When Hellenistic kingship with its charismatic, to some extent even excessive character emerged in the wake of Alexander, it was perceived already by contemporaries as something genuinely new. This can be observed above all in the reception of central symbolic forms of expression and practices by non-Macedonian rulers. However, scholars have also emphasized the multifaceted nature of monarchical rule in the Hellenistic age. On the one hand, important impulses for the monarch's persona came from the culture-specific reasons for obedience (Weber) on the part of his respective subjects. On the other hand, the development of a monarchical habitus was shaped by the specific configuration of the multipolar Hellenistic world system: royal competition was carried out as one among peers, before a public that was in essence culturally Greek.

The studies collected in this volume focus on the development of concepts of rule and ideologemes as well as the cross-fertilization between the Hellenistic dynasties and in conversation with local traditions of rule. Finally, the authors address the question as to what extent the coming of Rome brought about a turning point for monarchical representation.

Autorentext
Christoph Michels is currently Heisenberg fellow at the University of Münster. He received his doctorate from the Universities of Innsbruck and Frankfurt and habilitated in Aachen. His research focuses on the history of ancient monarchies (mainly Hellenistic kingship and Roman principate), political communication and cultural history. Hans Beck is Professor of Ancient History at the University of Münster and Adjunct Professor in Classical Studies at McGill University Montreal. His research focuses on the local horizon of ancient Greece and its interplay with the grand currents of cultural patterns and practices. He has been awarded the Anneliese Maier Prize of the Humboldt Foundation and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Achim Lichtenberger is Professor of Classical Archaeology and Director of the Archaeological Museum at the University of Münster. He works on the Hellenistic and Roman Eastern Mediterranean and is co-director of ongoing excavations in Nysa-Skythopolis (Israel) and Artaxata (Armenia). His research interests range from iconographic questions of ruler representation to archaeometric investigations of archaeological settlement findings.