Polis Expansion and Elite Power in Hellenistic Karia
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A01=Jeremy LaBuff
Age Group_Uncategorized
Age Group_Uncategorized
Ancient Greek History
Author_Jeremy LaBuff
automatic-update
Autonomy and Empire
Caria
Category1=Non-Fiction
Category=HBLA1
Category=KCP
Category=NHC
Classical Studies
COP=United States
Delivery_Delivery within 10-20 working days
Democracy
Elite Power
eq_bestseller
eq_business-finance-law
eq_history
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
Hellenistic Asia Minor
Hellenistic History
Karia
Language_English
PA=Available
Political History
Price_€50 to €100
PS=Active
softlaunch
Product details
- ISBN 9781498514019
- Weight: 408g
- Dimensions: 150 x 228mm
- Publication Date: 12 Sep 2017
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Paperback
- Language: English
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In the third and second centuries BC, the city-states of Karia began to assert their independence in a rather noticeable way: they merged into larger polities. In order to explain why they did so, Polis Expansion and Elite Power in Hellenistic Karia rewrites the history of the region, which has traditionally been seen as dominated by empires and home to communities whose claims of freedom and democracy were a sham. With a detailed study of epigraphical, literary, and archaeological evidence, this study reveals a high level of local agency, as communities sought to shape their own destiny at moments of imperial weakness or withdrawal. Not everyone in these communities benefited equally from these mergers. Elites in particular reaped unique gains that provided them with access to well-connected cities or to regionally important sanctuaries, both of which represented important avenues for self-advertisement and status acquisition. Although these benefits suggest the ability of the wealthy to influence decisions that impacted entire communities, such influence did not spell the decline and fall of democracy for these city-states. Rather, they illustrated the complex power relationships that defined the practice of democracy as it continued to evolve alongside the momentous rise and fall of Hellenistic empires, until the ascendancy of Rome curtailed popular government in the region permanently. This study furthers our understanding of the political landscape of Karia, the balance of power within the Hellenistic polis, the impact of interstate relations on local politics, and political and social identity within ancient democratic states.
Jeremy LaBuff is lecturer of history at Northern Arizona University.
