can still be seen in material sources. In this last part on …

Alexander the Great,ancient greece,Ancient History,Archaeology,art,coin,coins,hellenistic,Hellenistic kingdoms,hellenistic successors,numismatics

Myth and Polis VII: Mythology and the depiction of Alexander the Great

by Hellenistic Historyon July 20, 2021July 20, 2021Leave a Comment

When I visit one of the great archaeological museums of Europe, I always look for two things: how many busts of Alexander the Great are there, and which Greek coins are on display? So when I was at the Altes Museum in Berlin last week, I noticed that whenever Alexander the Great is represented in …

ancient greece,Ancient History,Archaeology,city,diplomatic relation,greece,greek polis,greek politics,hellenistic,hellenistic cities,Hellenistic greece,Hellenistic kingdoms,polis

Hellenistic Cities II: Megalopolis: a short history

by Hellenistic Historyon July 7, 2021July 7, 2021Leave a Comment

In part two of the Hellenistic Cities series, we are looking at the youngest polis of the Greek Mainland: the Arcadian city of Megalopolis. The archaeological site of Megalopolis lies in the heart of the Arcadian region in Greece and is about a 45 minute drive from modern day Sparta. Not many of the buildings …