Brill's Companion to the Reception of Alexander the Great

879 Pages·2018·5.805 MB·English

by  Kenneth Royce Moore

Brill’sCompaniontotheReceptionofAlexandertheGreat
Brill’s Companions to
Classical Reception
SeriesEditor
KyriakosN.Demetriou(UniversityofCyprus)
volume 14
Thetitlespublishedinthisseriesarelistedatbrill.com/bccr
Brill’s Companion to the
Reception of Alexander the Great
Editedby
K.R.Moore
leiden | boston
Coverillustration:AlexandertheGreat:oneplate,AndyWarhol(1928–87).PrivateCollection.
©theAndyWarholFoundationfortheVisualArtsInc.,c/oPictorightAmsterdam2017.
Photo©Christie’sImages/BridgemanImages.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Names:Moore,K.R.(KennethR.),editor.
Title:Brill'sCompaniontotheReceptionofAlexandertheGreat/editedbyK.R.
Moore.
Othertitles:ReceptionofAlexandertheGreat
Description:Leiden;Boston:brill,2018.|Series:Brill'sCompanionstoClassical
Reception;volume14|Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
Identifiers:lccn2018003540(print)|lccn2018004570(ebook)|
isbn9789004359932(e-book)|isbn9789004285071(hardback:alk.paper)
Subjects:lcsh:Alexander,theGreat,356b.c.-323b.c.–Influence.|
Macedonia–Kingsandrulers–Biography.|Macedonia–History–To168b.c.
Classification:lcc df234.2(ebook)|lcc df234.2 .b7552018(print)|
ddc 938/.07092 [b]–dc23
lcrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2018003540
TypefacefortheLatin,Greek,andCyrillicscripts:“Brill”.Seeanddownload:brill.com/brill‑typeface.
issn2213-1426
isbn978-90-04-28507-1(hardback)
isbn978-90-04-35993-2(e-book)
Copyright2018byKoninklijkeBrillnv,Leiden,TheNetherlands.
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Contents
Preface ix
K.R.Moore
ListofIllustrations xii
ListofContributors xiv
part 1
AncientGreek,RomanandPersianReceptions
1 FramingtheDebate 3
K.R.Moore
2 AtticOratorsonAlexandertheGreat 41
EliasKoulakiotis
3 TheReceptionofAlexander’sFatherPhilipiiofMacedon 72
SabineMüller
4 TheReceptionofAlexanderinthePtolemaicDynasty 96
JohnHolton
5 AlexanderafterAlexander:MacedonianPropagandaandHistorical
MemoryinPtolemyandAristobulus’Writings 119
GiuseppeSquillace
6 TheReceptionofAlexanderinHellenisticArt 140
OlgaPalagia
7 Metalexandron:ReceptionsofAlexanderintheHellenisticand
RomanWorlds 162
ShaneWallace
8 AlexanderbetweenRomeandPersia:Politics,Ideology,and
History 197
JacobNabel
vi contents
9 BeyondPersianization:TheAdoptionofNearEasternTraditionsby
AlexandertheGreat 233
JamesMullen
10 SonsofHeracles:AntonyandAlexanderintheLateRepublic 254
KyleErickson
11 TheAmbivalentModel:AlexanderintheGreekWorldbetween
PoliticsandLiterature(1stCenturybc/beg.1stCenturyad) 275
FedericomariaMuccioli
12 TheLatinAlexander:ConstructingRomanIdentity 304
DawnL.Gilley
13 AlexandertheGreatinSeneca’sWorksandinLucan’sBellum
Civile 325
GiulioCelotto
14 Plutarch’sAlexander 355
SulochanaR.Asirvatham
part 2
LaterReceptionsintheNear-andFar-EastandtheRomance
Tradition
15 AlexanderintheJewishtradition:FromSecondTempleWritingsto
HebrewAlexanderRomances 379
AleksandraKlęczar
16 Jews,SamaritansandAlexander:FactsandFictionsinJewishStories
ontheMeetingofAlexanderandtheHighPriest 403
MeirBenShahar
17 TheReceptionofAlexandertheGreatinRoman,ByzantineandEarly
ModernEgypt 427
AgnieszkaWojciechowskaandKrzysztofNawotka
18 ByzantineViewsonAlexandertheGreat 449
CorrineJouanno
contents vii
19 ChurchFathersandtheReceptionofAlexandertheGreat 477
JaakkojuhaniPeltonen
20 MedievalandRenaissanceItalianReceptionsoftheAlexander
RomanceTradition 503
BarbaraBlythe
21 SyriacandPersianVersionsoftheAlexanderRomance 525
KrzysztofNawotka
part 3
“Modern”andPostmodernReceptions
22 AlexanderandNapoleon 545
AgnieszkaFulińska
23 TheMenWhoWouldbeAlexander:AlexandertheGreatandHis
Graeco-BactrianSuccessorsintheRaj 576
RachaelMairs
24 ReceptionsofAlexanderinJohannGustavDroysen 596
JosephWiesehöfer
25 “TheUnmanlyRuler”:Bagoas,Alexander’sEunuchLover,Mary
Renault’sThePersianBoy,andAlexanderReception 615
ElizabethBaynhamandTerryRyan
26 Alexander’sImageinGerman,Anglo-AmericanandFrench
ScholarshipfromtheAftermathofWorldWaritotheColdWar 640
ReinholdBichler
27 AlexanderasGloriousFailure:TheCaseofRobertRossen’sAlexander
theGreat(1956) 675
AlastairJ.L.Blanshard
28 GoEast,YoungMan:AdventuringintheSpiritofAlexander 694
MargaretE.Butler
viii contents
29 TheGreatMisstep:AlexandertheGreat,Thais,andtheDestructionof
Persepolis 717
AlexanderMcAuley
30 AvoidingNationBuildinginAfghanistan:AnAbsentInsightfrom
Alexander 739
JasonWarren
31 TheArtistasArtHistorian:SomeModernWorksonAlexander 754
AdaCohen
32 AlexandertheGreatScreamingOutforHellenicity:GreekSongsand
PoliticalDissent 795
GuendalinaD.M.Taietti
33 TheConscienceoftheKing:AlexandertheGreatandtheAncient
Disabled 823
AlexandraF.Morris
Index 845
Preface
Giventhetitleof thisCompanion,itseemsappropriatetobegininaSocratic
mannerbyqueryingjustwhatconstitutesa“reception”ofAlexandertheGreat.
The answer to that could potentially end up being as divisive as the varied
interpretations of the Conqueror himself. Would, for example, any instance
of someone being named Alexander (or Alexandra) after 323bc amount to
some kind of reception of the Macedonian monarch? It might if those who
namedthemhadourAlexanderinmindatthetime.Josephusfamouslytells
usthattheJewsnamedallnewbornmalesinhonourof himintheyearthat
hepeacefullyannexedtheirterritoryfromthePersianEmpire,andformsofhis
namehavecontinuedtobequitepopularinJewishcultureuptothepresent
day.Thatwasclearlyanintentional“reception”of somedescription.Interms
of academicscholarship,whichoccupiesamajorportionof thisCompanion,
traditionalreceptiontheorymightbeinclinedtosomewhatrelocateprimary
sourcestoalesserrole,treatingthemashavingonlyservedintheshapingof
laterreceptions.But,inAlexanderStudies,weareoftenpainfullyawarethat
allof ourextantprimarysourcesarethemselvesreceptionsof earliersources
thatarenolongeravailable.Tothatend,itonlyseemsappropriatetoinclude
thelikesofArrian,Plutarch,DiodorusandRufusasspecific,albeitprofoundly
influential,receptionsofAlexandertheGreat.Eachauthorwastheproductof
hisowneraandcultural/historicalcontext.Each“received”Alexander,based
onthescholarshipandevidenceavailabletohim,inhisownuniquewayand
accordingtohisindividualcharacterandinclinations.
Aconsiderablenumberof thecontributionstothisCompaniondeal,quite
understandably, with a wide range of scholarly receptions, especially those
from the circa ad18th century onwards. And that is highly appropriate. But
receptionsof AlexandertheGreatgomuchfurtherbeyondthese.Inseeking
authors and topics, the editor has cast his nets far and wide in an attempt
toencompassthevastnessof suchreceptions.Theyinclude,forexample,the
historyofart(ancientandmodern)andareasof“popularculture”inwhichthe
MacedonianConquerorhasfiredtheimaginationandcontinuestodoso.He
hasbeen,sincehisownera,thesubjectofcountlesspaintings,sculpturesand
otherworksofart.Thesehave,inmostinstances,beendeployedforpoliticalor
otherspecificpurposesbytheircreatorsandpatrons,withsomehavingbeen
reclaimedbyamoredemocraticaudience.Theyareclearlyidentifiableasvalid
receptionsworthyofstudy.Healsofindshiswayintopopularmusicandpoetry
aswell—nottomention,inthemodernera,allsortsofmediaincludingdrama,
films,television,theinternetandcomputergames.Hisimagehasbeenusedby
x preface
religious groups, both eastern and western, ancient and modern, for various
ends.Ownershipofhislegacyisstillfoughtoverinhisnativeland.Alexander’s
Nachleben,or“afterlife”,throughsuchreceptionshasbeenatleastasactiveas,
anddefinitivelylonger-livedthan,hisbrief butspectacularcareerasaworld
conqueror.Andhecontinuestoliveonthroughtheserevisedimagesinoften
strangeandsurprisingways.
Inordertoaddresssuchanextensivearrayofreceptions,thisCompanionhas
turnedouttobequiteasizeableandlengthypieceof scholarship.Itisbyno
meanscomprehensiveasitwouldtakeawholelibraryofconsiderablecapacity
tocontainallpossiblereceptionsofAlexander.Evenso,thecontributorswere
chosentoreflectthebreadthofthesubjectaswellastoprovidesufficientlyvar-
iedmaterialastoappealtoawiderangeofscholarlyinterests.Hopefullythere
willbesomethingforeveryonehere—fromClassicistsandAncientHistorians
toMedievalistsandArtHistorians,fromMediaStudiestoPoliticalScienceand
MilitaryHistory,andmanyothersstillbeyondthese.
However,aseditormyrationaleinselectingthesetopicsandcontributors
wasnotmerelytocanvassAlexanderStudiesgenerallyandwithoutanystruc-
turedpurpose.IteachAlexanderatuniversityandhavedevotedquiteabitof
timeandefforttoresearchandpublicationinthisarea.AndIhaveshapedthis
volumewiththeexpressintentofsupplementingtheneedsofthosewhowant
toadvancetheirresearchandunderstandingofthesubject.Thereisstillmuch
tobedoneonAlexanderandthisCompanioncannothopetoamounttothe“be
allandendall”of thematter.Thatwould,Ithink,beimpossibleforanysuch
work.We,theeditorandcontributors,haveatbesthereaddedsomethingfur-
therofinteresttotheongoingconversationaboutAlexander.Assuch,itwillgo
asignificantwaytowardsenhancingourunderstandingandwillprovidenew
toolsandresourcesforotherstouseintheirownresearchinthefuture.Ihave
to that end sought out a mixed group of academics to produce the chapters
inthisvolume.Somearewell-known,establishedscholarswhosecontinuing
workonAlexanderrepresentstheculminationofyearsofresearchandeffort.
Theirproductionsaremostwelcomeandverynecessary.ButIhavealsoquite
deliberately pursued a number of up-and-coming authors, often just having
completedtheirPhDs,inordertoprovideafreshperspective,whichIbelieve
thesubjectgreatlyneedsandfromwhichwemayallreapconsiderablebenefits.
Ihavealso been especially keenthat the contributorsbe as broadlyinterna-
tionalinoriginaspossible,withinreason.ThistooImaintainisnecessaryin
ordertorepresentboththediversityofthereceptionsaswellastoserveasan
illustrationofjusthowimmenseandfar-reachingisthesubjectbeingconsid-
ered.Ionlyregretthatmorecouldnothavebeenincluded,butatwo-volume
CompanionalreadyapproachesColossusasitstands.