The Zoology of Kingship: From Alexander the Great to the Epigoni (336 - c. 250 BC)

NOTICE: Admission to the ISAW Lecture Hall closes 10 minutes after the scheduled start time.

Traditionally, kingship has established a strong bond with the forces of nature, including the animals. The issue this lecture wants to address is how this connection worked during the constituent period of the Hellenistic dynasties, from Alexander the Great (336 - 323 BC) to the Successors (323 - 281 BC) and the next generation of the Epigoni (c. 281 - c. 250 BC). To what degree, for instance, would we be entitled to speak of an animalization of the kingly idea and image? Did the nature essentially charismatic - in Weberian terms - of the new basileia favour this trend? Was zoology likely to have played a role in the process of constructing the king’s identity and public persona, in his self-fashioning? Above all, horses, lions, eagles and elephants were chosen by the kings of that period to show their real and symbolic connections with the animal world - or the animal society. This lecture will focus on them.

There will be a reception folowing the event.

This is a public event.

To RSVP, please email isaw@nyu.edu.