Research Title: Cosmopolitan Islands? Investigating the Social Embeddedness of Dynastic and Cultic Innovation in Late-Hellenistic Commagene
Lennart Kruijer is an archaeologist interested in the impact of globalisation processes and empire dynamics in Northern-Syria during the Hellenistic and Early-Roman period (ca. 3rd c. BCE-2nd c CE), particularly focusing on the kingdom of Commagene (the modern region of Adıyaman). In his dissertation, he developed a New Materialist approach to understanding socio-cultural change in the kingdom’s capital Samosata, providing a fresh, more-then-representational ‘assemblage perspective’ on the persistent notion of ‘Hellenism in the East’. His current project examines the relations between the 1st c. BCE tomb-sanctuary of Arsameia-on-the-Nymphaios and its surrounding territory of the Kahta Çayı valley in northern Commagene. The main goal is to arrive at a better understanding of the local embeddedness of the highly innovative Commagenean ruler cult, investigating the ways in which the surrounding landscape accommodated this ‘cosmopolitan’ cult site and how, in return, it was impacted by it. It does so by means of a critical analysis of materials from the Dörner Archive (Forschungsstelle Asia Minor), a corpus of so-far unpublished legacy data resulting from excavations and field surveys conducted by F.K. Dörner in and around the tomb-sanctuary. By unlocking this invaluable source of legacy data, for the first time questions can be investigated concerning the degree of trans-regional integration of the rural landscape around the sanctuary in the 3rd c. BCE-2nd c. CE. In doing so, this research uniquely attempts to place the Commagenean ruler cult in a wider social context than the largely royal and elite lenses through which it has traditionally been regarded. As such, the project will contribute to a better understanding of the ways that Hellenistic-period globalization processes and their often cosmopolitan outcomes impacted the dynamics between dynastic (cult) sites and their surroundings in Anatolia and beyond.
Cookies are used to personalize content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyze our traffic. You can accept all cookies by selecting "Allow all" or you can edit the settings by selecting "Customize your cookie settings".
When you visit a website, information is stored in your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. This information may be about you, your preferences or your device, and is often used to make the site work as you expect it to. The information does not usually identify you directly, it is meant to provide you with a more personalized web experience. You can choose not to allow some cookies. Click on the different category headings to learn more and change our default settings. Click here to view our cookie policy.
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be turned off in our systems.
Statistical Cookies
These cookies are used to provide insight into how we can improve our service to all our users and to understand how you interact with our website as an anonymous user.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies are used to create your profile and provide ads relevant to your interests. It is also used to limit the number of times you see an ad, as well as help measure the effectiveness of the ad campaign.
