Books by Alexander Meeus
Narrative In Hellenistic Historiography, 2018
Diodoros of Sicily: Historiographical Theory and Practice in the Bibliotheke, 2018
Papers by Alexander Meeus
E.M. Anson (ed.), A Companion to the Campaigns of Philip II and Alexander the Great, 2025
The spectacular military successes of Philip and Alexander of Macedon depended in no small measur... more The spectacular military successes of Philip and Alexander of Macedon depended in no small measure on the loyalty and obedience of their troops, who were prepared to endure great hardship and even march almost to the ends of the earth as they knew it. A crucial factor in securing the soldiers’ allegiance was the compensation they received in the form of regular pay, plunder, bonuses as well as marks of honor and distinction; on many occasions the non-material ones appear at least as important as the material ones. Although the sources are often lacking in important detail, the broad outlines of a highly complex system of rewards and honors graduated by unit, rank and merit can be reconstructed.
‘Traces of Herakles’ Benefactions across the Roman Republican Mediterranean as Proof of their Historicity in Diodoros’ Bibliotheke’
Ktèma. Civilisations de l'Orient, de la Grèce et de Rome antiques, 2024
The key to the presentation of mythical geography in Diodoros' Bibliotheke is often sought in ove... more The key to the presentation of mythical geography in Diodoros' Bibliotheke is often sought in overt and covert references to the author's historical context-an approach that seems hard to square with his emphasis on the value of his myths as historical episodes in their own right. This paper argues that the procedure actually works the other way around, most clearly in the long Herakles narrative in book IV with its panorama of the contemporary world: the many traces of Herakles' activity and the cults offered to him around almost all of the Mediterranean serve to demonstrate Diodoros' claim that Herakles was universally recognized as the greatest benefactor and that benefactors are always honored-in his case even with actual divinization.
Les références implicites ou explicites au contexte historique de l'auteur sont souvent considérées comme la clé de l'interprétation de la géographie mythique dans la Bibliothèque de Diodore, hypothèse difficile à concilier avec son insistance sur la valeur intrinsèque des mythes en tant qu'épisodes historiques. Cet article soutient que le processus est inverse, notamment dans le long récit du livre IV sur Héraklès avec son tableau du monde contemporain : les multiples traces de l'activité d'Héraklès et les cultes en son honneur sur presque tout le pourtour de la Méditerranée y servent à démontrer qu'Héraklès était un être humain réel universellement reconnu comme le plus grand bienfaiteur et que les bienfaiteurs sont toujours honorés -dans ce cas-ci même par la divinisation.
Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 222, pp. 82-88., 2022
(FIRST PAGE ONLY)
Contrary to what seems to have become the majority opinion in recent decades, ... more (FIRST PAGE ONLY)
Contrary to what seems to have become the majority opinion in recent decades, the words ἐνόπλιον ἅρματι refer to a single equestrian discipline, which must have been some form of armed chariot race: Hedea’s win constitutes a unique instance of a female victory in a civic hippic contest at the Isthmian Games.
S. Schorn (ed.), Die Fragmente der Griechischen Historiker Continued Part IV, Brill Online., 2021
in S. Schorn (ed.), Die Fragmente der Griechischen Historiker Continued Part IV, Brill Online., 2021
Anonymous, History of the Successors (Heidelberg Epitome) (155)
in I. Worthington (ed.), Brill’s New Jacoby, Brill Online., 2021
in A. Turner (ed.), Reconciling Ancient and Modern Philosophies of History (Trends in Classics – Pathways of Reception 3), Berlin: De Gruyter 2020, 83-122., 2020
put it in his argument against idealistic philosophies of history: 'was erdacht wurde, ist ja nic... more put it in his argument against idealistic philosophies of history: 'was erdacht wurde, ist ja nicht zwangsläufig fiktional oder imaginär'; cf. even Wiseman 1988, 263 about Thucydides: 'Because he couldn't be sure he got it right, it doesn't mean he made it up.' https://doi.org/10.1515/
in K. Trampedach & A. Meeus (edd.), The Legitimation of Conquest: Monarchical Representation and the Art of Government in the Empire of Alexander the Great (Studies in Ancient Monarchies 7), Stuttgart: Franz Steiner 2020, 291-317., 2020
in K. Trampedach & A. Meeus (edd.), The Legitimation of Conquest: Monarchical Representation and the Art of Government in the Empire of Alexander the Great (Studies in Ancient Monarchies 7), Stuttgart: Franz Steiner 2020, 9-18., 2020
K. Vandorpe (ed.), A Companion to Greco-Roman and Late Antique Egypt (Blackwell Companions to the Ancient World), Hoboken, NJ: Wiley , 2019
Men and women traveling to or from Egypt in the Hellenistic and Roman periods including tourists,... more Men and women traveling to or from Egypt in the Hellenistic and Roman periods including tourists, hostages or prisoners of war, scholars, ambassadors and rulers. Despite the increased contact and knowledge Graeco-Roman views of Egyptian Religion with its animal cults still show little understanding. The concept of globalisation commonly applied to the Hellenistic and Roman Imperial periods needs to be understood in the very limited sense of a proto-globalisation, as D.T. Potts has called it.
T. Howe & F. Pownall (edd.), Ancient Macedonians in the Greek and Roman Sources: From History to Historiography, Swansea: Classical Press of Wales, 2018
Analysis of the constantly shifting alliances amongst the Successors and their policy of expedien... more Analysis of the constantly shifting alliances amongst the Successors and their policy of expediency, including a discussion of the meaning of the term 'koinopragia' in Diodoros.
A. Meeus (ed.), Narrative in Hellenistic Historiography (Histos Supplement 8), Newcastle upon Tyne: Histos, 2018
History’s Aims and Audience in the Proem to Diodoros’ Bibliotheke
L.I. Hau, A. Meeus & B. Sheridan (edd.), Diodoros of Sicily: Historiographical Theory and Practice in the Bibliotheke (Studia Hellenistica 58), Leuven: Peeters, 2018
Scholarship on the general proem to Diodoros’ Bibliotheke has often focussed on its sources, whil... more Scholarship on the general proem to Diodoros’ Bibliotheke has often focussed on its sources, while current trends in Diodorean scholarship mostly stress originality. The evidence does not allow us to solve this problem, though, and the issue does not seem all that relevant anyway: it very much presupposes modern ideas of originality, so that to replace the old view of an unthinking copyist with the image of a highly original historian is simply to replace one misguided dogma with another. What matters is that the general proem to the Bibliotheke is an adequate reflection of Diodoros’ aims and entirely appropriate to the most common ancient view of historiography: indeed the proem contains all aspects of Cicero’s definition of history at De Oratore II 36 and reveals many parellels with the proems of contermporary Greek and Roman historians. Furthermore, all these functions of history as teacher, beacon of truth and memorial clearly form an integrated whole in Diodoros’ philosophy of history. As this was the standard view of historiography for over 2,000 years, it cannot simply be considered banal.
Sacris Erudiri, 2017
Historiographical compilations are usually seen as a typical late antique and mediaeval phenomeno... more Historiographical compilations are usually seen as a typical late antique and mediaeval phenomenon. This paper argues that the compilatory method was already wide-spread in earlier centuries and indeed was the normal procedure for ancient authors dealing with the non-contemporary past, as can been seen from their reporting of traditions they did not necessarily believe, from the ubiquitous use of a single main source and the often indirect use of other sources, and from the persistence of old information over many centuries. As remarkable as this may seem to the modern scholar, it is hardly surprising when one considers the authority of tradition in the ancient world. For this reason it may be more productive to think about this phenomenon in terms of tradition rather than compilation.
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Books by Alexander Meeus
Papers by Alexander Meeus
Les références implicites ou explicites au contexte historique de l'auteur sont souvent considérées comme la clé de l'interprétation de la géographie mythique dans la Bibliothèque de Diodore, hypothèse difficile à concilier avec son insistance sur la valeur intrinsèque des mythes en tant qu'épisodes historiques. Cet article soutient que le processus est inverse, notamment dans le long récit du livre IV sur Héraklès avec son tableau du monde contemporain : les multiples traces de l'activité d'Héraklès et les cultes en son honneur sur presque tout le pourtour de la Méditerranée y servent à démontrer qu'Héraklès était un être humain réel universellement reconnu comme le plus grand bienfaiteur et que les bienfaiteurs sont toujours honorés -dans ce cas-ci même par la divinisation.
Contrary to what seems to have become the majority opinion in recent decades, the words ἐνόπλιον ἅρματι refer to a single equestrian discipline, which must have been some form of armed chariot race: Hedea’s win constitutes a unique instance of a female victory in a civic hippic contest at the Isthmian Games.