Bending Space: Praise and Parrhēsia in Hellenistic Court Geography

Abstract

Hellenistic geographical treatises have traditionally received little attention for their ideological content. Recent scholarship has provided much needed revision to this approach, examining these texts through an imperial lens. However, such readings tend to overlook elements which stifle, rather than promote, imperial concerns. This thesis argues that these diverse geographies can be understood as sympotic gifts of court Philoi (friends) to the king. Imperial propaganda is interpreted as epainos (praise), and potentially subversive texts are understood as parrhēsia (frank speech). To identify these elements in court geography, a range of tools are adopted. Spatial geographic elements are viewed through critical and counter-cartographic lenses to identify epainos and parrhēsia. In descriptive geography, digressions, emplotment, and implicit juxtaposition are considered as means of reinforcing or, conversely, distancing us from the imperial gaze. Two case studies explore the imperial geography of early Hellenistic kingdoms. First, the geographical propaganda of the Ptolemies is examined and found to prescribe a universalising thalassocracy. However, Eratosthenes of Kyrene’s geography will be shown to perform as parrhēsia, effectively disrupting these imperial pretensions. The second case study considers early Seleukid geography in which claims of universal kinship are identified in the treatises of Patrokles and others. In contrast, Megasthenes’ geography will be shown express parrhēsia and challenge these claims. This dissertation redefines our understanding of Hellenistic geography by adopting a sympotic cultural lens. The identification of elements of parrhēsia within court geography allows for a more nuanced reading of Hellenistic geographies as texts responding to the concerns of the sympotic court. Court geographies performed vital ideological functions: geographic tools provided unique ways for Philoi to challenge the imperial claims of their royal patrons.