Krzysztof Nawotka Knihy

The Alexander Romance by Ps.-Callisthenes is a historical commentary on a third-century AD fictional biography of Alexander the Great. It serves as a key source for understanding the Ancient History of Greece, Macedonia, and Egypt.

This is the first modern monograph of Miletos from the Classical Age until the Late Empire, concerned with history rather than with archaeology. Hence it is based primarily on plentiful epigraphic sources enriched by reference to Milesian coins and archaeological evidence. It pays much attention to the internal development of Miletos, from urban evolution to transformations of its government, ranging from oligarchy of Persian times, to Hellenistic democracy, to the regime of notables in the Imperial age. Much attention is devoted to the position of Miletos in the world dominated by major powers – Hellenistic monarchies, late Roman republic and Empire. The book shows that Miletos largely owed its quasi-independent position, markedly exceeding its real economic or military strength, to skillful exploitation of the prestige of the great temple and Oracle of Apollo in Didyma, enormously influential with many kings and emperors. Apart from the diachronic narrative of history of Miletos the book contains chapters on economy and population of Miletos, the professed identity of its elite and on role of Didyma and its games within the polis who named itself “the nourisher of Apollo”.

Alexander’s rule in Asia is primarily examined through Greek and Latin authors, but this volume expands the perspective by incorporating Greek inscriptions, papyri, and evidence from Egyptian, Babylonian, medieval Syriac, and Arabic sources. A significant focus is on Egypt, covering the XXX dynasty to the Ptolemaic age, highlighting the lighthouse of Pharos, likely conceived under Alexander as both a watchtower for Alexandria and a fire telegraph. The volume also explores Babylonia, cautioning against overly enthusiastic interpretations of cuneiform sources related to Alexander. It further investigates the topography of his campaigns in Baktria, emphasizing the need for careful analysis due to misrepresentations by ancient and medieval writers. Additionally, it addresses the literary representation of Alexander, noting his dual identity as both a historical and literary figure. Ancient historians often intertwined his persona with Herodotean themes, while the idealized image of Alexander was shaped through court poetry, influencing the power dynamics of Ptolemy of Egypt. Alexander’s legacy was assimilated into Eastern cultural traditions, notably through the Alexander Romance and his fictitious correspondence with Aristotle, where he sometimes emerged as a mystic figure in Islamic contexts or a chosen king in Jewish narratives.

This book examines the legislation of several ancient Greek cities, including Miletus and its colonies along the western Black Sea, through an extensive analysis of public documents inscribed in stone. Approximately 680 inscriptions have survived, providing a wealth of information. The study focuses not only on decrees, typically used in constitutional analyses, but also on tituli honoraria and other inscriptions from the late Hellenistic and Roman periods. Miletus is particularly valuable for this research due to the ability to date many inscriptions to specific years. While most evidence is from the Hellenistic and Imperial eras, it reveals that legislative patterns established during the archaic period, when Miletus founded its Pontic colonies, persisted for centuries. The book also addresses broader themes, such as the relationship between Greek metropoleis and their colonies, democracy in the Hellenistic world, and the impact of Rome on the transition from Greek democracy to oligarchy. It demonstrates that Miletus and its colonies maintained vibrant democracies throughout the Hellenistic Age, with legislation distinct from that of Athens. Inscriptions indicate a shift from democracy to oligarchy occurring as late as the early 1st century A.D., likely influenced by Roman skepticism towards Greek democratic practices.

This volume tries to tackle the most serious problem facing modern Alexander the Great studies: that of inadequate sources. Its principal interest is in surviving ancient continuous accounts (Diodorus, Curtius Rufus, Plutarch, Arrian, and Justin), which are at least three hundred years younger than Alexander and in many ways one-sided in their Greek bias, often promoting the view of Alexander within the narrow bounds of a Western conqueror. The papers in this volume deconstruct these accounts and search for sources used by their authors, principally in narrative of eye-witnesses and other authors of the first generation after Alexander, including his court historian Callisthenes and his companions Onesicritus, Aristobulus, and Ptolemy. They search for fragments of ancient literary works known from papyri and for shadowy accounts created on the Persian side like the “mercenaries’ source”. Some papers look into propaganda patterns of the age of Alexander and their connections with clichés of Egyptian literature. Some investigate a parallel tradition on the last will of Alexander, enshrined in I Maccabees , and best known from the Alexander Romance . Finally, papers in this volume examine post-classical rendition of Alexander: Jewish from the Talmud to Josippon and Byzantine, composed of separate textual traditions of various ancient authors, with Plutarch taking pride of place.