New Books Network: Interview with Angelos Chaniotis – "Age of Conquests: The Greek World from Alexander to Hadrian" (Harvard UP, 2018)

Episode Overview

This episode features Angelos Chaniotis, Professor of Ancient History and Classics at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, discussing his book Age of Conquests: The Greek World from Alexander to Hadrian. Host Ryan Tripp guides listeners through a dynamic and accessible overview of the Greek world’s transformation over five centuries, focusing on political expansion, social and cultural evolution, religious change, and the enduring impact of Hellenism well into the Roman imperial era. The conversation delves deeply into new archaeological discoveries, the ways institutions and ideas persisted or changed, and the legacies of both conquerors and everyday people during this fascinating period.

The Book’s Visual and Conceptual Framing

Book Cover Choices and Symbolism

• Chaniotis discusses the process behind selecting the cover images for various editions of the book, each designed to evoke the complexity and reach of the period (02:10).
  • Harvard Edition: Features a 16th-century engraving of the Pharos of Alexandria:
    • Symbolizes technological advancement, mobility, travel, and the Greek world's expansion into Egypt (02:10–03:50).
  • English Edition (Profile Books): Shows a Ptolemaic-era ceremony with both Greek soldiers and Egyptian priests.
    • Chosen to represent the blending of Greek and non-Greek traditions (03:50–04:41).

Key Themes and Historical Framework

Defining the "Age of Conquests" and Its Chronology

• Chaniotis extends the Hellenistic period beyond the traditional endpoint of Cleopatra’s death to Hadrian’s reign (04:56–08:40).
  • While political events mark Caesar’s victory as an end point, cultural, religious, and social continuities persist into the Roman period.
  • Hadrian’s Panhellenion (132 CE) marks the symbolic culmination of Greek unity first aspired to by Alexander.

“The death of Cleopatra is not a turning point in the history of culture… This is why I decided to go beyond this chronological border and discuss also the development of the Greek world in the first two centuries of the Roman Empire.”
— Angelos Chaniotis (06:30)

The Impact of Archaeological and Epigraphic Discoveries

• New findings, especially inscriptions and papyri, dramatically enhance social and cultural histories of the period (08:40–13:28).
  • Detailed festival records reveal the vibrancy of festival culture.
  • Inscriptions and papyri illuminate Jewish self-governance in Ptolemaic Egypt and spread of democratic institutions.
  • Revealed everyday life, benefactors’ actions, and local religious practices.

“These are the information that allow us, in a sense to travel, like using a time machine, and see how ordinary people live and talk to each other and think and feel and dream and suffer.”
— Angelos Chaniotis (12:13)

Successor Kings and the Dynamics of Power

The Diadochi and Hellenistic Kingship

• Alexander’s death without a clear heir led to a scramble for power among his generals (13:53–19:52).
  • The notion of "successors" (Diadochi) stems from the fragmentation of a vast empire.
• “Adventurer kings” like Pyrrhus of Epirus embody the restless ambition of the era, with ambitions justified (and mocked) by ancient philosophers.
• The era saw shifting alliances and constant warfare motivated by both ambition and fear of rivals.

“None of these kings calls himself king of something. They are not kings of Syria or kings of Egypt ... They are kings, simply kings, which means kings of whatever they are in a position to control.”
— Angelos Chaniotis (19:26)

Social Mobility, Prestige, and Cultural Innovation

Virtuosity, Festivals, and New Elites

• A shift away from landownership as the sole basis of social status; success in arts, athletics, or education became pathways to prestige (21:04–24:56).
  • Agonistic festivals rewarded winners with money, privileges, citizenship, and land.
• Loosened citizenship rules allowed for social advancement beyond hereditary aristocracy.

“What they can do now, and they couldn't do in earlier periods, is that they can buy land. ... This means that by owning land, they can settle in areas, they can become benefactors, they can acquire social prestige through their benefactions.”
— Angelos Chaniotis (22:53)

Associations, Gymnasia, and the Diffusion of Hellenic Culture

• Proliferation of voluntary associations, trade guilds, and localized identities within cities mirrored contemporary forms of social solidarity/clubs (25:26–31:15).
• Gymnasia and ephebia (institutions for youth training) persisted into the Roman era, serving as key sites of cultural and social exchange.
• Female and male benefactors, as well as shifting gender norms, contributed significantly.

Religion, Syncretism, and Mystery Cults

• The era sees intense personal religiosity and the blending (syncretism) of Greek and indigenous deities (31:15–36:48).
• Mystery cults—featuring personal initiation and the promise of protection and a better afterlife—flourished.
• Egyptian goddess Isis, for example, became broadly worshipped, sometimes under Greek names or forms.

“Mystery cults existed in Greece again before Alexander the Great. But what we observe again after the conquest of Alexander the Great is a tremendous spread of these trends...”
— Angelos Chaniotis (32:55)

• Inscriptions document miraculous encounters and dedications, giving new insight into ordinary people's beliefs.

Cultural Convergence, Mobility, and the Greek "Koine"

Spread of Ideas, Goods, Animals, and People

• The Hellenistic and Roman worlds were interconnected much like our own globalized era (37:55–43:04).
  • Travel facilitated exchange of philosophical ideas, scientific discoveries, music, art, and even exotic animals.
  • Example: Inscriptions document a performing pig traveling across Macedonia (39:13)!
  • Philosophical tours and lectures, such as those by Greek philosophers in Rome, influenced elite Roman culture.

“What makes the Hellenistic culture a culture of Koine… is of a unified cultural language. The same forms of dress, the same forms of music, even the same dialects and languages are used in huge areas. And wherever the Greeks come and settle and create new cities, they also introduce these forms.”
— Angelos Chaniotis (41:53)

Entanglement, War, Identity, and Myth-Making

Alliances, Polybian "Simplochi," and Greek Identity

• Polybian “entanglement” describes how alliances spiraled into wider conflicts (43:39–48:01).
  • Small wars escalated into widespread struggles, with external powers like Rome increasingly involved.
• Celtic invasions crystallized Greek ethnic consciousness, leading to unity reminiscent of earlier Persian invasions.
• In contrast, the Roman conquest exposed Greek disunity, later rationalized through myths of kinship.

“The invasion of the cells is a very important factor for the creation or for the filling of a Greek identity. ... The Greeks were very good at such sophistic interpretations of their history.”
— Angelos Chaniotis (47:34)

Kingship, Civic Institutions, and Theatrical Populism

Hellenistic Kingship: Negotiation, Illusion, and Power

• Authority was not constitutional but built through constant negotiation—with elites, armies, local institutions, and cities (48:36–50:37).
  • Kings distributed land, bestowed benefactions, adopted local customs, and skillfully balanced remoteness with staged affability.
  • The illusion of local autonomy was maintained even as rule became more centralized.

Notable quote:

“The king of Macedonia, Philip V, wanted to force a city in Thessaly to naturalize foreigners. So he asked them to do that by saying the wonderful sentence. I decided that you vote. And this tells it all.”
— Angelos Chaniotis (49:34)

Persistence and Performance of Democracy and Oligarchy

• Traditional civic institutions persisted, but beneath the façade, political culture shifted toward oligarchic, even dynastic, domination (50:55–53:15).
  • Wealthy families effectively inherited power, using public benefactions to maintain popularity.

Roman Entanglement, Conquest, and Governance

Rome’s Gradual Involvement and the Fates of Hellenistic Kingdoms

• A chain of small interventions (e.g., anti-piracy campaigns) drew Rome into wider Greek and Eastern Mediterranean affairs (54:07–58:15).
  • Rome’s “absentminded” conquest fed a cycle of obligations, alliances, and wars.
• The notion of “Eleutheria” (freedom) granted to Greek cities created complexities and eventually led to complete Roman control.

Dynastic Crises and Roman Domination

• Young heirs, court intrigue, and instability rendered Hellenistic monarchies vulnerable to Roman interference (58:47–64:41).
  • The burning of the Library of Alexandria occurred during internal conflict exacerbated by Roman involvement.
  • The 146 BCE sack of Corinth was a trauma compared to the fall of Troy, but also transferred Greek culture to Rome.
  • Taxation under Rome incited resistance; appeals for relief persisted into the imperial era.

“Believe me, the Greeks never wanted to pay taxes. And this applies also to the Greeks of today. And of course they didn't like to pay taxes to a foreign power.”
— Angelos Chaniotis (61:45)

Roman Emperors as Gods and Revivals of Greek Identity

• Emperors were worshipped as gods for their omnipotence, echoing older dynastic cults (64:41–68:28).
  • Hadrian’s Panhellenion symbolizes an effort to reimagine Greek unity and cultural prestige under Roman rule.

“The Roman emperors were worshipped like gods because the power that they had looked like the power of a God. … And this assimilated their power with the power of the gods.”
— Angelos Chaniotis (65:04)

• Practical contributions (roads, aqueducts, trade privileges) accompanied symbolic ones, such as pan-Hellenic institutions.

Projects and Looking Forward

• Chaniotis hints at an upcoming project on the history of night in the Greek world—a cultural and social rather than purely astronomical history (68:42–70:16).

“The night has a history as a social and cultural phenomenon. The way we experience the night today is not the same the way people in different culture have experienced the night.”
— Angelos Chaniotis (69:28)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Highlight | |-----------|---------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 06:30 | Chaniotis| “The death of Cleopatra is not a turning point in the history of culture…This is why I decided to go beyond this chronological border…” | | 12:13 | Chaniotis| “These are the information that allow us, in a sense to travel, like using a time machine, and see how ordinary people live and talk to each other and think and feel and dream and suffer.” | | 19:26 | Chaniotis| “None of these kings calls himself king of something… they are kings, simply kings, which means kings of whatever they are in a position to control.” | | 22:53 | Chaniotis| "What they can do now… is that they can buy land. … they can acquire social prestige through their benefactions." | | 32:55 | Chaniotis| “Mystery cults existed in Greece again before Alexander the Great. But what we observe again after the conquest of Alexander the Great is a tremendous spread of these trends…” | | 41:53 | Chaniotis| "What makes the Hellenistic culture a culture of Koine… is of a unified cultural language. The same forms of dress, the same forms of music, even the same dialects and languages are used in huge areas." | | 47:34 | Chaniotis| “The invasion of the cells is a very important factor for the creation or for the filling of a Greek identity…” | | 49:34 | Chaniotis| “I decided that you vote. And this tells it all.” (on Macedonian king Philip V’s manipulations) | | 61:45 | Chaniotis| "Believe me, the Greeks never wanted to pay taxes. And this applies also to the Greeks of today. And of course they didn't like to pay taxes to a foreign power." | | 65:04 | Chaniotis| "The Roman emperors were worshipped like gods because the power that they had looked like the power of a God... this assimilated their power with the power of the gods." | | 69:28 | Chaniotis| "The night has a history as a social and cultural phenomenon..." |

Episode Timeline

• 02:10 — Book covers and their symbolism
• 04:56 — Expanding the “Age of Conquests” chronological framework
• 08:40 — Importance of new archaeological discoveries
• 13:53 — Successor kings and the dynamics of Hellenistic rule
• 21:04 — Social mobility, festivals, and changing status markers
• 25:26 — Persistence of cultural forms: associations, gymnasia, women's roles
• 31:15 — Religion, personal religiosity, mystery cults
• 37:55 — Cultural convergence: philosophers, travel, inscriptions
• 43:39 — Conflict, alliances, “simplochi,” and Greek identity
• 48:36 — Hellenistic kingship: negotiation, theatrics, populism
• 50:55 — Civic institutions and changing political realities
• 54:07 — Roman expansion and Greek entanglement
• 58:47 — Dynastic crisis, Roman interference, and the fall of the Hellenistic kingdoms
• 64:41 — Emperor cults and Hadrian’s Panhellenion
• 68:42 — Chaniotis’s upcoming project on the history of night

Summary by Section:

• Book’s Purpose and Visual Identity: Chaniotis wanted to encapsulate both technological and cultural breadth.
• Periodization: Conventional cutoffs are less meaningful for social and religious history.
• Evidence Revolution: Inscriptions and papyri enable “time travel” to ancient thought and daily life.
• Successor Politics: The age was marked by fractious ambition, temporary alliances, and dramatic stories.
• Social Change: Virtuosity, athletic prowess, and education rose as avenues for prestige; cities became more mobile, open, and cosmopolitan.
• Religious Change: Spread of personal devotion, mystery cults, and syncretic worship.
• Cultural and Economic Convergence: Travel, trade, and communication underpinned an emergent common (Koine) culture.
• Conflict & Memory: Collective threats (Celtic, Roman invasions) shaped group identity and historical myth.
• Kingship and Civic Life: Power was performative, negotiated, and maintained through spectacle and “theatrical populism.”
• Rome’s Role: Roman expansion was incremental, ultimately overwhelming the old kingdoms, yet the Greeks adapted through myth and negotiation.
• Legacies and Continuities: Emperors became objects of worship, and Greek identity acquired new forms under Roman rule.
• Looking Ahead: Chaniotis’s future work will explore the history of night as a cultural phenomenon.

For Further Reading:

• Age of Conquests: The Greek World from Alexander to Hadrian by Angelos Chaniotis
• Upcoming Chaniotis project: The history of the night in ancient Greece

For Listeners:
This episode provides an expert roadmap to understanding not only big events and rulers but the changing fabric of daily life, culture, and belief across the Hellenistic and early imperial Greek worlds. Whether you’re curious about ancient power politics or the origins of voluntary associations, the dialogue delivers both compelling narrative and fresh scholarly insight.