This is awesome, loving the use of Greek names (actual greek names using the modern alphabet but at least they aren't anglicized) I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next.
- Status
Well, you do have a goodly number of views, though I am rather surprised at the relative parcity of comments. Possibly as there aren't as many obvious errors as there generally are around here, so less reason to speak out.
, so Regicide and Patricide he may be, but Tiridates II is still all about filial piety...
What's the religious situation in the Argead Empire? Is it still full on Greek polytheistic with a lot of absorbed Eastern Gods as all the deified Kings would suggest, or is it still moving towards monotheism with Zeus-Azura Mazda at the head? What's the status of Zoroastrianism in this TL?
, so Regicide and Patricide he may be, but Tiridates II is still all about filial piety...What's the religious situation in the Argead Empire? Is it still full on Greek polytheistic with a lot of absorbed Eastern Gods as all the deified Kings would suggest, or is it still moving towards monotheism with Zeus-Azura Mazda at the head? What's the status of Zoroastrianism in this TL?
I'm reading it. It's an interesting TL and one of the most detailed.
Will the newest Argead ditch the practice of dragging his entire entourage around?
Will the newest Argead ditch the practice of dragging his entire entourage around?
Yeah, posting "please continue, this timeline is great" doesn't really add much.
Although I can imagine it's quite satisfying for the author.
Deleted member 5909
To tell you the truth, I had a lot of trouble with this, and as you can tell, I've been pretty vague about Mazdaism throughout TTL. The problem is (as you may well know), not much is known about native Iranian religious customs in the Achaemenid Empire, aside from the pantheon of deities worshiped and the court rituals preformed. Remember that the Zoroastrianism practiced in the Sassanian Empire was largely the work of that dynasty's exportation of its own brand of religious beliefs. Even that status of Zoroaster is pretty obscure (along with the actual date of his historicity), and IMO, I seem to think he was viewed more as a philosopher than anything else by the Achaemenids.
Given all of this difficulty, I've looked to the Parthian Empire in OTL and what knowledge we have of its religious customs. So, aside from some specific, monotheistic schools of thought in Persis, we're looking at a polytheistic Persia. Basically, the East-West exchange means a large pantheon of Greek and oriental gods, with many Hellenic religious customs having been adopted in the east (as in the Parthian Empire in OTL), such as the representations of the Persian deities and their attributes being modeled on Hellenic ones, sacrificial rituals and worldview, and the deification of kings. Still, you have a lot of Persian customs being adopted by the Argeads as well, such as court rituals, the veneration of fire (especially in the royal cult), etc.
So, in short, you have a land in which many different gods are worshiped (including both popular foreign deities and local ones), from Ahuramazda and Mithra, to Zeus and Apollo, to Isis and Melqart, and even foreign Vedic gods, such as Indra and Vishnu. Plus, you have an intellectual elite adhering the various extant schools of philosophy at this time. More interestingly, you have a unifying Royal Cult, which venerates Zeus Ahuramazda, his son the God King Alexander the Great, the various deified kings and queens, and the royal family of divine descent--and this extends to even local religious practices, with the Royal Cult having a presence in every province in various forms.
By the way, if anyone has more expertise on Achaemenid era religious customs, feel free to share your knowledge.
Oh, and thanks everyone for your support.
TTL will continue! The Argeads, I think, have at least another couple centuries left in them. Who knows? It may just outlast its rivals in Rome...
Valdemar II
Banned
It's awesome, the problem are that the subject are rather obscure so many o us have a hard time comment on it.
Valdemar II
Banned
Interesting with the close contact with India, couldn't we see it evolving into some kind of western Hinduism (without the caste system of course).
Deleted member 5909
Quite possibly, yes.
Although, it is worth noting that Vedic religion at this point in history is no more than a collection of local deities, and customs in India that includes a pantheon of commonly worshiped gods and a shared set of rituals.
And, assuming that the birth of Jesus has been butterflied away, we may just be looking at a world in which the Jews remain an obscure religious sect in southern Syria, and the mainstream concept of monotheism remains otherwise confined only to certain philosophical schools, such as Platonism.
I think that with a TL this far back, you're in a unique position to craft a new religious ideology with the Hellenistic and Zoroastrian-based cultural blueprints at hand. But also one that is controlled by the Argead monarchy and it's successor dynasties, so if you wish to maintain its Polytheistic nature, even with the introduction of a full-time religious organization thats co-dependent on the monarchy, then you go a long way in preserving the collective spiritual heritage of the Hellenes, Persians, Babylonians, Egyptians, and Syrians, then all the better. A centralized religious body that ultimately and irreversibly combines all the Gods and seals the past cultural divisions in the Argead Empire. Even if the Argead Empire's territory is to be divided among smaller states in the future, it would still possess a common enough theology.
On the otherhand, if you're in favour of a Monotheistic-style state religion, you could have future monarchs favour the hereditary Zoroastrian priesthoods, or create a new cult of Zoroastrianism by translating the Avesta (sacred texts) into Greek. Maybe the Persian Creator-God concept could be reconciled with the Hellenistic Pantheon by re-classifying the lesser Gods as "Yazatas", whom are believed to have influenced the notion of Angels in Abrahamic theology.
Many Philosophic schools in the late Hellenistic era tried to difine the Gods as superior and benign beings guided by a divine principle, much in contrast to the popular Homeric descriptions of them as rapacious, cruel and fickle beings. If they had their way, those same myths might have been re-interpreted in a different light.
On the otherhand, if you're in favour of a Monotheistic-style state religion, you could have future monarchs favour the hereditary Zoroastrian priesthoods, or create a new cult of Zoroastrianism by translating the Avesta (sacred texts) into Greek. Maybe the Persian Creator-God concept could be reconciled with the Hellenistic Pantheon by re-classifying the lesser Gods as "Yazatas", whom are believed to have influenced the notion of Angels in Abrahamic theology.
Many Philosophic schools in the late Hellenistic era tried to difine the Gods as superior and benign beings guided by a divine principle, much in contrast to the popular Homeric descriptions of them as rapacious, cruel and fickle beings. If they had their way, those same myths might have been re-interpreted in a different light.
This an amazingly Well-Written Timeline Epithemous, And I'm glad that I decided to read it because I really don't haunt the Pre-1900 board anymore. The Agread empire posseses alot of simmilarity with the Seleucids, but with the major blend of Syncretisim and more acceptance of Greek's to intermarry with the Persians it seems even in these weary times much more stable. Id Imagine that King Mithradtes looks much more like King Darius than Alexander, with their continued tendancies to not marry Wives of pure-Greek stock. Also did the Carthaginan Barca's get butterflied away ITTL(Hamlicar and Hannibal)? And If the Agread Empire can hold together for another Century or two, couldn't it potentally pounce on Rome in it's years of Civil War? Also can we get a list of the Agread Kings from Phillip onward? Can't wait to see what you have in store for us next...Keep it comming
Just finished reading this and it's fantastic. Do continue, please! I know I'll be nominating you for a Turtledove next year!
I'd say Rome's Civil Wars simply aren't going to happen with a strong Argead Empire sitting next door. Without the slaves from the Eastern Med displacing the Roman yeomanry or the wealth/culture from the same corrupting the aristocrats, Rome's social problems would be far less pronounced. And a strong enemy should keep ambitious generals properly patriotic instead of cannibalizing the State for their own glory.
Deleted member 5909
Just to let everyone know, I plan on completing TTL and already have a series of updates planned for the coming weeks.
However, I'd like to take the time to post a series of essays I've been planning about the empire at this time (such as its society, administration, religion, a list of kings, a detailed map, etc.). I realize that some things need more explanation (and exploration?), and I would like to do so for everyone's enjoyment. It's an idea I attempted earlier here, but would like to elaborate on.
If there is anything specific that you would like to see explored in detail, please feel free to make a suggestion. The first in this series is almost complete and entitled "Social Structure and Peoples of the Argead Empire".
However, I'd like to take the time to post a series of essays I've been planning about the empire at this time (such as its society, administration, religion, a list of kings, a detailed map, etc.). I realize that some things need more explanation (and exploration?), and I would like to do so for everyone's enjoyment. It's an idea I attempted earlier here, but would like to elaborate on.
If there is anything specific that you would like to see explored in detail, please feel free to make a suggestion. The first in this series is almost complete and entitled "Social Structure and Peoples of the Argead Empire".
Deleted member 5909
Social Structure and Peoples of the Argead Empire
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Above: An Argead hunting scene from a silver plate, dating from the early second century B.C. The scene, a popular decorating motif during the first and second century B.C., depicts King Mithridatēs I hunting gazelle with his court in Syria.
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Above: An Argead hunting scene from a silver plate, dating from the early second century B.C. The scene, a popular decorating motif during the first and second century B.C., depicts King Mithridatēs I hunting gazelle with his court in Syria.
The Argead Empire in the mid second century B.C. is a massive realm, stretching from the banks of the Istros River in the west all the way to the Hesidros in the east, and from the steppes of Sogdianē in the north to the gates of Elephantinē in the south. A diverse realm, the Argead Empire consists of over thirty different lands, all with many different peoples, languages, and customs, all united under the rule of a single king. While in many respects the empire resembles its predecessor, the Achaemenid Empire of Persia, it is also very much a unique entity, with its own peculiar social developments and history.[/FONT] Though diverse, the society of the Argead Empire is relatively similar to contemporary kingdoms, consisting of three primary social groupings: the aristocracy, free peoples, and slaves. However, the prevalence of local custom in the face of a ruling elite greatly complicates this arrangement, and there are far more exceptions than general rules.
The ruling elite of the Argead Empire consists of two groups. The first are the families belonging to the six great noble clans of Persis and Mēdia that made up the aristocracy of the Achaemenid Empire; these clans are the Arizantoi, Boudioi, Bousai, Magoi, Paretakenoi, and the Stroukhatēs. The second are the noble families of Makedonia, each descended from one of the famed stratēgoi of Alexandros Basileus Theos; they consist of the houses of Antigonos, Krateros, Leonnatos, Menēs, Peithōn, Peukestas, Ptolemaios, Seleukos, and Sibyrtios. Also included in the highest levels of the nobility are the minor branches of the Argead royal house, descended mostly from the sons of past Great Kings by minor concubines, along with the royal houses of client kings, such as those of Bosporos, Kolkhis, and Kypros.
These elements together form a single, closed caste that could easily be said to be a homogenous entity, due to frequent intermarriage between the various subgroups. While the individual families of this class continue to identify as “Macedonian” or “Persian” throughout the empire’s history, this is mainly due to customs of patrilineal inheritance than anything else, and by the end of the third century B.C. there is not a single one of them that does not count both Persian and Macedonian ancestors in its recent pedigree. This is mostly the result of the aggressive syncretism pursued by Alexandros Basileus Theos, who insisted upon intermarriage between both his Macedonian nobles and their new Persian equals. By the second century B.C. many in the empire point to the so-called Weddings at Sousa as the source of this, though it had already been foreshadowed far earlier in the king’s reign; nevertheless, by this time in the empire’s history, there is not a single nobleman who does not have at least one ancestor who took part in the proceedings of that famed event.
This elite caste acts as the ruling class of the empire. It is almost exclusively from the ranks of these families that the Great King appoints his satrapai, sōmatophylakēs, and stratēgoi, and they make up the majority at the royal court—itself the center of all patronage and political power. These families also hold an exclusive monopoly over the royal marriage bed: the Great King may take any woman as a concubine, but he may only wed either a woman of his own family, or one of the court ladies of the great noble houses. Aside from political power, the houses of the ruling elite also possess vast landed estates throughout the empire, though mostly concentrated in Kilikia, Lydia, Mesopotamia, Persis, Syria, and Thrakē; the most prized and wealthy estates, located in Aigyptos, are a much coveted gift, generally only granted as gifts by the Great King—who holds a legal monopoly over farmland in that province—to his most favored courtiers. These estates are either worked by peasant tenants, in the case of provinces such as Mēdia, Persis, and Sattagydia, or by gangs of slaves, such as in Kilikia, Lydia, Syria, and Thrakē. The great nobles of the empire often spend time at their various country villas when they are not at court, enjoying such activities as hunting and composing poetry.
While the great families of the aristocracy hold a monopoly over power and wealth in the empire, they are by no means the only noble class. Beneath the aristocracy on the social scale there exists a class of local nobility in the provinces. This provincial nobility, largely unaffected by the Macedonian and Achaemenid conquests of the last five centuries, have remained the local upper class of wealthy, landed families in their respective regions, their domestic influence left unchallenged by the Great Kings, so long as they do not interfere with royal governance. As a social class they are distinguished by possessing both landed estates in the country and an urban residence in one of their province’s largest cities—and with it, a great deal of influence over local, civic affairs. This class of minor nobility is most prevalent in highly urbanized coastal provinces, such as Aigyptos, Babylōnia, Iōnia, Karia, Kilikia, Libya, Lydia, Lykia, Mesopotamia, Persis, and Syria. Though their sphere of influence is generally local, the upper levels of this class serve in the royal administration and as officers in the royal army , with the wealthiest and most prestigious being admitted to the royal court. The lucky few manage to rise to positions of prestige on their own merits, though this is increasingly rare from the mid third century B.C., as the ruling elite gains a far greater monopoly on power.
The vast majority of the empire’s population consists of a large class of rural dwelling peasantry. In the east, this class is overwhelmingly made up of tenant farmers and serfs. These peasants work the estates of the nobility, and in return for their labor, are granted small plots of land for personal use. In the west, the rural class is mostly made up of independent free holders and yeomen farmers, especially in Phrygia and Thrakē. While this class of yeomen peasants has been in competition with the nobility at times, especially in Phrygia, due to the growing prevalence of large landed estates worked by slaves, the vast size of the empire ensures that this never escalates into a major problem for either parties, as few nobles own estates in any one concentrated region. The large rural class serves as the basis for most military levies, especially in the east where many poor tenant farmers see a soldier’s pay as far more attractive than sharecropping.
In older, more urbanized regions of the empire such as Aigyptos, Anatolē, India, Mesopotamia, and Syria, there also exists a significant city dwelling population. This class of urban dwellers ranges from wealthy merchants and tradesmen to skilled artisans and day laborers. This is especially true in provinces such as Babylōnia, Iōnia, and Syria, whose ancient cities possess a long established class of influential citizens. Indeed, the Argead Empire’s position at the center of nearly all the major trade routes in the known world ensures that its many sea ports and trading centers possess a local mercantile class that is large in comparison to other contemporary societies. In particular, the merchants of Syria are known to be very wealthy and successful, with such cities as Byblos, Emesa, Sidōn, Tripolis, and Tyros, who already have an established mercantile history, boasting a rich, aristocratic trading class that rivals the rural nobility.
Slavery is legal and widely practiced in the empire, though it remains rare in provinces such as Aigyptos, Mēdia, and Persis. The largest slave trading centers are the famed markets of Delos in the Cyclades, until that area is annexed by the Roman Empire, after which the largest slave markets become those located at Ephesos, Rodos, and Sinopē. Aside from already existing enslaved populations, a majority of slaves come from Aphrikē, Arabia, Hispania, Illyria, India, Sarmatia, and Skythia, as well as from conquered enemy subjects enslaved during wartime and those people captured by pirates in the Mediterranean.
It is worth noting that certain regions of the Argead Empire also possess their own peculiar social classes and institutions. The Indian provinces of Indikē and Sattagydia are two prominent examples. The Vedic caste system is the rule in this region, with the Brahmin caste, a class of hereditary priests, being very influential and wealthy; they, along with the Kshatriya class—a caste of landed nobility—make up the local nobility of the native Vedic society. These two groups are supported by the vaishyas—the urban, mercantile class—and the shudras, a class of servile class of peasantry and servants which work the vast estates of the priestly and warrior nobility. The province of Aigyptos also possesses its own peculiar traditional class of hereditary priests, who, due to the great amount of social prestige and wealth that they possess, acts as almost as another class of local nobility.
The empire is home to a vast array of peoples, including, among others, Aeolians, Arabians, Armenians, Bactrians, Cappadocians, Dorians, Egyptians, Jews, Ionians, Libyans, Lydians, Medes, Mesopotamians, Nabateans, Parthians, Persians, Phoenicians, Phrygians, Scythians, Syrians, and Thracians. The ruling elite itself could also said to compose its own unique ethnicity by the second century B.C., as it consists of an endogamous group of mixed Greek and Oriental descent, with its own unique customs and history. The Argead Empire’s lingua franca is Greek, primarily of the Attic dialect—first adopted by King Philippos II of Makedonia, before the time of Alexandros Basileus Theos.
Throughout the history of the Argead Empire, Greek remains not only the language used in the royal administration, but also the primary literary and intellectual language, as well as the tongue spoken by the royal court and the ruling elite. Despite the predominance of Greek, however, Aramaic remains the spoken language in daily usage throughout much of Anatolē, Nabatea, and Syria, and even amongst the lower classes in Mesopotamia and Babylōnia—at the very heart of the royal administration. Other widely spoken languages include Bactrian, Demotic, Hebrew, Pahlavi, Persian, Phoenician, Sanskrit, and the local dialects of Greek, such as Ionian.
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Deleted member 5909
The Royal Autocracy of the Argead Empire
Above: A coin of King Tiridatēs I Nikatōr, 180 B.C.
[/FONT]Part One: The Great King and his family
Throughout the history of the Argead dynasty, the Great King is the absolute ruler of the empire, who by virtue of his position has full legal control over the administration, judiciary, and military. His right to rule is vested in his divine descent from the god king Alexandros Basileus Theos and the royal house of Argaïos. The many titles used by the Argead kings include Basileus Basileōn (King of Kings), Megas Basileus (Great King), Autokratōr (Ruler of Men), Isotheos (Equal of the Gods), and Diogenēs (He of Divine Descent). The insignia and regalia of the Great King, all of which he receives during his coronation at Pasargadai, include the diadēma (blue and white diadem), the kitaris (jeweled upright tiara), the khlamys (purple mantle), the blue lotus flower, the staff, the royal red shoes, and the bow and quiver of arrows.
The succession to the Argead throne is not determined by laws, but instead governed by a system of customs, some which dating back to the old Achaemenid Empire and others imported from Makedonia. To secure a peaceful succession, the Great King usually names his intended heir as his co-ruler in the later years of his reign, after which the prince assumes an official royal name and is invested with the kitaris and khlamys. The proclamation is usually made at Babylōn, before the assembled royal court, a custom which dates back to the reigns of Alexandros Basileus Theos and King Alexandros IV Sōtēr, both of whom were not formally enthroned at Pasargadai, but instead named opted to undergo simpler Macedonian style coronations. Customs governing the selection of a successor include that he be both a son of the reigning king and also that he be porphyrogennētos, or born in the purple. As a matter of custom, the sons born to wives of royal blood are always preferred over those born to other wives, with the sons of concubines rarely succeeding to the throne except in the absence of any legitimate heirs or in times or crises. In cases in which a Great King dies without naming an heir, it is usual for the eldest son of the highest ranking wife to be proclaimed king, such as in the case of King Mithridatēs I Philopatōr, who was recognized as king at Pella after his father’s death in battle, or of the infant King Alexandros V Eupatōr, who was proclaimed king due to his mother’s high rank, despite the fact that he possessed more suitable adult brothers. Due to the uncertain nature of the royal succession, it is not uncommon for a king to have his royal half-brothers murdered or confined upon his father’s death to eliminate any potential rivals, though this practice usually only applies to princes born to wives, and not the sons of concubines.
Upon the death of his father and his accession to the throne, the new Great King is immediately charged with imposing the traditional period of mourning for his predecessor. The traditional length of the period of official mourning, imposed throughout the empire, lasts for forty days and is derived from Achaemenid custom, though it is not uncommon for particularly popular or heroic kings to receive specially extended periods of mourning, usually ninety days. During this time, the sacred fires that are kept burning in the temples of the Royal Cult—located at the royal capitals and provincial seats—are ritually extinguished. The corpse of the late king is always embalmed in honey, just as that of Alexandros Basileus Theos, and entombed in the magnificent royal mausoleum at Sousa, after lying in state for seven days, and then being paraded through the streets. In commemoration of the event, lavish funerary games are held at the hippodrome in Sousa, followed by public sacrifices to Zeus Ahuramazda, Anahita, Mithra, and the various deified kings, after which the Great King himself is deified and assigned his own personal cult.
The end of the period of mourning is marked by the new king traveling to the ancient Achaemenid capital and ceremonial center of Pasargadai in Persis, where he undergoes the traditional Persian coronation and investiture rites. This particularly ceremony is very important as it was only revived by King Philippos III Euergetēs in 271 B.C., to emphasis his legitimacy as King of Mēdia and Persis and his links with the Achaemenid dynasty, which the Argead kings claim to be the legitimate successors to by conquest and divine descent (via Alexandros Basileus Theos), and also via their descent from King Dāriūs’ daughter, Queen Stateira. King Philippos’ predecessors, Alexandros Basileus Theos and King Alexandros IV Sōtēr both opted to only undergo the Babylonian investiture, the former out of humility towards his conquered subjects for his lack of Persian blood and the latter out of indifference. The ceremony takes place over the space of several days and includes a ceremonial procession from Persepolis to Pasargadai, the king being invested with the royal regalia before the assembled court and then partaking in simple meal of figs and a cup of sour milk, and then publically paying homage to the tomb of King Kyros I and sacrificing at the temples of Ahuramazda, Anahita, and Mithra in Persepolis. Only after these rites are completed are the sacred fires relit throughout the empire.
To ensure the royal succession remains secure, the Great King usually takes several wives, generally numbering two or three, though sometimes more. In accordance with Oriental custom, kings often wed their half-sisters and nieces (though not full sisters or daughters), and these royal wives are always accorded the highest precedence and status, with their sons having preference in the royal succession. Only queens of royal blood may bear the title Basilissa Basilissōn (Queen of Queens), with all other wives bearing the title of Basilissa (Queen). It is generally only queens of royal blood who are deified along with their husbands and given an individual cult as well. Other wives are required to come from the ruling elite—either one of the Macedonian noble houses or the six great clans of the Persian nobility. The king also takes numerous concubines, many of whom are drawn from the ranks of the court ladies of the minor nobility; some, however, even hail from less prestigious backgrounds—it is not uncommon for a king to take a slave woman as his concubine and free her upon the birth of their first child together. While these women are accorded high status at court, they rarely are fortunate enough to be mother to a royal heir. The Great King’s mother bears the highest status and rank of all the royal women, regardless of her previous status, with the titles of Basilissa and Basileomētōr (Royal Mother). Daughters of the Great King also possess very high status, bearing the title of Porphyrogennētē (literally “Purple Born”). Many royal princesses own large estates and have a great amount of influence at court. Their exalted rank and status necessitate that they are usually only wed to either a prince of the royal house or a foreign king. The hand of a royal princess in marriage is one of the most exclusive gifts a Great King can give to a favored courtier, and one only accorded to those of the highest status. The women of the royal harem are served by a full household and retinue of court ladies drawn from the ruling elite and eunuch slaves, mostly of Scythian and Mesopotamian origins. When on campaign, it has been royal custom since the reign of King Tiridatēs Nikatōr for the Great King to be accompanied by his entire harem and retinue, with this sometimes having disastrous results, such as when King Mithridatēs Philopatōr was forced to abandon his entire father’s harem in Makedonia in the face of the Roman advance, leaving the women to commit suicide or be sold as slaves.
Part Two: The Royal Court
The royal court is centered upon the Great King and exists wherever he may be. The official royal capital is at Babylōn, the center of the royal mints and administration since the time at Alexandros Basileus Theos, with the magnificent Palace of Naboukhodonosōr—famed for its magnificent gardens, one of the seven wonders of the known world—serving as the principal royal residence. However, the Great King only resides there during the fall and winter months, with the Achaemenid capital of Sousa serving as the royal seat during the spring, and the ancient Mede city of Ekbatana maintaining its place as the summer capital. The Great King and his court are thus often moving between palaces, a trend adopted by King Alexandros IV Sōtēr from his Achaemenid predecessors. It is also not uncommon for much of the royal court to accompany the king on his military campaigns as well, as has been the case since the reign of King Tiridatēs I Nikatōr.
The elaborate court costume of the Argead Empire consists of such elements as silk tunics and bejeweled cloaks, with men also wearing Oriental style trousers, and both sexes commonly adorning themselves with jewelry and cosmetics--noblemen often paint their eyes with kohl in the Persian fashion. The color of a courtier's cloak and diadem both signify his rank at court, with both items being bestowed by the Great King himself. At the royal court, courtiers are divided into three groups: Barbatoi, or bearded ones—which includes all male nobles (even the youths and boys that serve as pages), Ektomiai, or eunuchs, and women—including both ladies of the court and female slaves.
The highest ranking courtier is the khiliarkhos, or chief vizier, who is also the second most powerful man in the realm after the Great King. As the rank of khiliarkhos is also a military one—indeed, it was originally an old Macedonian military title meaning “commander of a thousand”—it is always held by a barbatos and never a eunuch; typically, the khiliarkhos is drawn from the ruling elite, with few exceptions. The khiliarkhos has the power to act in the Great King’s name, including acting as regent in his absence and commanding his armies in his place when he is unable to do so, and it is he who is keeper of the king’s seal. Below the khiliarkhos, the next highest ranking courtiers are the sōmatophylakēs, also required to be barbatoi and drawn solely from the families of the ruling elite. Originally the eight personal bodyguards of the Macedonian king, they now number twelve and serve as the personal companions of the Great King both at court and on campaign. Beneath the sōmatophylakēs are the stratēgoi (generals), the highest ranking military commanders in the empire; as the satrapai are generally drawn from the ranks of stratēgoi, this position serves as the basis for future royal patronage. As a result, except in rare and extraordinary circumstances, most stratēgoi are appointed from the ruling elite. All of these ranks have access to the synedrion, the royal council, which advises the Great King and oversees the administration of the empire.
The lower ranks of the barbatoi courtiers do not have access to the synedrion, and are generally drawn from either the lower ranks of the nobility or the younger members of the ruling elite. These courtiers are known as philoi (royal friends), and are divided into protoi philoi (friends of the first rank) and timomenoi philoi (honored friends). The paides basilikoi consist of boys drawn from the ruling elite to serve as pages to the Great King, and the position is considered a crucial stepping stone for any courtier. Due to the prevalence of pederasty at the royal court, these youths (generally aged fourteen to eighteen) sometimes also engage in sexual relations with their royal master, something which is frowned upon though common as a means of gaining royal patronage and advancement.
The prokathēmenos is the highest rank any eunuch can hope to achieve. The prokathēmenos serves as personal chamberlain to the Great King, overseeing his household and acting as the king's private secretary. The prokathēmenos is assisted by an army of numerous eunuch servants who make up the ranks of the ektomiai, and who are known as the koitōnitai, or court chamberlains. These chamberlains serve as attendants to the king and the royal family, and act as the primary servants of the Great King's household. They are in turn assisted in their duties by a staff of palace slaves, who make up the lowest class of royal servants.
Part Three: The Royal Cult
The Royal Cult established by Alexandros Basileus Theos in the later years of his reign officially venerates the reigning Great King and worships his deified ancestors as ascended gods in their own right. The official religious ideology of the cult holds that Alexandros Basileus Theos was the divine son of the Zeus-Ahuramazda sired upon a mortal woman, the Macedonian queen Olympias (deified as Olympias Thea), identifying the heroic king as the new Hēraklēs and Dionysos. This fusion of Greek and Oriental mythos presents the royal family as directly descended from the gods. The teachings of the cult revere Alexandros Basileus Theos as a conquering hero and the prophesized Lord of Asia as revealed at Gordion, who ascended to be with his father on Olympos after his death. The Royal Cult also worships the stratēgos Hēphaistiōn as a divine hero, the beloved and eromenos of Alexandros Basileus Theos, and the might king’s queen, known as the goddess Rōxanē Basilissa Thea. Without exception, each succeeding Great King is also deified after death and assigned a personal cult, as well as honored with worship as a god in the Royal Cult. Queens of royal birth are also usually deified, along with relatives of royal blood of particular importance.
The center of the Royal Cult is in Babylōn, at the great temple known as the Alexandreum. However, minor Alexandreum also exist at the royal seats of Ekbatana and Sousa, and the various provincial capitals, where they act centers of the local cult. Due the plethora of religions and gods throughout the Argead Empire, the Royal Cult acts as its sole unifying faith, though it is only ever practiced alongside existing religions. Further, the Royal Cult differs in each province, being introduced there in concurrence with the local beliefs and customs. In Aigyptos, the Great King is presented along traditional lines as the son of the god Ammōn and a living god. In Persis, he is honored as the divine descendant of Ahuramazda; in Anatolē he is venerated as the descendant Zeus. In Syria and Mesopotamia he is the sacred king, the priest and direct descendant of Baal (or Marduk, etc.). Even the peoples of India worship him as the descendant of the great sky god Indra.
A great deal of the practices of the Royal Cult have influenced court ritual, along with the customs adopted from the Achaemenids. In the Persian custom, each of the royal temples possesses a sacred fire that is kept burning in honor of the Great King, only being extinguished during periods of official mourning, such as during the death of a member of the royal family. While Alexandros Basileus Theos remains the only Great King to have insisted on veiling himself from the eyes of mortal courtiers, the Great King is nevertheless always honored with proskynēnsis, or ceremonial prostration by his subjects, something reserved only for the gods. Some subjects even consider it sacrilege to look him directly in the eyes, though this is not prevalent amongst the upper classes. The Great King is rarely ever seen by his common subjects, save during military campaigns and public festivals, or on the proclamation of his accession to the throne; this has only increased the degree of awe and reverence felt for him by the common people, though this varies by region. Further, the rigid structure of court ranks ensures that only certain courtiers and slaves are even allowed personal access to the Great King, a system which allows for a great deal of influence and patronage for those of high rank.
The Royal Cult is also the major influence behind the Argead Calendar, the official system of reckoning time used by the state. The Royal Argead Calendar was first adopted during the reign of King Alexandros Basileus Theos, though it was not officially introduced as the universal method of time keeping until around the tenth year of the reign of King Alexandros IV Sōtēr (280 B.C.). The system of long term reckoning uses the date calculated for the legendary foundation of the Argead dynasty (c. 808 B.C.) by the first King of Makedonia, King Karanos, as year 1 of the Argead Calendar. In common reckoning, however, the regnal year of the current king is used to calculate most short term dates, with only historical events in the far past using the long count. The Royal Calendar itself is a lunar calendar of twelve months, based primarily on the Babylonian Calendar, though with Greek names substituted for the months. The beginning of the new year is placed in the mid fall, beginning at the first new moon.
Part Four: A List of Argead Kings of Asia to 154 B.C.
I. Alexandros III Basileus Theos (r. 336 B.C. – 290 B.C.), also known under the royal names of Megas and Neos Dionysos.
II. Alexandros IV Sōtēr Theos (r. 290 B.C. – 271 B.C.), known under the royal name of Philopatōr before 279 B.C.
III. Philippos III Euergetēs Theos (r. 271 B.C. – 250 B.C.)
[Berenikē Philomētōr , served as co-ruler with her husband King Philippos III from 256 B.C. until his death, and then as co-ruler with her infant son from 250 B.C. until her assassination in 236 B.C., after which she was removed from all royal records in Damnatio Memoriae.]
IV. Alexandros V Eupatōr Theos (r. 250 B.C. – 196 B.C.), known under the royal name of Tryphōn before 236 B.C.
V. Tiridatēs I Nikatōr Theos (r. 196 B.C. – 171 B.C.), known under the royal name of Epiphanēs before 185 B.C.
VI. Mithridatēs Philopatōr Theos (r. 171 B.C. – 154 B.C.)
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Wow! Excellent updates. I particularly appreciate the insertion of Byzantine elements in the court, although you have inserted some titles (koubikoularios, primikērios) that are of Latin provenance. There are some Greek equivalents you can use though, e.g. koitōnitēs for koubikoularios and proedros, proestos or prokathēmenos for primikērios.
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Ah, thank you very much, actually. I hadn't realized. Edited.
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