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العالم الهيللينستي: حملة الإسكندر على الشرق ونشأة الممالك الهيللينستية
With extensive use of quotations from original source material, this book examines the political events in the Hellenistic world from Alexander's death until his incorporation in the Roman Empire. It also describes the different social systems of the peoples under Greek rule, important developments in literature, science and technology and the founding of new religious movements. The author has assimilated all pertinent recent scholarship in the field, and fashioned an obsorbing account of a vast and complex society whose ideas and achievements for the bedrock of present-day Western civilization.
354 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
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223 people want to read
About the author
Frank William Walbank
27 books5 followersFrank William Walbank CBE was a scholar of ancient history, particularly the history of Polybius. He was born in Bingley, Yorkshire, and died in Cambridge. Walbank attended Bradford Grammar School and went on to study Classics at Peterhouse, Cambridge.
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January 8, 2017After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC his generals set about seizing power for themselves. Their power was personal. They were kings first, although at first some of them claimed to rule on behalf of descendants of either Alexander or his father Philip, their kingdoms came later. The story of this period reminded me of how Ibn Khaldun described the unfolding of history in the The Muqaddimah. The Macedonians poured out of their desert country united by group feeling under a dynasty which lasted a little longer than two generations to be replaced by the Successors of Alexander whose dynasties by the third or fourth generation were already in decline, to be eventually snuffed out by the Romans, or the Parthians, or the Romans again.
Walbank's book is an overview of this period of time (ie circa 320 BC down to 130 BC) and covers the territory from Greece and Egypt eastwards to Afghanistan and the border regions of India. The successors seized power after the death of a warlord in the ruins of the Persian empire. Their territories were won by the spear, loyalty to them was maintained through victory. Unsurprisingly they spent much of their energies on war in the broadest sense - when not fighting they were keen to establish states that maximised their ability to fight. This required a taxation base, soldiers, and elephants.
Seleucius I established himself on the borders of India and according to the sources received as part of a treaty 500 elephants from an Indian ruler - an impressive amount of beasts to feed. Ptolemy who based himself in Egypt had to go as far as Somalia to get hold of African Forest Elephants. These were brought north, trained for war, and deployed in battle. Slightly smaller than the Indian elephants they were intimidated by their fierce trumpeting and ran away . I felt sorry for the elephants and then recalled that what was true for them was also true for the men who fought (or ran away) alongside them.
Perhaps the practice of infanticide lead to an excess of men, or maybe too much land was owned by too few, but in parts of the eastern Mediterranean at least, particularly Crete which was famous on this account, men either became mercenaries or pirates. The Successors to Alexander hired mercenaries (which required an adequate taxation base), and if they captured soldiers in battle they were settled deep in their own kingdoms in colonies where in theory they were to farm when they were not fighting - or hire somebody else to do the farming for them.
The money required for soldiers, elephants, and purple dye duties on wool and linen...succession duty...5 percent tax on house rents...a tax of 10 per cent on sales and 2 per cent on market sales...a 33 1/3 per cent tax on the profits of pigeons...a 33 1/3 per cent tax on vineyards, orchards and gardens together with 1/6 of the produce of the vineyards paid in kind and that of orchards and gardens paid in money...a tax on cattle and on slaves...a poll tax and...a local customs tax (p110). There was also a tax on grain and farmers would be told what and when they should plant - though the crown did at least provide the seed grain. Unsurprisingly a common response on the part of farmers was to run away - this was known as anachoresis. There were also various state monopolies. All of which went to pay for the generations of Ptolemies and Cleopatras and Arsinoes of the ruling dynasty whose lives were sweetened by all the fine things that could be bought from the Yemen - Frankincense, Myrrh, and Cinnamon, as well as from trade with India. A consequence of the exploitative regime was a growth in banditry. The Ptolemies were possibly lucky, or guided by the divine genius of Ptolemy I - and over time the successors to Alexander having first declared themselves to be kings moved on to claim divine status for themselves - they were geographically fairly secure from their neighbours. The Seleucids were vulnerable on many borders, to breakaway regimes like that of Bactricia whose kings issued fine coins (and about whose kingdom we know little more than that), and the Parthians. The dynasty that descended from Alexander's general Seleucis was eventually swallowed by all these and the insatiable Romans.
Oswyn Murray's account of Early Greece still strikes me as the best book in this series - the Fontana History of the Ancient World, Wallbank's book has the disadvantage of having to get over the complex political history of the period to the reader before moving on to the social and cultural trends of the period and these are maybe too diverse to get across. I felt that Wallbank and the Hellenistic period were unlucky in their sources - there is the excellent Polybius but not much else that is contemporary, while Wallbank points out that debates over the dating and the habit of many Hellenistic dynasties to use and reuse the same personal names in every generation has meant that the consensus on epigraphic evidence has been regularly shifting with inscriptions credited to one ruler changed to his son and back and forth. At the same time some clutches of letters from Ptolemic Egypt survive as well as the books of Maccabees from the Bible, which give a different perspective on the period. I have this completely unfair idea that a series like this is a puzzle to the author of each individual volume. To unlock the subject to a reader in a way that gives them both an understanding of it in overview but also a sense of what is exciting, interesting, and intriguing about it rather as a tasting menu in a restaurant might give a sense of a whole cuisine. But this is difficult to achieve, it is easy for books like this to be a little too much like textbooks.
My relationship with this book was typified by the chapter on religious developments which at once promises much - with the Hellenistic rulers declaring themselves gods , new philosophical developments, explicit contacts with the religious and philosophical traditions of other regions - most strikingly perhaps India and Ashoka, but also Iran and Egypt . Yet the chapter wasn't all that exciting. As an introduction to the period it felt more ponderous than tantalising as if too much elephant and not enough cinnamon went into it's production.
Walbank's book is an overview of this period of time (ie circa 320 BC down to 130 BC) and covers the territory from Greece and Egypt eastwards to Afghanistan and the border regions of India. The successors seized power after the death of a warlord in the ruins of the Persian empire. Their territories were won by the spear, loyalty to them was maintained through victory. Unsurprisingly they spent much of their energies on war in the broadest sense - when not fighting they were keen to establish states that maximised their ability to fight. This required a taxation base, soldiers, and elephants.
Seleucius I established himself on the borders of India and according to the sources received as part of a treaty 500 elephants from an Indian ruler - an impressive amount of beasts to feed. Ptolemy who based himself in Egypt had to go as far as Somalia to get hold of African Forest Elephants. These were brought north, trained for war, and deployed in battle. Slightly smaller than the Indian elephants they were intimidated by their fierce trumpeting and ran away . I felt sorry for the elephants and then recalled that what was true for them was also true for the men who fought (or ran away) alongside them.
Perhaps the practice of infanticide lead to an excess of men, or maybe too much land was owned by too few, but in parts of the eastern Mediterranean at least, particularly Crete which was famous on this account, men either became mercenaries or pirates. The Successors to Alexander hired mercenaries (which required an adequate taxation base), and if they captured soldiers in battle they were settled deep in their own kingdoms in colonies where in theory they were to farm when they were not fighting - or hire somebody else to do the farming for them.
The money required for soldiers, elephants, and purple dye duties on wool and linen...succession duty...5 percent tax on house rents...a tax of 10 per cent on sales and 2 per cent on market sales...a 33 1/3 per cent tax on the profits of pigeons...a 33 1/3 per cent tax on vineyards, orchards and gardens together with 1/6 of the produce of the vineyards paid in kind and that of orchards and gardens paid in money...a tax on cattle and on slaves...a poll tax and...a local customs tax (p110). There was also a tax on grain and farmers would be told what and when they should plant - though the crown did at least provide the seed grain. Unsurprisingly a common response on the part of farmers was to run away - this was known as anachoresis. There were also various state monopolies. All of which went to pay for the generations of Ptolemies and Cleopatras and Arsinoes of the ruling dynasty whose lives were sweetened by all the fine things that could be bought from the Yemen - Frankincense, Myrrh, and Cinnamon, as well as from trade with India. A consequence of the exploitative regime was a growth in banditry. The Ptolemies were possibly lucky, or guided by the divine genius of Ptolemy I - and over time the successors to Alexander having first declared themselves to be kings moved on to claim divine status for themselves - they were geographically fairly secure from their neighbours. The Seleucids were vulnerable on many borders, to breakaway regimes like that of Bactricia whose kings issued fine coins (and about whose kingdom we know little more than that), and the Parthians. The dynasty that descended from Alexander's general Seleucis was eventually swallowed by all these and the insatiable Romans.
Oswyn Murray's account of Early Greece still strikes me as the best book in this series - the Fontana History of the Ancient World, Wallbank's book has the disadvantage of having to get over the complex political history of the period to the reader before moving on to the social and cultural trends of the period and these are maybe too diverse to get across. I felt that Wallbank and the Hellenistic period were unlucky in their sources - there is the excellent Polybius but not much else that is contemporary, while Wallbank points out that debates over the dating and the habit of many Hellenistic dynasties to use and reuse the same personal names in every generation has meant that the consensus on epigraphic evidence has been regularly shifting with inscriptions credited to one ruler changed to his son and back and forth. At the same time some clutches of letters from Ptolemic Egypt survive as well as the books of Maccabees from the Bible, which give a different perspective on the period. I have this completely unfair idea that a series like this is a puzzle to the author of each individual volume. To unlock the subject to a reader in a way that gives them both an understanding of it in overview but also a sense of what is exciting, interesting, and intriguing about it rather as a tasting menu in a restaurant might give a sense of a whole cuisine. But this is difficult to achieve, it is easy for books like this to be a little too much like textbooks.
My relationship with this book was typified by the chapter on religious developments which at once promises much - with the Hellenistic rulers declaring themselves gods , new philosophical developments, explicit contacts with the religious and philosophical traditions of other regions - most strikingly perhaps India and Ashoka, but also Iran and Egypt . Yet the chapter wasn't all that exciting. As an introduction to the period it felt more ponderous than tantalising as if too much elephant and not enough cinnamon went into it's production.
June 26, 2017
Καλο αλλα θα μπορούσε να μην ειναι τόσο χαοτικό.Bonus οι αρχαίες πηγές!
May 7, 2016
The Hellenistic World: Revised Edition by F. W. Walbank offers a surprisingly unique, yet superbly vast and detailed glimpse into the world left transformed by Alexander the Great of Macedon. Interestingly enough, this book was actually recommended to me by a British professor currently at the Isthmian archaeological museum in Isthmia, Greece, who requested he remain anonymous. In this Harvard University Press publication, Walbank, a renown scholar of Polybius and the Hellenistic world in general, clearly demonstrates how knowledgeable he is about the subject of his book. Peppered with apt inscriptions and literary excerpts from primary sources, Walbank's narrative provides the reader with more than a mere retelling of historical events in chronological order. He delves deep into the social trends in Ptolemaic Egypt, the unique political relationship between Macedonian kings and their subjects, and the multicultural nature of the empire forged by the Seleucids. The common farmer, tilling the rich soil alongside the Nile river, and the brilliant scientist, employed by a powerful Eastern king so that he may improve siege artillery, come to life in Walbank's prose just as much as, if not more than, the more traditional historical characters. For Walbank, the mercenary en route from Athens to a frontier town in the Punjab is incredibly important; his story deserves to be told. Walbank does this time and again through his fascinating selection of inscriptions, which detail the words of individuals like a small town philosopher in Afghanistan to the Seleucid king Antiochus III.
Walbank's narrative includes other elements that are unique to his history as well. His description of various Hellenistic explorers, for instance, who travelled as far as India, Iceland, and the Gold Coast of Africa adds considerable flavor to the book and widens its scope. His discussion of Hellenistic technology is also captivating; he commends the period's scientists for their brilliance but explains why that rarely translated into practical productivity.
Most importantly, Walbank's history is even handed and objective. His narrative lacks an agenda or message except than to educate his readers on a time period he obviously loves dearly. While Hellenistic World: Revised Edition may be, in purpose, a mere introduction to the world transformed by Alexander the Great's conquest of the Persian empire, it is, in truth, so much more than that. It is invaluable as a source of constant reference to the expert academic as it is to the curious undergraduate. It will, no doubt, continue to serve classicists well for many years to come.
Walbank's narrative includes other elements that are unique to his history as well. His description of various Hellenistic explorers, for instance, who travelled as far as India, Iceland, and the Gold Coast of Africa adds considerable flavor to the book and widens its scope. His discussion of Hellenistic technology is also captivating; he commends the period's scientists for their brilliance but explains why that rarely translated into practical productivity.
Most importantly, Walbank's history is even handed and objective. His narrative lacks an agenda or message except than to educate his readers on a time period he obviously loves dearly. While Hellenistic World: Revised Edition may be, in purpose, a mere introduction to the world transformed by Alexander the Great's conquest of the Persian empire, it is, in truth, so much more than that. It is invaluable as a source of constant reference to the expert academic as it is to the curious undergraduate. It will, no doubt, continue to serve classicists well for many years to come.
February 13, 2021
An excellent overview of the Hellenistic period. It brings that era to life setting the cultural and political context from the death of Alexander the Great to Roman's final dominion at the battle of Actium, 31 BC. While there are one or two author remarks that date the writing of the book to the early 1980s, this can still serve as an introductory, apolitical, text for readers of this neglicted area of Classical history.
December 3, 2025
Great book! I now have good simple background knowledge of Greek Hellenistic culture, its influence in the ancient world, and how it spread through the lives of Alexander and those after him.
April 19, 2018
So this was a FUN book. Not really though; it was super dry and I almost fell asleep about a million times during it. The only reason it is completed is because I had to read it for class! All of the information presented in this book usually really interests me, but this was just sooooo boring. Luckily, it was really short. But look at the guy on this cover. He cracked me up every time I went to read this.
September 25, 2016
I read the first edition, not the new revised edition, but there doesn't seem to be a big difference between the two given the similar number of pages. This is a great book. It gives a brief military/ political history of the period after Alexander (which covers a zippy 50 pages what Romm's Ghost on the Throne: The Death of Alexander the Great and the War for Crown and Empire covers in over 300).Walbank moves through various topics, including individual studies of each of the major kingdoms, political developments like the Greek federal systems (in Aetolia and Achaea), new scientific, philosophical and ethnographic developments, and changes in religious practice.
At points, the book is clearly out of date. In the 30+ years since it came out, some of the conclusions that it offers have been questioned and some of the approaches to topics like Ptolemaic land administration have been given a much more careful analysis. Still, the broad strokes that Walbank paints are very helpful. He frequently offers legnthy quotations from primary sources, so that the reader can see where his conclusions come from. This makes the book useful not only as a general introduction to the period, but as an introduction to historical method as well. If you find yourselft interested in ancient history and want to get deeper into the period before Rome or the period after Classical Greece, this book is a great place to start. It is definitely dense, and I admit that my attention to detail sometimes lapsed when Walkbank is describing some economic or inter-urban concept that I don't find that interesting. Even so, there is a lot to take away, and a second reading might make your understanding even richer.
Come for the story of how C. Popilius Laenas first coined the phrase "line in the sand" (you'll have to wait for it, since it's at the end), but stay for Seleucid statecraft, for Hellenistic science, and for a slightly dated explanation of the relationship between "colonial" Greeks and their new native subjects.
At points, the book is clearly out of date. In the 30+ years since it came out, some of the conclusions that it offers have been questioned and some of the approaches to topics like Ptolemaic land administration have been given a much more careful analysis. Still, the broad strokes that Walbank paints are very helpful. He frequently offers legnthy quotations from primary sources, so that the reader can see where his conclusions come from. This makes the book useful not only as a general introduction to the period, but as an introduction to historical method as well. If you find yourselft interested in ancient history and want to get deeper into the period before Rome or the period after Classical Greece, this book is a great place to start. It is definitely dense, and I admit that my attention to detail sometimes lapsed when Walkbank is describing some economic or inter-urban concept that I don't find that interesting. Even so, there is a lot to take away, and a second reading might make your understanding even richer.
Come for the story of how C. Popilius Laenas first coined the phrase "line in the sand" (you'll have to wait for it, since it's at the end), but stay for Seleucid statecraft, for Hellenistic science, and for a slightly dated explanation of the relationship between "colonial" Greeks and their new native subjects.
January 24, 2015
I picked this up used at a college book sale in the fall, largely because I know my grasp of the Hellenistic kingdoms is a bit imperfect. That is understandable, even for someone who has done a fair amount of grad work in Classics, because the Hellenistic kingdoms are hardly in vogue these days and the period is itself, extremely unstable. The names don't help either- just keeping track of the Philips, Alexanders, Ptolemies, Antiochi, Seleuci is a full time job. Yet, it is an important period and worth exploring.
Walbank's book is an excellent guide to this world. His grasp of the source is hard to best and he explains the various aspects of the Hellenistic world ably. His survey of the kingdoms make sense of the confusing politics of these kingdoms as well as the international scene. His discussions of the economy, administration and cultural are equally masterful. He takes his discussion through the advent of Rome to the collapse of these kingdom.
Walkbank's book is crucial reading both for the Hellenist who wants to explore the development of Greece past the Classical period and the Romanist who wants to figure out the effect of Greeks on Rome.
Walbank's book is an excellent guide to this world. His grasp of the source is hard to best and he explains the various aspects of the Hellenistic world ably. His survey of the kingdoms make sense of the confusing politics of these kingdoms as well as the international scene. His discussions of the economy, administration and cultural are equally masterful. He takes his discussion through the advent of Rome to the collapse of these kingdom.
Walkbank's book is crucial reading both for the Hellenist who wants to explore the development of Greece past the Classical period and the Romanist who wants to figure out the effect of Greeks on Rome.
November 7, 2018
Difficult at times to read, but chocked full of important tidbits (like Aramaic was the language of Persia, I had always thought Israel). The names will drive you nuts as well as when you had one there sons, grandsons and great grandsons would have the same name. I now understand why great culture was widespread. It stretched from India to the4 Pillars of Hercules.
October 5, 2018
Μια σύγχρονη προσέγγιση στον κόσμο που δημιουργήθηκε μετά τον θάνατο του Αλέξανδρου. Πολύ χρήσιμη η παρεμβολή των πηγών για την κατανόηση του πνεύματος της εποχής. Από τα ευχάριστα πανεπιστημιακα συγγράμματα.
April 27, 2022
The Hellenistic World is a general history of the Hellenistic period that looks more at different aspects of life in the Hellenistic World rather than providing a chronological history. The author provides a quick overview of what he means by the Hellenistic World and the wars of the Diadochi, he summarizes what makes the Hellenistic World a connected unit, then provides quick overviews of the different empires before diving into specific topics like science and religion during the Hellenistic period.
One of the best aspects of The Hellenistic World is that Walbank shows how historians of the ancient world combine evidence from ancient histories (even tangential mentions), archeology and ancient inscriptions to try and piece together an understanding of how things worked in the Hellenistic kingdoms. He quotes original inscriptions at length and directly connects them to references in Polybius' histories which is something you don't get from more popular histories.
The book is uneven and the lack of a chronological history for the later period was confusing, if you don't know it well already. I nearly gave up when I reached the chapter on the Seleucid empire which was almost entirely on the mechanics of landownership and seemed suspiciously like a reworked journal entry. However, I found the chapter on science during the period and the lack of progress in engineering surprisingly stimulating. I would recommend the Hellenistic World only to someone with background knowledge on the period who is interested in larger themes rather than a chronological history.
One of the best aspects of The Hellenistic World is that Walbank shows how historians of the ancient world combine evidence from ancient histories (even tangential mentions), archeology and ancient inscriptions to try and piece together an understanding of how things worked in the Hellenistic kingdoms. He quotes original inscriptions at length and directly connects them to references in Polybius' histories which is something you don't get from more popular histories.
The book is uneven and the lack of a chronological history for the later period was confusing, if you don't know it well already. I nearly gave up when I reached the chapter on the Seleucid empire which was almost entirely on the mechanics of landownership and seemed suspiciously like a reworked journal entry. However, I found the chapter on science during the period and the lack of progress in engineering surprisingly stimulating. I would recommend the Hellenistic World only to someone with background knowledge on the period who is interested in larger themes rather than a chronological history.
September 14, 2021
Good book with some great excerpts from historians and people throughout the ancient Greece. Informative to a point where you don't need it to be a history book, but to the point where it says facts and then gives you quotes from Alexander the Great and whatnot, in ancient Greek and then translated in modern Greek (of course the English version won't have the modern Greek translation).
Good book that I was surprised I liked, especially since I'm eating every single history book about ancient Greece lately and I pretty much read mostly the same (duh) stuff in every book after the other, but I do like the differences on writing and approach about the ancient world. Generic and repetitive is not the one I like, ie reading a history book and feeling like I'm reading a wiki article. That, I hate and this one is not like that, so kudos to Walbank!
Recommended, if you first check the table of contents because the book covers specific events and not in detail.
Good book that I was surprised I liked, especially since I'm eating every single history book about ancient Greece lately and I pretty much read mostly the same (duh) stuff in every book after the other, but I do like the differences on writing and approach about the ancient world. Generic and repetitive is not the one I like, ie reading a history book and feeling like I'm reading a wiki article. That, I hate and this one is not like that, so kudos to Walbank!
Recommended, if you first check the table of contents because the book covers specific events and not in detail.
March 2, 2022
This book is perfect for people who just began studying the Hellenistic era and want to get acquainted with the basic knowledge around the socioeconomic circumstances of each Hellenistic kingdom and greek city state.
January 18, 2020
Reads like a fiction book - very engaging and easy to read.
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April 11, 2022This was my first time to know the war of successors
April 29, 2022
Fantastic find in my local friperie
June 4, 2022
Not for the general reader. Although short the author drowns the narrative in detail. Many pages are the equivalent of a lists of unnecessary detail
May 22, 2009
¡Éste sí lo leí completo! XD...
Es impresionante la erudición de Walbank, como nos introduce en todos los aspectos del mundo Helenístico: desde Alejandro hasta los romanos, nos describe la política, economía y cultura del mundo mediterráneo.
Aunque a veces puede ser difícil de seguir por la gran cantida de nombres involucrados (los de los protagonistas, a los que se añaden los de las fuentes y las ciudades) así como la complejidad de los conflictos y las alianzas, el libro no deja de ser interesantísimo, y propio de la pluma del más grande "helenista" de nuestro tiempo.
Es impresionante la erudición de Walbank, como nos introduce en todos los aspectos del mundo Helenístico: desde Alejandro hasta los romanos, nos describe la política, economía y cultura del mundo mediterráneo.
Aunque a veces puede ser difícil de seguir por la gran cantida de nombres involucrados (los de los protagonistas, a los que se añaden los de las fuentes y las ciudades) así como la complejidad de los conflictos y las alianzas, el libro no deja de ser interesantísimo, y propio de la pluma del más grande "helenista" de nuestro tiempo.
June 12, 2025
A nice overview of the Hellenistic world from it's development to the end, looking at the various Macedonian and Hellenistic kingdoms. It covers the social, economic, political and religious aspects of the age, showing how everything fitted together during this period. I really enjoyed this as it's a bit different to the typical history books I read. I would definitely recommend this book of your interested in the period, otherwise I wouldn't recommend it.
5/5
5/5
December 20, 2023
Συνοπτικό,δίνοντας γνώσεις για την εποχή εκείνη και την παρακαταθήκη που άφησε στις επόμενες γενιές αλλά λίγο για να περιγράψεις σε ένα βιβλίο όλα αυτά αναλυτικά και να δώσεις την έκταση που της αξίζει.
April 5, 2017
Great introduction to the world after Alexander. Beautiful and rococco art.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews