Katharina Knäpper, M. A.

Department of Ancient History/Institute of Epigraphy

 

curriculum Vitae:

Ph.D. project:

“ἱερὸς καὶ ἄσυλος” – On the Functions of Hellenistic Recognition of Asylia

The heterogeneous area of ancient notions of asylia was enriched by a new phenomenon in the Hellenistic age – ‘territorial asylia’. Within the scope of my dissertation project, epigraphically testified records from the 3rd and 2nd centuries B.C. pertaining to asylia will be focused on and systematically examined as to their political functions. This political level of the phenomenon of Hellenistic declaration of asylia, which was unmistakably also rooted in the religious field, is currently debated controversially among researchers. Therefore, the motives and functionalities of ‘territorial asylia’ in the Hellenistic age will be screened on a broader basis than before, also considering diachronic changes and regional characteristics. Thus, the project aims at contextualising asylia records, that is, at examining the reasons inherent in any particular historic situation for the request for the granting of asylia on the part of the respective poleis and sanctuaries. Here, the religious structure of argument in the source material will certainly be significant, but it is also worth thinking about the fact that the poleis could quite easily use diplomatic acting in order to emphasise its claim to asylia. In addition to the statements of the asylia records, the precise historical situation as it can be inferred from the full range of sources must be considered in order to be able to identify the causes and effects of each particular declaration of asylia. As regards the consequences of the declaration of asylia, it will above all have to be investigated whether and to what extent the asylia granted is brought forward as an argument in later records.

In addition, the reasons for the granting of asylia on the part of the Hellenistic kings, poleis and leagues are also to be asked for. The points in which the monarchs’ intentions and those of the dependent and the independent states were different and in which they were similar will have to be examined in particular here. The discussion so far has above all considered the instrumentalisation of asylia by Hellenistic rulers to have been the motivation of those recognising asylia, but it is precisely the diversity of public forms of organisation appearing as recognisors that promises results. Whether poleis and leagues complied with a request for the granting of asylia out of their own accord or because they were asked to do so by a king, and which nuances there were in between, is meaningful for the status of the respective public entity within the fabric of tensions created by the ever-newly forming power structures of the conflict-laden Hellenistic age.

In summary, it can be said that the purpose of the dissertation project presented here is to examine Hellenistic declarations of asylia for their political functions (with regard to foreign affairs) systematically and on a broader scale than has been done before. In doing so, the respective historical power structures are as important a reference point as the religious chain of arguments of the documents themselves. This investigation of Hellenistic declarations of asylia as regards their motivations and functionalities can be expected to yield information on how interstate relationships could take place in this conflict-laden epoch and on the manner in which religious patterns of reasoning were served in turn.

Research interests:

• Structures of political power in Hellerism
• Hikesia and asylia
• Epigraphy
• History of Greek religion
• History, languages and religions of ancient Iran
• Contacts and encounters of the Iranian and Greek worlds

Function within the Cluster/Membership in projects and groups:

Member of the study group Charting the Boundaries of the Religious Field

Publications:

• Die Religion der frühen Achaimeniden in ihrem Verhältnis zum Avesta, München 2011. (publisher)
• Betrachtung der Modernisierung in Augustin Wibbelts De Strunz und De Revolution in Lurum, in: Jahrbuch der Augustin-Wibbelt-Gesellschaft 22, Münster 2006, 7-28.

Reviews:

• Katharina Knäpper: Rezension von: Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, James Robson, Ctesias' History of Persia. Tales of the Orient, London, New York 2010, in: sehepunkte 12 (2012), Nr. 3 [15.03.2012]
• Josef Wiesehöfer / Robert Rollinger / Giovanni B. Lanfranchi (Hgg.), Ktesias' Welt - Ctesias' World, Wiesbaden 2011, in: sehepunkte 12 (2012), Nr. 2 [15.02.2012]
• Bruno Jacobs / Robert Rollinger (Hg.): Der Achämenidenhof. Akten des 2. Internationalen Kolloquiums zum Thema "Vorderasien im Spannungsfeld klassischer und altorientalischer Überlieferung", Wiesbaden 2010, in sehepunkte 11 (2011), Nr. 6 [15.06.2011]

Lectures:

• January 2012: GKM der WWU Münster: Was die Römer 'asylum' nannten - Überlegungen zu Grenzziehungen zwischen Asylie und Hikesie.
• February 2012: Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, 6. Althistorische JungakademikerInnentagung, Religion und Herrschaft in der Antike: ἀνιέρου δὲ πόλεως καὶ ἀθέου [...] οὐδείς ἐστιν οὐδ` ἔσται – Überlegungen zum Verhältnis zwischen religiösem und politischem Feld im antiken Griechenland.
• January 2011: An Ancient Right of Asylum? Differenciations and Interferences of asylia and hiketeia, PhD-Days „Religions and Politics“ of the Cluster of Excellence "Religion and Politics“ in Cooperation with the National Research School in Classical Studies in the Netherlands (OIKOS), Münster 7.1.2011.
• June 2005: 'The horned serpent' at the 2. Indogermanistischen Arbeitstagung (Second Indo-European Workshop) Münster/ Leiden 'Indo-European and it’s neighbours'
• May 2006: Lecture on ‘Examination of the modernisation in Augustin Wibbelt’s De Strunz and De Revolution in Lurum’ (in German) at the annual meeting of the Augustin-Wibbelt-Gesellschaft

Courses:

• Summer semester 2012: Kurs Einführung in die Alte Geschichte (University of Vechta)Summer semester 2012: Kurs Die Institutionen der Schutzgewährung in der griechisch-römischen Antike (University of Vechta)Summer semester 2012: Übung Asyl im klassischen und archaischen Griechenland
  
• Summer semester 2010: Kurs Early Greek History
  
• Winter semester 2010/2011: Kurs Das Perserbild Herodots
• Winter semester 2010/2011: Übung Die Sonne der Perser – Der römische Mithraskult in Quellen und Forschung

Contact

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