Thomas Stranex

PhD thesis:

Working title: Archival politics from the Achaemenid Empire to the Hellenistic kingdoms

The Achaemenids, a Persian dynasty, controlled a vast empire stretching from modern Afghanistan to Egypt and Anatolia (now Turkey); to rule across such vast distances, the kings had to record their volition in documents (letters, decrees, responses to petitions) which were dispatched to the provinces. Alexander III of Macedonia conquered the Empire in the late fourth century, and his successors carved it up among themselves after his death, creating the Hellenistic Kingdoms, retaining some practices of the Achaemenids and introducing others of their own. My project investigates how imperial subjects in the Eastern Mediterranean interacted with documents recording the king's volition in the Achaemenid and Hellenistic periods. I am particularly interested in how the experience of being ruled through documents changed from the Achaemenid to the Hellenistic period, how subjects might appropriate such documents to their own ends, and how dry bureaucratic processes could inspire the imaginations of literary authors.

Who or what inspired you to pursue your research interests?

In general, I research interesting things that I stumble across accidentally, so I can't really say that my research is inspired by anything or anyone in particular other than my own ignorance. What drives me to engage in research is not the subject matter, but rather the accidental by-products of work in the humanities: reading the work of others, coming to understand humans and our societies better, and building community around shared curiosity.