April 20, 2023: Classical Studies Speaker Series
Dr. Rachel Kousser, City University of New York
"Cultural Heritage in Wartime: Alexander the Great as a Creator, Destroyer, and Rebuilder of Monuments"
The short and violent life of Alexander the Great offers a useful case study in war's repercussions for cultural heritage. As he fought his way through the Persian Empire in the late fourth century BCE, the Macedonian king famously destroyed monuments, such as the palace of Persepolis in present-day Iran. At the same time, his conquest of the rich and powerful ancient kingdom also encouraged the creation of new works of art: portraits by the celebrated artists Lysippos and Apelles, battle paintings by Philoxenos of Eretria and Helen of Egypt, a massive war memorial commemorating the twenty-five officers who fell at his first battle. And in his later years, Alexander became an increasingly significant rebuilder of monuments, for instance, the ziggurat of Babylon, better known as the Biblical Tower of Babel. This presentation analyzes Alexander's creation, destruction, and rebuilding of monuments to illuminate ancient attitudes and practices toward cultural heritage in wartime. I argue that his actions suggest an ideal of protecting monuments during war. Yet Alexander also used symbolic violence toward cultural heritage as a military and political strategy to demonstrate his absolute power and highlight the dangers of resistance. And the Hellenes applauded — at least when the monuments were not Greek. This investigation has important repercussions for our understanding of ancient concepts of the protection of cultural heritage in wartime: an issue of critical importance in Alexander's era, and one that remains highly relevant today.
4:30 PM
Location: Walnut Room, IMU
Contact Alyson Melzer (almelzer@iu.edu) for more info!
The College of Arts