Book section : Chapter
Euergetism
- Abstract:
- This chapter sets out to define the distinctiveness of euergetism—that is, honourable public giving in the Greek polis—in the Imperial period (1st to 3rd centuries ad). It briefly lays out the historiographical background and its historical roots in the Classical and Hellenistic (and especially late Hellenistic) periods. The chapter then considers how interactions and tensions between the elite and non-elite continued to shape Imperial-era euergetism, with elite wealth becoming visible in benefactions like buildings, distributions, and festivals, while this allowed the elite to shape civic identity more distinctly than before. The imperial framework formed a second major factor shaping euergetism, with the emperor interceding in local rivalries around benefaction, and provincial geography providing new horizons for thinking about local culture. The result was that euergetism was reified as a cultural practice, allowing for its imitation, but also criticism of it.
- Publication status:
- Published
- Peer review status:
- Peer reviewed
Actions
+ European Research Council
More from this funder
- Funder identifier:
- https://ror.org/0472cxd90
- Grant:
- 865680
- Programme:
- CHANGE
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- Host title:
- The Oxford Handbook of Greek Cities in the Roman Empire
- Pages:
- 189-202
- Chapter number:
- 3.1
- Series:
- Oxford Handbooks
- Place of publication:
- Oxford / New York
- Publication date:
- 2024-12-18
- Edition:
- 1
- DOI:
- EISBN:
- 9780191967290
- ISBN:
- 9780192870933
- Language:
-
English
- Keywords:
- Subtype:
-
Chapter
- Pubs id:
-
2093535
- Local pid:
-
pubs:2093535
- Deposit date:
-
2025-04-07
Terms of use
- Copyright holder:
- Oxford University Press
- Copyright date:
- 2024
- Rights statement:
- © Oxford University Press 2024.
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