Divine Honors for Mortal Men in Greek Cities: The Early Cases

Abstract

"The Hellenistic period of Greek history was famously one of change, featuring intense political and military struggle, and subsequent cultural adjustment. One aspect of this cultural shift was the employment--or deployment--of ruler cult, in which communities voted or decided to offer honors and titles, and sometimes other benefits, to representatives of certain dynasties. Modeled on the earlier civic practice of creating a cult for important mythological or divine figures, the more modern ruler cult signified which figures were important to a city and its region, and represented the city's appreciation for favors or military services offered. Divine Honors for Mortal Men in Greek Cities : the Early Cases presents Christian Habicht's argument for the handling of these ruler cults in mainland Greece and the islands, relying upon contemporary evidence notably in the form of local inscriptions, down to 240 BC. The first part of the volume presents individual case studies, city by city, with detailed inscriptional and bibliographic evidence. The second part is a consideration of what that evidence shows us: how cult worked, who in the city was responsible for its establishment, how a cult might change as new political winds blew. Christian Habicht offers a consideration of cults according to the individual kings involved, grouped according to their dynastic families. The author takes as his viewpoint the person or city offering the cult, rather than the recipient as is more common in the scholarly literature"--Provided by publisher

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