In the late fourth and early third centuries, Alexander III’s generals and philoi established new Hellenistic dynasties, several of which included the daughters of the most noble families of the former Achaemenid world throughout western Asia as their new dynastic wives. In addition to their diplomatic significance, these women were important in visual and material articulations of dynastic identity and dynastic rule. The public honors, coinage, and luxury portable objects associated with these women not only provide evidence for their physical movement across continents but also give us a glimpse into their roles in the making of Hellenistic queenship. This chapter examines select assemblages left by Roxane, Apama, and Amastris – all of whom were born into royal or noble families in Iran or central Asia, married Macedonian dynasts, and moved westward – as well as Stratonice, the daughter of a Macedonian king who moved eastward after marrying into the Seleucid dynasty. These case studies offer an art-historical and materially focused examination of Macedonian encounters with western Asia while demonstrating the ways that non-Macedonian and non-Greek women of the late fourth and early third centuries contributed to public expressions of imperial power and dynastic consolidation via objects of queenship across the Hellenistic world.

This chapter surveys the transformation of the North African countryside in Late Antiquity, analysing shifts in settlement patterns, agricultural production and economic structures from the late Roman period through the Arab conquest in 689. It highlights regional variations across ancient provinces such as Mauretania, Numidia, Africa Proconsularis, Byzacena and Tripolitana, emphasising that the rural landscape did not experience uniform decline but rather underwent adaptation and reorganisation. Discussing North Africa’s role as a key supplier of olive oil, grain, wine and fine ceramics, notably African Red Slip (ARS) pottery, the chapter challenges earlier assumptions that economic collapse followed the Vandal conquest in 439, showing instead that new industrialised production methods led to increased ARS exports during the late fifth century. However, the Byzantine reconquest in 539 did not reintegrate the region into the larger imperial economy as expected, instead fostering greater regionalisation and isolation. This contribution also addresses the Christianisation of the countryside, analysing the spread of monastic estates and bishoprics and their impact on land use. By examining archaeological surveys and pottery distribution, the chapter concludes that rural settlement patterns in North Africa were shaped by a combination of environmental, economic and political factors.

This chapter centres on the rural landscapes of the late Roman Eastern Empire, focusing on settlement patterns, economic structures and the integration of rural communities into broader imperial networks. It challenges older historiographical models that depict the countryside as declining in tandem with the urban world, arguing instead that many rural regions remained vibrant and adapted to shifting political and economic conditions. This investigation draws on archaeological surveys, architectural remains and epigraphic evidence to analyse how different rural settlements evolved. It contrasts the village-based economies of the Eastern Mediterranean with the villa-centric model of the western provinces, emphasising that villages in the East continued to thrive well into the Byzantine period. The chapter also highlights the role of religious transformation, documenting the conversion of pagan sanctuaries into Christian sites and the spread of monastic settlements in rural landscapes. Another key theme is connectivity, particularly how infrastructure such as roads and maritime trade routes sustained rural economies. The discussion of transhumance and agricultural production further illustrates the dynamism of the eastern countryside. While certain regions experienced decline due to warfare or shifting imperial priorities, the chapter presents the eastern rural world as an adaptive, resilient environment, rather than one in simple decay.

In Book III of the Plato’s Laws, we are told that under the ancient constitution of Athenian, citizens ‘lived in willing servitude’ to the city’s laws and to its officers (archontes). How are we to understand the servitude (douleia) invoked in this slogan, and what are we to make of the qualification of the servitude as willing (hekontes, ethelontes)? Against those who suggest that Plato here construes willing servitude as a kind of freedom, I argue that the slogan is intended to emphasize the ways in which the ancient Athenians were unfree. Plato uses it to promote, as a political ideal, acceptance of the limitations on freedom that are the inevitable concomitant of political rule.

This chapter explores the urban and architectural evolution of Ravenna in Late Antiquity, focusing on its transformation from a relatively modest Roman settlement into a major political and religious centre. It examines how Ravenna served as the capital of the Western Roman Empire, the Ostrogothic Kingdom and the Byzantine Exarchate of Italy between 400 and 725 CE. The discussion highlights how Ravenna’s geographical setting – a marshy coastal landscape – shaped its urban development and archaeological record. The study assesses the city’s infrastructure, including its walls, aqueducts, palaces and religious buildings, demonstrating how imperial patronage played a decisive role in its growth. The construction of monumental churches such as the Basilica of San Vitale and Sant’Apollinare in Classe is explored as evidence of Ravenna’s rising Christian prominence. The chapter also details the impact of Theoderic’s rule, particularly in the adaptation of Roman architectural traditions for Ostrogothic purposes. Under Byzantine rule, Ravenna became a centre of ecclesiastical power, reflected in continued church-building projects. Despite political upheavals and economic fluctuations, Ravenna remained a dynamic and influential city. The chapter concludes by pointing out the challenges of archaeological research in the area, emphasising how ongoing excavations continue to refine our understanding of Ravenna’s late antique legacy.

Hellenistic queenship was richly represented across the eastern Mediterranean and western Asia from the fourth to second centuries BCE. From luxury portable objects to large-scale monuments, public ceremonies to sacred spaces, extant material and visual culture show us that royal women were central to the articulation of dynastic continuity and legitimacy. Queens were important subjects of representation (that were sometimes objects of contemplation) as well as patrons of art and architecture. The art history of Hellenistic queenship comprises an eclectic array of representational strategies in different settings, across a range of materials and media, from the colossal to the miniature. As such, this volume has explored a variety of different case studies from various regions and kingdoms: Hecatomnid Caria, Lycia, Sparta, Argead Macedon, Ptolemaic Egypt, Seleucid Asia, and Attalid Anatolia.