BMCR 2025.01.34

Localism in Hellenistic Greece

, , Localism in Hellenistic Greece. Phoenix supplementary volumes, 61. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2024. Pp. 416. ISBN 9781487548315.

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[Authors and titles are listed at the end of the review]

 

Mobility, increased connectivity, and cosmopolitanism have consistently been described as among the hallmarks of the Hellenistic world, effectively favouring a scholarly view through the prism of globalization, while drawing attention away from more zoomed-in approaches. In line with the more up-to-date perspective of glocalization,[1] which takes into consideration both universal and local circumstances and their impact on local societies, the present collective volume attempts to improve the understanding of the Hellenistic world by focusing on the phenomenon of localism and its capacity to help local societies (re)discover and—occasionally—(re)claim their place in a quickly expanding world. The prior, important work on this topic by the two editors, Sheila Ager and Hans Beck, places them in a unique position to lead such a collective effort.[2] The volume centres around 13 main chapters. These were singled out of a larger number of presentations featured in a workshop organized in 2018 by the two editors. In accordance with the proclaimed focus on Hellenistic Greece, most chapters concern the Greek mainland, in particular Thessaly, central Greece, and the Peloponnese. Notable exceptions are Chapters 5, 14, and 15, which discuss local discourses in other geographical settings, namely Asia Minor (Karia and Rough Cilicia) and Sicily. Further, the chronological scope of Ch. 15 extends into the Roman period. The editors justify this slight deviation by arguing for these contributions’ pervasive relatedness with Greece mainland (p. viii).

An introduction by one of the editors (Beck) opens the volume and sets the tone for the rest of the contributions. Using as a starting point the widely known Salmakis inscription from Halikarnassos, the author showcases how inhabitants of Hellenistic-period localities could marry global cultural influences with their local experiences and aspirations. Balancing religion, cult, and local culture, the poem on the inscription claims for Halikarnassos both a prideful (ongoing) history and an enviable place in the wider Hellenistic networks, acting as a response to the period’s political turbulence and identity crisis. Next, Beck focuses on the notions of globalization and localism, demonstrating—through notions such as cultural hybridity, micro-regions, and cultural theory—that these are heavily interdependent. Further, it is underlined that the local and localism have both a physical and an imagined dimension. The former concerns a large number of functional localities, often irregular, diversified and convoluted, and is experienced by individuals within the physical realm. The latter acts as a unifying force rendering the local experience available to everyone in the community.

Ruben Post considers the area of lake Kopais in central Greece, demonstrating how a distinct micro-region with its specific microclimate, flora, and fauna could shape the lived experience of a local population. Leaving aside human interventions to control local hydrology, such as that by Alexander III, the author argues that the local ecology, and its transformation according to the yearly cycles, dictated the form and extent of local activities, like agriculture, pastoralism, hunting, and fishing, a prime example being the infamous local production of auloi (flutes).

Chandra Giroux focuses on the neighbouring city of Chaironeia, which provided the ground for some significant military clashes (in 338 and 86 BCE). She argues that these battles were imprinted in both the real and imagined ‘localscape,’ even leading to the emergence of a form of battlefield tourism. The local identity was not characterized only by the memory of these battles: archaeological, literary and epigraphic evidence indicates the presence of a healing industry, involving cultivating flowers with healing abilities and local shrines to healing deities, as well as of a locally modified practice for the manumission of slaves. Both are expected to have left their mark on the local character of the Chaironeians.

Alex McAuley offers a novel look at the institution of Hellenistic proxenia. Focusing on the large number of 3rd–2nd centuries proxeny decrees from Chalkis, Oropos, and nearby Boiotian cities, he demonstrates that these did not merely facilitate the creation of political-diplomatic networks. More locally, they could regulate the legal status of a foreigner within the granting city. Capitalizing on this, the honoree (and his descendants) could enjoy exceptional privileges, such as inviolability, tax exemptions, and the right to hold property. These honorees could, in return, negotiate favourable trade agreements between their city of origin and the granting city, thus overcoming any political and commercial limitations brought about by Hellenistic federal states.

Sara Saba’s contribution also pertains to local civic rights, in particular matrimonial resolutions. Despite a diachronic preference of Greek cities for engodamy (marriage within the community), she highlights the unique case of forced or prescribed intermarriages between two communities (exogamy), namely Latmos and Pidasa in Karia, forming a sympolity. This is interpreted as a local strategy to achieve a functioning compromise between contrasting forces, namely existing mixed marriages, the desire of cities to maintain their unique character, and the challenges posed by a quickly shifting world.

Denver Graninger concentrates on Larisa, Thessaly, searching to identify strategies of prioritizing the local. He recognizes such attempts in the early 2nd-century establishment of a freedom festival, conducted in a clearly local manner, in the proliferation of locally relevant monuments (heroon and tomb of the founding hero Akrisios, statue and coins of the nymph Larisa), and the creative utilization of the prehistoric Pelasgians as ancestors. Hence, Graninger argues, the mixing of local and sometimes non-local elements created a distinctly local discourse environment.

Joseph Scholten sets out to map the idiosyncratic local identity of the Aitolians, refuting old and modern stereotypes that present them as semi-barbarous and extravagant people. Instead of relying only on ancient authors (e.g. Polybios), he enlists the available evidence (mainly epigraphic) to achieve a more nuanced, emic approach. Consequently, the odd—often deemed unacceptable—behaviour of the Aitolians, including their custom of “extracting plunder from plunder,” is better understood if placed within a locally pervasive and persisting political scheme of displaying and (re)distributing wealth, especially in places of increased religious and symbolic meaning for the Aitolian koinon, like Thermon.

Peter Funke’s centre of attention is also the Aitolian League, although from a different perspective. Focusing on the elusive telē, he argues that these corresponded to borderline administrative districts, which before their annexation to the League comprised independent federations. Their survival, as indicated by epigraphic evidence and local bronze coinage, enabled individuals, according to Funke, to participate in the more globally oriented agenda of the League, while maintaining a connection with more parochial customs or traditions of their home district, and hence their original shared identity.

The next chapter marks a turn of attention to the Peloponnese. On the face of the tumultuous reign of Kleomenes III (r. 235–222 BCE), marked by numerous military Spartan advances, Elena Franchi explores the constituent elements of Spartan localism that, next to more global political aspirations, reinforced Sparta’s foreign policy. After an examination of historical sources (like Plutarch and Phylarchos), local coin-types, inscriptions, Doric epigrams, and Laconian sayings (apophthegmata), she concludes that paramount among these elements were the enmity with Argos, the perceived superiority of Spartan education, and the locally significant myth of Herakles.

Sebastian Scharff discusses another instance of Spartan localism. At the core of his chapter lies the concept of competitive localism translated in terms of athletics. In an open dialogue between athletics and polis ideology (as evidenced in several victor epigrams), the particularities of Spartan athletic practices, including the abstinence from boxing, the fondness for female and team contests, as well as the successes of Spartan athletes in global competitions, are used as a vehicle to denote a preponderant local identity and way of living.

James Roy calls attention to local politics in Megalopolis, operating in tandem with regional and supraregional political developments. He examines, in particular, the political careers of two 3rd-century tyrants, Aristodamos and Lydiadas. Despite their differences, noteworthy is the fact that both restricted themselves to the local political landscape, seemingly enjoying considerable success and popularity. Indeed, the available archaeological and epigraphic evidence attests to the preservation of a favourable memory at least for Lydiadas. Consequently, Polybios’ surprising ‘silence’ on this potentially signals a case of literary bias, rooted in a personal dislike of tyranny.

Chelsea Gardner (like Post in Ch. 2) examines a case of environmental localism. She considers the region of Mani and its sanctuary of Poseidon at Tainaron, and the manner in which the rugged, remote landscape and unfavourable climate conditions regulated local discourses. The short-lived, late 4th-century employment of Tainaron for mercenary gathering and recruitment, and the epigraphical evidence pointing to regionally intense guest-friendship (proxeny) connections, demonstrate the degree of versatility and resilience that individuals and communities could exhibit, as well as the notion of relatedness that harsh environmental conditions could trigger.

Mark Thatcher (Ch. 13) shifts the focus to a totally different geographical area, namely Syracuse in Sicily. Using a variety of different types of evidence (literary sources, coinage, inscriptions), he attempts to outline the defining elements constituting the local identity of Hellenistic Syracusans. Of prime importance among them was a projection of Greekness to separate themselves from nearby non-Greek populations, the shared memory of past greatness, and pride in a Dorian descent. Hence, a distinct prioritization of the local, as vividly illustrated in the colourful incident involving two Syracusan women in the cosmopolitan Ptolemaic Alexandria as described by Theokritos (pp. 327, 338–342).

In the volume’s last contribution, Timothy Howe looks at Antiochia ad Cragum, in order to define the composition of the enduring Hellenistic local character of the city’s elites up to Roman times. The complex political history of the city, which changed hands numerous times, dictated the course of action adopted by its elites, who exhibited a great degree of adjustability. The choice of names, coin types, and dedications to emperors (coins, statues, and buildings alike) reveal a conscious, successful compromise between global necessities (the obligations and opportunities stemming from foreign rule) and adherence to the local outlook; in other words, an intersectional, glocal identity.

The volume closes with a much-needed afterword by Ager, where she attempts to bring together all the different approaches and ideas utilized throughout the volume. In a somewhat free-flowing manner, she reiterates some basic principles which permeate the phenomenon of localism and should be considered in any effort to study it. Thus, it is perceived as a dynamic, multidimensional experience, with a physical and metaphorical aspect attached to it. Regarding the expression of localism(s), the value of pliable myths is underlined, as is evident also in a number of the volume’s contributions. In any consideration of localism, however, a relational approach must be adopted: contrary to older scholarly views, which privileged only the notions of Hellenization and cosmopolitanism, a dialectic among the local and the regional and global should be acknowledged. On the one hand, localisms might have emerged or been reinvigorated as a defence mechanism to address a crisis of identity caused by the changed political and social circumstances of the Hellenistic world. At the same time, though, the facilitation of a bi-directional flow of interactions cannot be denied. The afterword ends with several suggestions for future research on the topic (e.g. the connection of local attachment and conflict, and the consideration of localisms of gender, social status, and ethnicity).

The volume at hand comprises an excellent attempt to tackle an interesting, yet complex and difficult topic. Hence the term “kaleidoscope,” introduced by Beck and repeated several times by other contributors, to express the complex variegation of the local. The selection of topics presented expresses this complexity admirably, while the careful editing and clear structure of the volume, organized mainly in a geographical way and including a detailed summary for each chapter, render its reading much easier. On a similar note, however, the almost total absence of figures acts conversely; their inclusion would have helped readers follow descriptions (of coins, sites etc.) more efficiently.

The background of most contributors as historians explains the overwhelming utilization of written sources and inscriptions. This is understandable, as this type of evidence can offer rare glimpses into ancient beliefs and perceptions, which are necessary to extract conclusions on Hellenistic localism. It comes, however, with a caveat, as it is usually impossible to assess the representativeness of an opinion expressed here. The examination of other types of material evidence (e.g. pottery and sculpture) and the employment of stylistic and quantitative analysis to allow for the emergence of similarities or differences, which might have signalled elements of localism, could be useful in that respect. Beck hints as much in his introduction by focusing on the terracotta figurines from Tanagra (pp. 7–9). His example resonates, however, only minimally in the volume (pp. 73, 311–318).

Regarding the geographical scope of the volume, the absence of any contributions on Macedonia is somewhat surprising, considering its political reach into the rest of Greece during the Hellenistic period. This might be another consequence of the aforementioned emphasis on literary sources, which we mostly lack for this region, although the discovered epigraphic record partially makes up for this. Thus, the volume misses out on exploring this region’s localism(s), whose components might have been quite different than in southern Greece. The even greater currents of mobility, and a gradual decrease in leverage or prestige over other Hellenistic kingdoms, may have sparked various local responses and a recalibration of the region’s localism. This remark is hardly a criticism of a volume dealing with such a wide-ranging and hitherto neglected topic. The contributions in this volume constitute a valuable aid to anyone looking into a more rounded, in-depth view of the Hellenistic world. It constitutes a starting point in the study of Hellenistic localism, the scope of which needs, as Ager rightly argues, to be expanded in a variety of ways.

 

Authors and Titles

  1. Hans Beck, “Introduction: Localism in Hellenistic Greece”
  2. Ruben Post, “Localism and Environmental History in the Hellenistic Kopaic Basin”
  3. Chandra Giroux, “Healing a Battlefield: The Local World of Hellenistic Chaironeia”
  4. Alex McAuley, “The Other Side of the Stone: Local Proxenia in the Hellenistic Euboian Gulf”
  5. Sara Saba, “Notes on Matrimonial Strategies in Civic Contexts”
  6. Denver Graninger, “Local Horizons for the Thessalian Eleutheria”
  7. Joseph B. Scholten, “The Problematic Localism of the Hellenistic Aitolians”
  8. Peter Funke, “Aligning the Dots: Local Self-Assertion in a Politically Expanding World”
  9. Elena Franchi, “The Local Voice of Enmity: Kleomenes III, Sparta, and Argos”
  10. Sebastian Scharff, “‘Sparta is my country’: Competitive Localism in Hellenistic Sparta”
  11. James Roy, “Shaping and Reshaping Local Memories in Megalopolis: The Case of the Tyrants Aristodamos and Lydiadas”
  12. Chelsea A.M. Gardner, “Global Activities in a Localized Context: Mercenaries, Proxeny, and the Small Local World of Hellenistic Mani”
  13. Mark Thatcher, “Being Syracusan in the Hellenistic World”
  14. Timothy Howe, “Between the Local and the Global: Intersectional Elites at Antiochia ad Cragum in Roman Rough Cilicia”
  15. Sheila L. Ager, “Afterword: Reflections on Hellenistic Localism”

 

Notes

[1] For the introduction of the term in social studies, see Roberton, R., 1995. “Glocalization: Time-Space and Homogeneity-Heterogeneity,” in Global Modernities, eds. Featherstone, M., S. Lash, and R. Robertson, London, pp. 25–44.

[2] Cf. Ager, S., and R. Faber, eds. 2013. Belonging and Isolation in the Hellenistic World, Toronto; Beck, H. 2020. Localism and the Ancient Greek City-State, Chicago.