Liveblogging the thesis
Mar. 11th, 2010 11:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hawkwing_lb1. The historical background and the aims of this study.
Le premier pas, mon fils, que l'on fait dans le monde, est celui dont depend le reste de nos jours.
- Voltaire, L'Indiscret, 1725.
1.1: The historical background.
1.1.1. Introduction.
It is well known that the Hellenistic period was one of great social and cultural transformation for the Greek world. The balance of power among the mainland citystates changed dramatically with the new domination of the Macedonian successor kingdoms, the rise of the Aetolian and Achaean leagues, and finally the hegemony of Rome, as demonstrated by the sack of Corinth in 146 BCE and the Sullan siege of Athens in 86 BCE. The literature and philosophy of this period reflects the wider horizons of the Greek world, which stretched - albeit briefly - all the way to Bactria in the east, and it is a period of demonstrable innovation and syncretism in attitudes towards ta 'iera, sacred things.
1.1.2. Delos.
Delos, in the Cycladic islands, had been an important cult centre for a millennium before our period. Sacred to Delian Apollo, with major cult apparatus also associated with his sister Artemis and their mother Leto, by the Classical period it had emerged as a sanctuary which, in terms of the remains, can be compared to Delphi and Olympia. It was a major port and mercantile centre, and during the Hellenistic period it possessed a remarkably heterogeneous assortment of cults, ranging from temples to the Olympian pantheon to sanctuaries of Egyptian and Syrian gods and even a Jewish synagogue.#
The Hellenistic period on Delos can be divided into two. Delian independence, however nominal, lasted until 168 BCE. In 168 BCE, however, after the Third Macedonian War, the Roman senate awarded Delos to Athens, as a reward for her assistance#. The Athenians expelled Delian citizens from the island, and took over administration of the their cults. The period of Athenian rule lasts until the Mithradatic sack of the island in 88 BCE, after which the island became a possession of Rome.
1.1.3. Athens.
After the death of Alexander, Athens involved itself in the wars of succession. In 317 BCE, Kassander made Demetrios, son of Phanostratus of Phalerum, its governor;# from 307/306 it came under the control of Antigonos and his son Demetrios,# and during the third century, Athens attempted to free itself from Macedonian rule with occasional aid from the Ptolemies.# In 229, it succeeded, and thereafter maintained friendly relations with the Lagides: Ptolemy III Euergetes was named as an eponymous hero, complete with a new tribe, and in 223, a deme was named after his wife Berenike.#
In 168, as mentioned above, Athens was awarded Delos as a possession by the Romans. However, during the wars with Mithradates of Pontus, Athens decided to side against Rome: a choice which resulted in L. Cornelius Sulla's siege and sack of the city in 86 BCE. While there is no evidence of deliberate or systematic destruction of buildings as occurred in the Piraeus,# it is likely that this event had some impact on the self-image of the Athenians.
The Athenians chose poorly in the Roman civil wars of the first century, supporting first Brutus and Cassius, then Pompey, and lastly Antony, but although it took until the imperial period, Roman Athens eventually prospered.
1.2: The aims of this study.
This study aims to examine the spread of the worship of Isis to Greece in the period between the late fourth century BCE and the first century CE. It will do so by focussing the archaeological evidence from two key sites, Delos and Athens; and literary and textual evidence, including inscriptions and hymns of praise, from Egypt and the Greco-Roman world. These will form the chapters entitled "The Archaeological Record" and "The Image of Isis." It will further discuss theoretical models for assessing the spread of the cult of Isis in Greece: this will form the concluding chapter, "Hellenisation, Hybridisation, and Trends in Hellenistic Religion."
Isis is a complex deity, with a complicated history. It is my hope that this study will clarify some aspects of our attitudes to the development of her cult, as well as suggesting some possible avenues for further research.
Well, that's a small fraction done. I ain't sleeping till it's over.
Le premier pas, mon fils, que l'on fait dans le monde, est celui dont depend le reste de nos jours.
- Voltaire, L'Indiscret, 1725.
1.1: The historical background.
1.1.1. Introduction.
It is well known that the Hellenistic period was one of great social and cultural transformation for the Greek world. The balance of power among the mainland citystates changed dramatically with the new domination of the Macedonian successor kingdoms, the rise of the Aetolian and Achaean leagues, and finally the hegemony of Rome, as demonstrated by the sack of Corinth in 146 BCE and the Sullan siege of Athens in 86 BCE. The literature and philosophy of this period reflects the wider horizons of the Greek world, which stretched - albeit briefly - all the way to Bactria in the east, and it is a period of demonstrable innovation and syncretism in attitudes towards ta 'iera, sacred things.
1.1.2. Delos.
Delos, in the Cycladic islands, had been an important cult centre for a millennium before our period. Sacred to Delian Apollo, with major cult apparatus also associated with his sister Artemis and their mother Leto, by the Classical period it had emerged as a sanctuary which, in terms of the remains, can be compared to Delphi and Olympia. It was a major port and mercantile centre, and during the Hellenistic period it possessed a remarkably heterogeneous assortment of cults, ranging from temples to the Olympian pantheon to sanctuaries of Egyptian and Syrian gods and even a Jewish synagogue.#
The Hellenistic period on Delos can be divided into two. Delian independence, however nominal, lasted until 168 BCE. In 168 BCE, however, after the Third Macedonian War, the Roman senate awarded Delos to Athens, as a reward for her assistance#. The Athenians expelled Delian citizens from the island, and took over administration of the their cults. The period of Athenian rule lasts until the Mithradatic sack of the island in 88 BCE, after which the island became a possession of Rome.
1.1.3. Athens.
After the death of Alexander, Athens involved itself in the wars of succession. In 317 BCE, Kassander made Demetrios, son of Phanostratus of Phalerum, its governor;# from 307/306 it came under the control of Antigonos and his son Demetrios,# and during the third century, Athens attempted to free itself from Macedonian rule with occasional aid from the Ptolemies.# In 229, it succeeded, and thereafter maintained friendly relations with the Lagides: Ptolemy III Euergetes was named as an eponymous hero, complete with a new tribe, and in 223, a deme was named after his wife Berenike.#
In 168, as mentioned above, Athens was awarded Delos as a possession by the Romans. However, during the wars with Mithradates of Pontus, Athens decided to side against Rome: a choice which resulted in L. Cornelius Sulla's siege and sack of the city in 86 BCE. While there is no evidence of deliberate or systematic destruction of buildings as occurred in the Piraeus,# it is likely that this event had some impact on the self-image of the Athenians.
The Athenians chose poorly in the Roman civil wars of the first century, supporting first Brutus and Cassius, then Pompey, and lastly Antony, but although it took until the imperial period, Roman Athens eventually prospered.
1.2: The aims of this study.
This study aims to examine the spread of the worship of Isis to Greece in the period between the late fourth century BCE and the first century CE. It will do so by focussing the archaeological evidence from two key sites, Delos and Athens; and literary and textual evidence, including inscriptions and hymns of praise, from Egypt and the Greco-Roman world. These will form the chapters entitled "The Archaeological Record" and "The Image of Isis." It will further discuss theoretical models for assessing the spread of the cult of Isis in Greece: this will form the concluding chapter, "Hellenisation, Hybridisation, and Trends in Hellenistic Religion."
Isis is a complex deity, with a complicated history. It is my hope that this study will clarify some aspects of our attitudes to the development of her cult, as well as suggesting some possible avenues for further research.
Well, that's a small fraction done. I ain't sleeping till it's over.
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no subject
Date: 2010-03-12 02:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-12 02:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-12 02:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-12 02:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-12 02:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-12 02:48 am (UTC)(I do. :P )
no subject
Date: 2010-03-12 03:48 am (UTC)::laughs::
I also cough.
no subject
Date: 2010-03-12 09:04 pm (UTC)You know, as a last-sentence summary, something like, "This thesis explores the role the cult of Isis played in the great social and cultural transformation etc., especially through the cult's expression in Delos and Athens." Something to tie it all in?
no subject
Date: 2010-03-12 09:06 pm (UTC)The things you don't see when you've been doing something for months on end.
(Thanks.)
no subject
Date: 2010-03-12 09:08 pm (UTC)