The Legend of Seleucus: Kingship, Narrative and Mythmaking in the Ancient World

Cover
Half-title
Title page
Copyright information
Epigraph
Table of contents
List of figures
List of maps
List of tables
Acknowledgments
A Note on Conventions in Relation to the Alexander Romance
List of abbreviations
Introduction
	The Legendary Seleucus
		Questions of Development and Chronology
		Questions of Independence and Coherence
	The Historical Seleucus: An Outline Biography
1 Birth Myths and Omens of Greatness
	The Birth Myth and the Signet Ring
		The Texts
		Context 1: The Alexander Romance and the Alexander Tradition Compared
		Context 2: The Ring as a Token Left by a Supernatural Visitor
		Context 3: Dreams of Rings
	The Diadem32
		The Texts
		The Three Omens
		The Accidental Donning of the Diadem and the Alexander Romance
	The Ring, the Diadem and the Water
	The Anchor
		The Anchor Thigh
		The Stone Anchor and the Daphne Arrowhead
		The Anchor Symbol and Seleucus’ Coins
	Further Ancestors of Seleucus: Heracles, Perseus, Alexander and the progonoi
	Further Omens of Greatness, Chiefly in Association with Alexander and his Campaign
		The Spontaneous Fire
		Branchidae
		The Wild Bull and its Horns
		Alexander Makes Seleucus the Heir to Persia
		Alexander’s Ghost
	Conclusion
2 Seleucus’ Horseback Flight from Babylon
	Introduction: The Sources for Seleucus’ Escape from Babylon
	Story-Type and Analogues
		Perdiccas I
		Cyrus
		Zariadres
		Alexander
		Ardeshir
	The Seleucus Tale in the Context of the Tale-Type: Correspondences and Inversions
		The Motif of the Golden Token
		The Motif of the Water-Boundary
		The Motif of the King’s Woman and the Flight of Mithridates
	Simplifications, Monomachies, Night-Time Fires and the Alexander Romance
	Conclusion: The Significance of the Tale-Type in Association with Seleucus
3 Omens and Myths of City and Cult Foundation
	Introduction
	The Principal Foundation Narratives for the Cities of the Syrian Tetrapolis
	Thunderbolts at Seleucia-in-Pieria and Antioch
	Zeus-Eagles at Antioch and Laodicea-by-the-Sea
	The Precedent of Alexander
	The Foundation of the Syrian Tetrapolis and the Alexander Romance
	Mt Kasios, the Orontes, Dragons and Giants
		Seleucus and the Orontes: Introduction
		Narrative 1: The Ugaritic-Canaanite Story of Baal-Sapon against Yam and Litan
		Narrative 2: The Hurrian-Hittite Story of Teshub against Hedammu
		Narrative 3: The Hittite Story of Tarhunna against Illuyanka
		Narrative 4: The Greek Story of Zeus’ Battle against Typhon
		Narrative 5: The Greek Story of Perseus’ Battle against the Dragon River
		Narrative 6: The Greek Story of Dionysus’ Battle against the Indian (Giant?) Orontes
		Narrative 7: The Greek Story of Heracles’ Rechannelling of the Love-Struck Orontes at Apamea
		Narrative 8: The Greek Story of Zeus’ Thunderbolt against the Giant Pagras at Pagrae
		Narrative 9: The Greek Story of Zeus’ Thunderbolt against a Shepherd at Laodicea-by-the-Sea
		Seleucus’ Foundations in the Context of the Trans-Cultural Traditions
		Seleucus and the Orontes: Conclusion
	The Tyche of Antioch and Others
	The Foundation of Daphne
		The Texts
		Affinities with the Alexander Romance
		Apollo, the Golden Arrow, the Anchor and the Dragon
		The River Ladon
		The Cypresses of Daphne
		Eagle and Serpent: Reprise at Nicomedia
	The Greeks Before the Greeks of Antioch
		Athenians
		Argives (Brought by the Athenians)
		Cretans (Brought by the Argives)
		Cypriots (Brought by the Cretans)
		Heraclidae
		Missing Peoples: Macedonians, Jews, Syrians
	Did Seleucus Actually Incorporate Any Established Local Greek Communities into Antioch?
	The Foundation of Seleucia-on-the-Tigris
		The Text
		Literary and Traditional Contexts: Chaldaeans, the Alexander Romance and Herodotus
		Seleucia-on-the-Tigris in Relation to the Syrian Tetrapolis Narratives
		The Historical Context
	Further Perspectives on Seleucus’ Foundations
		Seleucus’ Capitals
		The Eponyms of Antioch and Other Cities
		The Listing of Seleucus’ Cities and the Alexander Romance
	Conclusion
4 Combabus and Stratonice
	Introduction: The Text
	Integration of the Combabus-Stratonice Tale into the Broader Seleucus and Seleucid Traditions
		Some Seleucus Traditions
		Stratonice the Bald
		Some Seleucid Traditions of Temple-Building Queens
	The Alexander Romance Compared: The Figure of the Queen; Betrothals
	Underlying Tale-Types (1): Partial Antecedents
		Stheneboea, Phaedra and Potiphar’s Wife
		Goddess and Beloved: Aetiologies of Religious Eunuchism
	Underlying Tale-Types (2): Successor Analogues
		The Persian Tale of Ardeshir, Harjand-Abarsam and the Daughter of Ardevan
		The Tocharian B Tale of the King of Kucha, his Brother and his Harem
		The Turkish Tale of Mullak Onker, Bishop Epsepi and the Harem
		The Kannada Tale of Mohammed-Shah, Malik Scindal and the Concubine
			Lucian and the Analogue Tales
	Philetaerus and Arsinoe: A Parallel Queen-Slanders-Eunuch Tale in the Seleucus Tradition?62
	Conclusion
5 Antiochus and Stratonice
	Introduction
	The Tale of Antiochus and Stratonice Introduced: Plutarch’s Account
	The Historical Context
	The Antiochus and Stratonice Tradition
		Valerius Maximus
		Pliny
		Plutarch
		Rufus of Ephesus
		Appian
		Lucian
		Galen
		Julian
		The History of Apollonius, King of Tyre
		Later Byzantine Accounts
	The Tradition of Perdiccas, Phila-Polycaste-Castalia and Hippocrates
		Pseudo-Soranus
		Lucian
		Claudian
		Dracontius’ Aegritudo Perdicae
		Fulgentius
	Further Minor Analogues
		Seneca
		Apuleius
		Heliodorus
		Marcellinus Rhetor
		Aristaenetus
	The Antiochus and Perdiccas Traditions: Some Considerations
		The Question of Traditions
		Hippolytus and Phaedra
		Historical Verisimilitude of the Perdiccas Tale: Stepmother Marriage amongst the Argeads
		Themes in the Representation of Argead Princes: Phila-Polycaste-Castalia and Pancaste-Campaspe
	Conclusion: Antiochus and Perdiccas; Priority and Legitimation
6 Omens of Death, Death and Revenge
	Introduction
	Traditions of Seleucus’ Assassination: Macedon and Thrace
	Traditions of Seleucus’ Retirement: Macedon and Seleucia-on-the-Tigris
	The Omens of Seleucus’ Death
		The Argos Oracle
		The Europe-Asia Oracle (and the Alexander Romance)
	The Deaths of Seleucus and Lysimachus Brought Together
	Seleucus’ Revenge
	Conclusion
7 Coins, Texts and Traditions
	Introduction
	The Significance of Seleucus’ Coins and the Bricolage of his Legends
		The Coin Symbols as Reflecting Pre-Existing Legend
		The Coin Symbols as the Raw Material for a Legend Yet to Be Developed
	Arguments for the Early Generation of the Legend:  Babylonia and ‘Cui bono?’
	Seleucus as the Son of Apollo
	Euphorion of Chalcis
	The Imperial Tradition and its Quellenforschung
		Diodorus 19.55, 90
		Justin 15.4 (Trogus)
		Plutarch Demetrius 29, 31–2, 38, 47–52
		Arrian Anabasis 7.22 (later ad 140s?)
		Lucian Syrian Goddess 17–27
		Libanius Orations 11 (Antiochicus) 76–105
		John Malalas Chronicle 197–203
	Appian Syriake 52–64
		The Canonical Quellenforschung: Hieronymus, Duris and Phylarchus
		Brodersen: The ‘Common Source’ and Others
		Goukowsky: Agatharchides of Cnidus and Others
		Primo: Nymphis of Heraclea, Timagenes of Alexandria and Others
	Other Potential Sources for the History of Seleucus
	Appian and the ‘Seleucus Romance’
		The Fraser Hypothesis
		The Structure and Content of Appian’s Seleucus Excursus
		The Seleucus Excursus as a Nodal Text for the Legendary Traditions Bearing on the King
	The Legend of Seleucus and the Alexander Romance
		The Legend of Seleucus and the Alexander Romance Compared
		Seleucus and Antiochus in the Alexander Romance
		The Afterlife of the Seleucus Tradition
	Conclusion
	Marasco’s Analysis
	Brodersen’s Analysis
	Goukowsky’s Analysis
	Ptolemy’s Birth Myth(s)
	Ptolemy’s Life is Saved by Alexander’s Dream and Alexander’s Dragon-Sire
	Ptolemy Acquires Alexander’s Diadem
Appendix A: Metatextuality at the end of Pausanias’ Periegesis
Appendix B: Mullak Onker
Appendix C: Thorax and the Loyal Dog of Lysimachus
Appendix D: Appian’s Seleucus Excursus and Agatharchides of Cnidus’ On Asia: The Goukowsky Hypothesis
Appendix E: Suggested Analyses of Appian’s Seleucus Excursus
Appendix F: Towards a Legend of Ptolemy
	Marasco’s Analysis
	Brodersen’s Analysis
	Goukowsky’s Analysis
	Ptolemy’s Birth Myth(s)
	Ptolemy’s Life is Saved by Alexander’s Dream and Alexander’s Dragon-Sire
	Ptolemy Acquires Alexander’s Diadem
References
Index