PDF The Complete Idiot's Guide to Paganism by Carl McColman in Arts-Photography

Review

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Rule of One ndash; Heroes; Kings and TyrantsBy JPSThis is a very interesting and fascinating little with slightly more than 160 pages of text that is easy to read and therefore accessible; although scholarly. Essentially - and perhaps for a change ndash; the bookrsquo;s presentation summarises rather well its contents.The book does indeed challenge a number of views and myths that are at least partly derived from Ancient Greek sources and from Athenian ones in particular. One of these is that the rule of Kings disappeared from Greece; was superseded by oligarchies and democracies; and that the rule of one (or monarchy) made a comeback during the fourth century BC in the form of tyranny.As the author shows rather well; the reality seems to happen more complex. Kingship (Basilea) was defined; or rather caricatured by reference to the Persian King of Kings. However; it had existed before in areas that were part of Greece and continued to exist throughout the classical period (Macedonia; but also Sparta). Also; and although presented as ldquo;arch-villainsrdquo; in such ways that the term ldquo;tyrantrdquo; can only have very negative connotations nowadays; there was a link between tyrants; heroes and saviours of the city in a number of cases during both the 7th and 6th century BC and the 4th century. In the latter case; the typical examples are those of Denys I and Agathocles who both became tyrants of Syracuse and remained in power for decades at least partly because of their ldquo;heroicrdquo; status as protectors and victors against Carthage.Another strongpoint is the authorrsquo;s ability to clearly show how monarchy was underpinned by a common heroic ideology among rulers based on arecirc;te (loosely translated as excellence); and to what extent; even in monarchies and tyrannies; ldquo;rule of onerdquo; was never exclusive and always somehow shared; or at least supported by the family or even the clan.A further component of the rule of one was its instability; or; perhaps to be more precise; the absence of any clear succession rules within the ruling clan or family; or even within the kingdom or city. Two examples that the author uses extensively are those of the Kings of Macedonian and the Kings of Sparta. In both of these cases; and in all other cases of ldquo;one-man rulerdquo;; there was no hereditary primogeniture and there was no guarantee that a son would succeed a father since; by definition; the successor had to be ldquo;the bestrdquo;. In practice; this could mean the strongest; as Alexanderrsquo;s last words on his deathbed are supposed to have been when asked for the name of his successor; or; perhaps more cynically and in a more sinister way; the one who survived all of the other potential claimants.An additional key point is the authorrsquo;s effort in identifying the various components that sole rulers used to legitimise their rules rule. For instance; they were themselves heroes or belonged to a kin group descendant of a hero. They could also be law-givers; the ones who gave their respective cities their constitution and therefore; at least symbolically; were its founders. Interestingly; the author also shows how the relationship between ruling/power of one and law interacted and evolved; with the later ultimately becoming the main limitation and constraint of the power of one in an interesting reversal of causality.Clear; well-presented and well-written; even if not always fully convincing and sometimes ldquo;cutting a few cornersrdquo; because of its limited size; this little book is certainly a valuable contribution and an excellent starting point for anyone interesting in monarchy or tyranny during the classical; but also during the Hellenistic period. It is also; more generally; a valuable piece for anyone wanting to learn what monarchy; whether exercised by a King or by a Tyrant; meant for the Ancient Greeks; how the two differed and evolved; and how they compare to the modern notions that lurk behind the very same terms nowadays. Four strong stars.