Ebook: Conventional Values of the Hellenistic Greeks

The contributors to this volume seek to decipher the Hellenistic citizens' views on vital elements of their society: the city, the ruler, religion, magic and astrology, everyday life and social relations (family and gender), morality, uses of the past, and the iconography of death. How did the changes in political and social ideas affect actions and practices, which in turn again altered concepts? Moreover, the authors distinguish between the views of the common people and the elite, the evidence from inscriptions (seen as popular sentiment) and the evidence from literature (from the elite). The authors' conclusions have broad ramifications for future scholars in a field that has not hitherto received much attention. This volume is essential reading on the early development of individualism and the history of ideas.



The image of the Hellenistic world presented by modern scholarship is full of stereotypes. But what image did the Hellenistic Greeks themselves have of their world? This is the question addressed in this volume by an international group of scholars. Their perspectives range widely, and include archaeology, history, literature, religion and philosophy.
The essays are based on presentations at a conference held in Copenhagen in 1995, at which basic issues concerning the mentality of the Hellenistic Greeks were discussed. These issues included the Greeks' sense of cultural identity, their general world view, their political and social ideas and their perceptions of the individual.
Through their focus on a wide variety of source material, the essays illuminate the rich complexity of the Hellenistic mentality. Some broad conclusions emerge from this collection, conclusions which seriously bring into question the adequacy of the stereotypes presented in much modern research.