EXC 2060 A3-38 - Elite Networks in Hellenistic Babylonia between Continuity and Change

In the so-called long 6th century, the elite of Babylonia is characterised above all by traditionalism and social segregation vis-à-vis newly arrived strata of the population. They saw themselves as keepers of religious traditions and guarantors of the correct performance of the temple cult; marriages were strictly hierarchical and endogamous, and business deals were preferably concluded with their own kind. After the revolt against Xerxes in 484 BC, however, the power and influence of this priestly elite was severely curtailed, at least in northern Babylonia. After a gap in the transmission, we again see elites, including priestly elites, in the late Achaemenid and Hellenistic periods. The research question of this project is how these elites differed from each other and how they behaved: Did they also strive for social separation, or were they more open to other strata of the population and new cultural influences? If so, how did this social behaviour look in concrete terms (e.g. in marriages, business, naming, etc.). The method of social network analysis will be used to map and visualise the numerous individual pieces of information from the texts in order to subsequently give a social-historical evaluation.