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Chapter 5 - Victorious Kings

The Self-Representation of a “New Society of Victors”

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 March 2024

Sebastian Scharff
Affiliation:
Università degli Studi di Trento, Italy
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Summary

This chapter investigates the role of Hellenistic kings and queens as victorious horse owners. It is asked to which degree the different dynasties of the period used equestrian victories as a means of representation. The fact that Philip II and his son Alexander had a different approach to agonistic competition gave leeway to their successors’ competitive behavior: Whereas the Antigonids and Seleucids refrained from equestrian competition, the Ptolemies became the most successful royal family in terms of athletics. They sponsored promising athletes, established a new category of contests, and were imitated by their courtiers with regard to their engagement in chariot races. In the agonistic context, the Ptolemies presented themselves as a victorious, Macedonian dynasty which integrated the female members of the family into an image of power. The Attalids, in contrast, labelled themselves a loving family of united brothers in which no disputes over the throne ever occurred.

Type
Chapter
Information
Hellenistic Athletes
Agonistic Cultures and Self-Presentation
, pp. 233 - 275
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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  • Victorious Kings
  • Sebastian Scharff, Università degli Studi di Trento, Italy
  • Book: Hellenistic Athletes
  • Online publication: 16 March 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009199926.006
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  • Victorious Kings
  • Sebastian Scharff, Università degli Studi di Trento, Italy
  • Book: Hellenistic Athletes
  • Online publication: 16 March 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009199926.006
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Victorious Kings
  • Sebastian Scharff, Università degli Studi di Trento, Italy
  • Book: Hellenistic Athletes
  • Online publication: 16 March 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009199926.006
Available formats
×