Things I do as an ancient historian (2009)
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Things I do as an ancient historian. J. Ma Corpus Chris6 College, Oxford Faculty of Classics, Oxford University
Transcript of Things I do as an ancient historian (2009)
Things I do as an ancient historian.
J. Ma Corpus Chris6 College, Oxford
Faculty of Classics, Oxford University
I teach ancient Greek history, mainstream…
“Pnyx III”, the hillside auditorium that held mee6ngs of the Athenian people during the later fourth century BC, with its stepped speaker’s plaKorm, carved out of the living rock. Behind, the Parthenon and Propylaia. The backdrop: one of the mountains of ANka, the Parnes.
...and, perhaps, less mainstream.
This is one of three copies of a dossier of leOers concerning the appointment of a high-‐priestess of the Seleukid queen Laodike; it was found near Nihavand, ancient Laodikeia in Media, now a city in western Iran (193 BC).
I’ve never been to Iran, but would very much like to— and I think all Classicists should visit Iran, Egypt and, perhaps one day, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan…
Iran was part of the Seleukid empire, the great land empire that stretched from the Aegean to modern Afghanistan; a copy of the same royal ordinance as was carved on this stele found in Iran was found in Western Turkey, at the other end of the empire.
I’m interested in the historical geography of Classical lands...
The plain of Pamukçu (seen from the ruins of a Byzan6ne castle), an important route from the Propon6s to the Lydian plain— and the site where a copy of an edict of An6ochos III was found (the same king who issued the edict found in Iran)
…notably in Turkey (ancient Asia Minor)
Like the previous picture, this is in Turkey: the Killanian plain, near lake Beyşehir. Some-‐ where in this plain, a shrine, where a copy of the same royal edict as found near Pamuk-‐ çu was set up– as we know from yet another copy, found at Philomelion, modern Akşehir, On the other side of the range of mountains in the hinterground– the Sultan Dağ. The Local power-‐holders, the Philomelids, governed both sides of the mountain, for the Seleu-‐ kid state. Close by: An6ocheia in Pisidia, the shrine of Men Askaenos.
…but also in Greece.
The baOlefield of Chaironeia seen from the north-‐western edge; the narrow Kephisos corridor, the mountain wall (which should not be called “Thourion”), behind which the road which links Chairo-‐ neia to Lebadeia
Classical Athens interests me.
A monument on the northern edge of the Athenian Agora: the Stoa Basileios, with the wings added on to re-‐ ceived inscribed stelai bearing the text of Athenian laws, and the “Stone” on which oaths were sworn
Archaic Athens interests me.
The back of the “kouros of Anavyssos”, a sixth century funerary statue with an epigram for young Kroisos, dead in war, splendid in his image
Sculpture interests me.
The “private honorific” statue of Aristonoe, priestess of Nemesis at Rhamnous, set up in the temple by her son, early fourth century BC
Monuments interest me.
The Lion of Chaironeia, set up over the mass grave of (probably) the Theban Sacred Band in (probably) ca. 280 BC. I also studied some of the skeletons that once lay below the lion. I wonder if there are more to be found– the excavators reburied those they uncovered (1880), and may have missed a whole row.
Inscrip6ons interest me.
Late Hellenis6c honorific decree from Kalindoia (Macedonia)
The Achaimenid empire interests me.
The early fourth-‐century sarcophagus of an Achaimenid “baron” installed in the Troad, and shown riding down an enemy of the Persian order (probably a Mysian rebel)
Power, language and space interest me
A lot of what I do is inspired by others
Louis Robert (1904-‐ 1985), the greatest scholar of Greek epigra-‐ phy and the historical geography of Greek lands (notably Asia Minor).
I like reading Greek.
I like Thucydides
I believe the Parthenon frieze should be exhibited in Athens
