That the Hellenistic world did not stop beyond the world of kings and courtiers, and that the Hellenistic polis was not a wrecked ship, as suggested by W. Orth in his 1977 thesis Königlicher Machtanspruch und städtische Freiheit, was always clear to those who studied the work of L. Robert, but has been widely accepted since J. Ma's Antiochos III and the Cities of Western Asia Minor (1999). However, since one of Ma's main aims was to show the vitality of the polis, his model required him to identify the entities within the Hellenistic structures as homogenous bodies, and he ignored the vitality of the local elites (although he is very aware of them, cf. op. cit. p. 237). While recent scholarship demonstrates the presence of political agency beyond the level of the polis, Ma's focus on the city continues to dominate the field. This present initiative offers a slightly different approach to the Hellenistic world.
The volume is the product of an international research network on ‘local elites under the Hellenistic kings’, which was conceptualised over five years and involved a number of workshops. It is important for primarily two reasons: (1) the contributors introduce the concept of competition between local elites and shift away from the diplomatic perception of poleis with one political opinion to communities which cannot only determine their politics but also alter their political course as a result of internal rivalries; (2) the many case studies provide an overview of the power structure of the Eastern Mediterranean in the Hellenistic and Roman periods which encourages readers to embrace administrative and organisational structures beyond the paradigm of the polis.
The volume is framed by an introduction which sets the parameters of inquiry and a concluding synthesis, both written by the editors. The world which was once ruled by Alexander the Great serves as the geographic area under examination, although D. & M. concede that some areas of initial investigation had to be excluded for lack of evidence; additional results will be published as individual studies. The volume represents a large number of different regions of Alexander's former empire from mainland Greece and Asia Minor, to the Levant and Egypt via Babylonia. However, the inclusion of Macedonia proper, with its local landed elite who immediately deserted its king Perseus after his defeat by the Roman armies at Pydna (e.g. Livy 44.43 and 45.1–7), could have added another fascinating case study (see J. Ma, ‘Court, King, and Power in Antigonid Macedonia’, in R. Lane Fox, [ed.], Brill's Companion to Macedonia [2011], pp. 521–43). The introduction also offers a work-in-progress definition of local elites, whose central role was to monopolise communication with the central authorities in order permanently to strengthen their position (p. 10). Moreover, the contributors follow key questions regarding the interaction between local elites, their communities and central powers, including the expectations of each of these groups, as well as the relationship between the local elites and Greek/Macedonian culture and/or Greek and Macedonian settlers (p. 11). While at times these questions are followed too rigidly, they also contribute to a valuable coherence in the volume.
D. and G. Weber illustrate the factitious character of the Greek poleis and emphasise the independence of polis developments from outside powers. A. Niebergall argues convincingly that the interaction between Mithridates VI and the poleis of Western Asia Minor was largely based on the very same local elite who co-operated with the Romans. A. Coşkun offers a new approach to the study of the Galatians, specifically Strabo's Galatian constitution (12.5.1) and the local dynamics of the late second and early first centuries B.C. T. Boiy and M. offer an introductory account of Hellenistic Babylonia which illustrates the role of the temple elite in the smooth administration of the empire. A. Blasius argues for a re-interpretation of the rural elites in Ptolemaic Egypt. By re-examining P. Cair. Zenon I 59075–6 and the account on the Tobiads in Josephus' Antiquities, S. Pfeiffer establishes the Tobiads as a Hellenised faction of the local Jewish elite which was at the same time under Ptolemaic control and could exert local independence. This focus on Jewish elites is continued by J. Wilker, who demonstrates that the Maccabees were only able to establish themselves from very local origins to a leading power in Jerusalem with the help of the Seleucid kings. R. Schulz focusses on the impact of the establishment of the province of Asia on the local elites.
The factional aspects of elites are significant and should not be undervalued, as it makes the Hellenistic period far more vibrant than perceived so far. Pfeiffer's Tobiads (who administratively seem to function similarly to the Phrygian Philomelids: SEG 54.1353, with further literature) and Wilker's Maccabees (who are welcomingly weak, but one wonders whether they could not have been even weaker if the focus had been extended down to the 120s b.c.) are two prominent examples of groups who established themselves through the support (or opposition) of the Hellenistic rulers. As this volume demonstrates, however, the Jewish examples are very pronounced cases of a phenomenon which we can also trace within the Greek cities: D. and Weber demonstrate the agonistic competition within the Greek polis, displayed in the elite's care for first civic and later philosophical values, and Niebergall identifies changing factions in Mithridatic Chaeronea (p. 64), who presumably were also responsible for the literary constructions of tyrants after the war (p. 63).
Tension and dynamics, so present in the Judaean and Greek cases, seem absent in other studies: Boiy and M. in their marvellously stage-setting article, for example, argue for the importance of the physical presence of the king in the administration of Babylonia as well as the central position of the temple elite. However, the rare presence of the king (p. 110), and the upcoming role of the pulitai (the citizens of the newly founded city of Babylon) at the very least may suggest the potential for tension.
Space does not permit an extensive discussion of individual articles; nevertheless, a few notes will be added. Although D. and Weber argue convincingly for the vibrancy of the polis, they nevertheless fall into the old fallacy of describing the finances of the late Hellenistic city as precarious (p. 45). While Niebergall discusses the construction of tyrants as a literary topos (pp. 62–3), the fact that he does not discuss the ‘demonic’ appearance of the Pontic king in the same manner (e.g. pp. 71–2) seems indecisive. The ‘palace’ of the Tobiads in Transjordan might reflect the Hellenistic tendencies of the family as Pfeiffer suggests (p. 213), however, the sale of ‘unclean’ animals such as horses, mules and donkeys, as well as uncircumcised slaves (p. 199), does not constitute evidence that Tobias did not pay close attention to Jewish customs (p. 211). The Jewish laws only concern the consumption of meat and the touching of carcasses and not the possession or sale of animals (e.g. Lev. 11.1–8; Num. 22.21–30; Deut. 22.1–4). Schulz's contribution begins with an unfortunate typo in the title indicating a chronological frame from 133–33 b.c., while the first pages (pp. 253–4) clearly outline why his investigation will end in the year 49 b.c. Otherwise, the volume is well edited and offers an extensive index.
The long genesis of this stimulating and well-constructed volume is one of its advantages, however, in such a vibrant field, it is also its curse. Given the revised numbering, quoting the second edition of M.M. Austin's The Hellenistic World from Alexander the Great to the Roman Conquest (2006) would have been beneficial (the number required on p. 105 n. 4 is 166 instead of 189). Although presumably the result of the lengthy production of the volume, two items are missed: S.B. Rosenberg, Airaq Al-Amir: the Architecture of the Tobiads (2006), which offers a re-reading of Tobiad history and interprets the ‘palace’ as a mausoleum; and M. Cottier, M.H. Crawford, C.V. Crowther, et al. (edd.), The Customs Law of Asia (2008), which offers a more thorough discussion of this important inscription (discussed on p. 257).
These minor points, however, do not challenge the overall importance of the volume for the field. The book, the conception behind it and its stimulating contributions catapult the study of local elites within and beyond the polis onto a central stage of Hellenistic studies, and this is of major importance. It is hoped that this initiative will bear fruits in a field that still has so much to offer, and of which a broader audience will now be made aware.
