Social, Cultural, and Economic Life of the Hellenistic World

1. Social, Cultural, and Economic Life of the Hellenistic World April 4th, 2012

2. What Stays the Same • Agriculture the mainstay of economic life. • Slave labour common. • Majority of populations lived in rural villages engaged in subsistence agriculture. • In rural regions outside Greece and Macedon indigenous culture, language etc. continues as usual.

3. What Changes • Employment opportunities increase (i.e. military service; Royal bureaucracies). • Increasingly mobile populations (i.e. Opportunities for colonists; people travel in search of work). • Increasing prominence of women in the records; increasing opportunities and greater gender equality. • Social and political status determined in part by ethnicity. • Greater cultural heterogeneity. • Changes and opportunities found mainly in urban centers.

4. Hellenistic Culture is Urban Culture • Cities = centers of hellenization. • Ptolemaic and Seleucid urban centers = cultural crossroads where Greek meets non-Greek. • Centers of trade. • Opportunities for conspicuous displays of royal wealth and prestige. • Alexandria.

5. Strabo’s Description of Alexandria (ca. 27 CE) • “The site of Alexandria is advantageous for many reasons. For the city is bounded by two seas, on the north by the so-called Egyptian Sea and on the south by Lake Mareia, which is also called Mareotis. The Nile fills Lake Mareia through many canals from both the south and the sides. Through these canals many more goods are brought to Alexandria than arrive from the sea, and by it more goods are exported from Alexandria than are imported into the city…Alexandria has many fine public precincts and palaces, which occupy a fourth or even a third of the city’s whole perimeter; for just as each of the kings added some adornment to its public monuments, so each added his own residence to those already existing so that, in the words of Homer, “one was on top of another.” All the palaces are connected to each other and to the harbor, including those outside the harbor. The Museum forms one portion of the palaces. It has a walkway, an arcade wit benches, and a large building in which is located a dining hall of the scholars who belong to the Museum. The faculty has both property in common and a priest, who was in charge of the Museum and was formerly appointed by the kings and is now by Caesar (Augustus). Also part of the palace complex is the building called the Sema, which is a circular structure in which are the tombs of the kings and that of Alexander.” (Strabo, Geography 17.7-8. Nagle & Burstein, 2007. pp. 272-3).

6. Social Status and Ethnicity • Greece and Macedon ethnically homogeneous. • Ptolemaic and Seleucid kingdoms more ethnically diverse. • Colonial societies (i.e. Greco-Macedonian ruling class and indigenous subjects). • Certain degree of cultural tolerance. • Evidence of substantial ethno-cultural discrimination and tension.

7. The Synagogue of Alexandria • “It has been taught, R. Judah stated. He who has not seen the double colonnade of Alexandria in Egypt has never seen the glory of Israel. It was said that it was like a huge basilica, one colonnade within the other, and it sometimes held twice the number of people that went forth from Egypt. There were in seventy-one cathedra [sc. Thrones] of gold, corresponding to the seventy-one members of the Great Sanhedrin, not one of them containing less than twenty-one talents of gold, and a wooden platform in the middle upon which the attendant of the Synagogue stood with a scarf in his hand. When the time came to answer Amen [sc. After the reader had finished a prayer] he waved his scarf and all the congregation duly responded. They moreover did not occupy their seats promiscuously, but goldsmiths sat separately, metalworkers separately and weavers separately, so that when a poor man entered the place he recognized the members of his craft and on applying to that quarter obtained a livelihood for himself and for the members of his family.” (Tractate Sukkha. Nagle & Burstein, 2007. 290-91)

8. Cultural Heterogeneity:Inscription in Praise of Isis • “Demetrios, the son of Artemidoros, who is called Thraseas, a Magnesian from Magnesia on the Maeander, an offering in fulfillment of a vow to Isis. He transcribed the following from the stele in Memphis which stands by the temple of Hephaistos: I am Isis, the tyrant of every land; and I was educated by Hermes, and together with Hermes I invented letters, both the Hieroglyphic and the demotic…I am the eldest daughter of Kronos. I am the wife and sister of King Osiris. I am she who discovered the cultivation of grain for men. I am the mother of King Horos…Languages I assigned to Greeks and Barbarians…Hail Egypt who reared me.” (I.G. 12.14. Nagle & Burstein, 2007. pp. 281-2)

9. An Akkadian Cuneiform Decree of Antiochus I at Borsippa (268 BCE) • “I am Antiochus, the great king, the legitimate king, the king of the world, the king of Babylon, king of all countries, the caretaker of the temples Esagila and Ezida, the first (born) son of King Seleucus, the Macedonian, king of Babylon. When I conceived of the idea of (re)constructing Esagila and Ezida, I formed with my august hands (when I was still) in the country of Hatti the first brick for Esagila and Ezida with finest oil and brought it (with me) for the laying of the foundation of Esagila and Ezida….O Nebo, lofty son, (most) wise among the gods, splendid and worthy of praise, first-born son of Marduk, child of Arua, the queen who fashioned all creation, do look friendly upon me and may – upon your lofty command which is never revoked – the overthrow of the country of my enemy….” (J.B. Pritchard, ed. Ancient Near Eastern Texts relating to the Old Testament, 1969: 317. M.M. Austin, Doc. 189)

10. Letter of Complaint to Zenon from an Egyptian:Papyrus (ca. 256-255 BCE) • “…to Zenon greetings. You do well if you are keeping in good health. You know that you left me in Syria with Crotus and that I carried out all of the instructions with the camels and that I was blameless towards you. And when you ordered to pay me my salary (Crotus) gave me nothing of what you had ordered. And when I requested many times that Crotus should give me my salary you had ordered but he gave me nothing at all and told me to go away, I held out for a long time waiting for you, but when I ran out of necessities and was unable to obtain these from any source, I was compelled to run away to Syrian to avoid dying of hunger. I have therefore written to you to inform you that Crotus is responsible. And when you sent me again to Philadelphia to Jason, and I did everything I was told to, for nine months now he gives me nothing of what you ordered, neither oil nor grain, except every two months when he also pays (the allowance for) clothing. And I am in distress summer and winter. And he tells me to accept ordinary wine for salary. But they have treated me with contempt because I am a Barbarian. I therefore request you, if you please, to order them to let me have what is owed to me and in future to pay me regularly, so that I do not die of hunger because I do not know how to speak Greek (hellenizein). You would therefore do well to treat me with respect….”(P. Col. 66. M.M. Austin, Doc. 245)

11. Ethnic TensionsAntiochus IV Tries to Hellenize the Jews • “Shortly afterwards the king sent an old Athenian to compel the Jews to depart from the laws of their fathers and to cease living by the laws of God; further, the sanctuary in Jerusalem was to be polluted and called after Zeus Olympius, while the sanctuary at Gerizim was also to be called after Zeus Xenius….Now this proved to be an altogether crushing visitation of evil. For the Heathen filled the temple with riot and reveling, dallying with harlots and lying with women inside the sacred precincts, besides bringing in what was forbidden, while the altar was filled with abominable sacrifices which the law prohibited. A man could keep neither the Sabbath, nor celebrate the feasts of the fathers, nor so much as confess himself to be a Jew. On the king’s birthday every month they were taken…to share in the sacrifice, and when the festival of the Dionysia came round they were compelled to wear ivy wreaths for the procession in honor of Dionysus. On the suggestion of Ptolemy, an edict was also issued to the neighboring Greek cities ordering them to treat the Jews in the same way and force them to share in the sacrifices, slaying any who refused to adopt Greek ways….Two women for example were brought up for for having circumcised their children; they were paraded around the city, with their babies hanging at their breasts, and then flung from the top of the wall.” (Second Macabees 4: 6.11. D.B. Nagle & S.M. Burstein, 2006)

12. Women in the Hellenistic World • Hellenistic world still largely patriarchal. • Women more prominent in sources (survival of docs?). • More opportunities for a public life (for upper class women) than in Classical and Archaic periods. • Evidence for women in professional and political life. • Most marriages still arranged with property/business in mind. • Increasing marriages for love; increasing availability of divorce to women. (cf. Antiochus and Stratonice, Nagle & Burstein, pp. 298-300)

13. Hipparchia, A Women Philosopher • “Hipparchia, a sister of Metrocles, also fell in love with [Crates’] teachings. Both Hipparchia and Metrocles were from the city of Maroneia. She fell in love with the words of Crates and his life and ignored all her suitors and their wealth, noble birth and beauty. Crates became everything to her. She went even so far as to threaten her parents that she would kill herself if they did not betroth her Crates. Crates, therefore, who had been urged by her parents to discourage their daughter, tried everything. Finally, not having persuaded her, he stood up, stripped off his clothes in front of her, and said, ‘This is your bridegroom, this is his estate, make your choice from these facts.’ For she could not be his mate if she would not also share his manner of life. The girl chose, and assuming the same dress as he, went around with her husband, lived with him in public, and accompanied him to dinners. And when she had attended a drinking party hosted by King Lysimachus, she confounded Theodorus, the man known as the Atheist, by proposing the following sophism: Whatever would not be called wrong if done by Theodorus would also not be wrong if done by Hipparchia. If Theodorus struck himself, he would not commit a wrong, nor, therefore, if Hipparchia struck Theodorus, would she commit a wrong. He did not reply to what she had said but tried instead to rip off her cloak. Hipparchia, however, was not frightened or upset as a woman would normally be. And when he said to her, ‘Is this the woman who abandoned the shuttle and the loom?’ She replied, ‘I am that woman, Theodorus; but do I seem to you to have made a mistake if I devoted to education the time I would have spent on the loom?’” (Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 6.7. Nagle & Burstein 2007, p. 296)

14. Professional Women • Epitaph (Athens, 4th century BCE): “Phanostrate…, the wife of Miletos, midwife and doctor, lies here. In life she caused no one pain, in death she is regreted by all.” (IG 2.3.6873. Nagle & Burstein, 2007. 297). • Inscription (Delphi, 86 BCE): “Since Polygnota, daughter of Sokrates, a harpist from Thebes, was staying at Delphi at the time the Pythian games were to be held, but because of the present war, the games were not held, on the same day she performed without charge and contributed her services for the day; and having been asked by the magistrates and the citizens, she played for three days and earned great distinction in a manner worthy of the god and of the Theban people and of our city, and we rewarded her also with five hundred drachmas; with good fortune, the city shall praise Polygnota, daughter of Sokrates, a Theban, for her reverent attitude toward the god and her piety and her conduct with regard to her manner of life and art; and there shall be given by our city to her and to her descendants the status of a proxenos, priority in consulting the oracle, priority of trial, inviolability, exemption from taxes, a front seat at the contests which the city holds, and the right to own land and a house, and all other honors such as belong to other proxenoi and benefactors of the city.” (SIG 3.738. Nagle & Burstein, 2007. 297)

15. Phyle, Wife of Thessalos:Inscription, Priene (1st Century BCE) • “Phyle, daughter of Apollonios and wife of Thessalos, the son of Polydeukes, after having been the first woman to hold the office of crown bearer, paid for with her own money a cistern for water and the water pipes in the city.” (Inschriften von Priene 208. Nagle & Burstein, 296)

16. Hellenistic Literature • Stimulated by the creation of the inaugurated under either Ptolemy I or II. • Scholars gathered from across Greece to study and produce works of literary scholarship. • Literary criticism. • Increasingly humanistic; more deeply psychological and emotional. • Learned and didactic. • Bucolic literature popular.

17. Theocritus (fl. 3rd Century BCE), Idylls 1. • “THYRSIS[1] Something sweet is the whisper of the pine that makes her music by yonder springs, and sweet no less, master Goatherd, the melody of your pipe. Pan only shall take place and prize afore you; and if they give him a horny he-goat, then a she shall be yours; and if a she be for him, why, you shall have her kid; and kid’s meat’s good eating till your kids be milch-goatds. • GOATHERD[7] As sweetly, good Shepherd, falls your music as the resounding water that gushes down from the top o’ yonder rock. If the Muses get the ewe-lamb to their meed, you shall carry off the cosset, the ewe-lamb come to you. • THYRSIS[12] ‘Fore the Nymphs I pray you, master Goatherd, come now and sit ye down here by this shelving bank and these brush tamarisks and play me a tune. I’ll keep your goats the while.” (Trans. J.M. Edmonds, 1912)

18. Theocritus, Idylls 26 (Trans. J.M. Edmonds, 1912) • ACROTIME[1] ‘Twas a neatherd like you carried off the wise Helen. • DAPHNIS[2] Helen is more willing now, for she kisses her neatherd. • ACROTIME[3] Soft, my satyr-boy, be not so sure; there’s a saying “nought goes to a kiss.” • DAPHNIS[4] Even in an empty kiss there’s a sweet delight. • ACROTIME[5] Look ye, I wipe my mouth o’ your kiss and spit it from me. • DAPHNIS[6] Wipe thy lips, quotha? then give them hither again and have thee another. • ACROTIME[7] ‘Twere rather becoming you to kiss your heifers than a maiden woman like me • DAPHNIS[8] Soft you, be not so sure; your youth passes you by like a dream. • ACROTIME[10] But the grape’s in the raisin, and dry rose-leaves may live. • DAPHNIS (kissing her cheek)[9] Shall this be suffered to grow old, that is my milk and honey? Pray you come hither under those wild-olives; I would fain tell you a tale. • ACROTIME[12] Nay, I thank you; you beguiled me before with your pretty tales. • DAPHNIS[13]Then pray you come hither under those elms and let me play you my pipe. • ACROTIME[14] Nay; that way you may pleasure yourself; scant joy comes of a sorry ting. • DAPHNIS[15] Alackaday! you likewise, honey, must e’en fear the wrath of Dame Phaphian.

19. The Greeks Under Rome • Greek history and culture does not end under the Romans. • Greece continues to be a polis society under Roman hegemony. • Greek culture has increasingly large impact on Roman culture from ca. 280 BCE on. • Roman state fosters political regimes well-disposed to Rome. • Local autonomy allowed in exchange for tribute and auxiliary troops when asked for. • Roman inferiority complex.