Royal Cult and Religious Life in the Seleucid Levant: Additional Considerations on the Heliodoros Stele

Erickson, Kyle (2026) Royal Cult and Religious Life in the Seleucid Levant: Additional Considerations on the Heliodoros Stele. In: Seleucid Nysa-Scythopolis in the Framework of Hellenistic Foundations in the Levant. Zaphon, Muenster, pp. 215-226. ISBN 978-3-96327-346-9 (In Press)

Text 3724 Erickson, E. Royal cult (2026).pdf - Accepted Version Restricted to Repository staff only Available under License CC-BY-NC-ND Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (290kB)

Abstract

This chapter reexamines Seleucid royal cult in the southern Levant through the lens of the Heliodoros stele, a key epigraphic source that illuminates the intersection of imperial administration and local religious life against a backdrop of resistance. Moving beyond the binary of top-down versus bottom-up cultic origins, the study explores how Seleucid interventions in temple affairs ‒ ranging from benefactions to despoliation ‒ fit within Levi’s broader framework of “predatory rule.” The chapter is structured in three parts. The first analyzes Seleucid interactions with local temples, particularly the Jerusalem temple, highlighting the dual strategies of extraction and control. The second investigates the administrative roles of officials such as Heliodoros and Olympiodoros, arguing that the latter’s appointment as overseer of sanctuaries likely included responsibilities for the royal cult, thus blurring the lines between civic and centralized cultic practices. The third section considers the destruction and deposition of the Heliodoros stele as a symbolic act of resistance during the Hasmonean expansion, reflecting broader tensions between Seleucid imperial policy and local religious autonomy. By integrating epigraphic, literary, and archaeological evidence, the chapter offers a nuanced view of how royal cult functioned as both a tool of imperial governance and a nexus of contested authority in the Seleucid Levant.

Item Type:	Book Section
Subjects:	D History General and Old World > DE The Mediterranean Region. The Greco-Roman World
Divisions:	Institutes and Academies > Institute of Education and Humanities > Academic Discipline: Humanities and Social Sciences
Depositing User:	Kyle Erickson
Date Deposited:	09 Mar 2026 12:57
Last Modified:	09 Mar 2026 12:57
URI:	https://repository.uwtsd.ac.uk/id/eprint/3724

Administrator Actions (login required)

Edit Item - Repository Staff Only