Introduction: Seleucid literature on the Hellenistic stage

Abstract

The Introduction set the scene with Cavafy’s Fame of the Ptolemies, in which a boastful Ptolemaic king singles out his Seleucid neighbour as his biggest rival. This rivalry is at the heart of this book: Beyond Alexandria sets out to show how much the literary production of these two empires influenced each other. In order to achieve, the key point that this book puts forward is that a connected body of Seleucid literature existed and that this term is a meaningful, interpretative concept. After setting out the main goals of this book, the Introduction briefly discusses the scholarship that has provided the foundation for the arguments set out in the chapters. In addition, it outlines the chronological framework underlying the texts and authors discussed in this book. In the second part of the Introduction, two key concepts used in this book are discussed in more depth: the concept of royal ideology and the definition of literature in general.

The Most High God vs. Nabû: A God of Letters, Wisdom, and Fate Who Can(not) Read, Understand, or Foretell

“…77 Although his exact role is unclear, it is highly likely that Nabû functioned as the tutelary deity for the king, granting a royal scepter to him and thereby legitimizing his kingship. 78 Therefore, Marijn S. Visscher (2020: 109) appropriately remarks, “[T]he Akītu festival continued to carry relevance, and especially for the Seleucid kings. The importance of the festival makes it potentially a key moment for the legitimization of the Seleucid king as a king of Babylon, and a context for negotiating kingship with the city elites.” 79 In this regard, one can see how the Akītu festival further spread the Nabû cult throughout the Hellenistic world.…”

“… 69. On the Akītu festival, see Pallis (1926: 104–107); Bidmead (2002); Linssen (2004: 68–86); Waerzeggers (2011: 725–751); Visscher (2020: 104–107); Debourse (2022). …”

“… 78. Visscher (2020: 109); Erickson (2011: 59; 2018: 83–84); Linssen (2004: 81). See Section 2 of the present article. …”