Beyond War. Personal, Cultural and Economic Factors in Hellenistic Politics

10th–13th September 2025

Università degli studi di Bergamo-Dipartimento di Lettere, Filosofia e Comunicazione

The HeRoM project examines interstate relations in the third to the second century BC through an interdisciplinary lens. The project’s objective is to elucidate the characteristics of the Western and Eastern Mediterranean multipolarity prior to and during the advent of Rome’s unipolarity.  By examining the deployment of hard and soft power by political actors, the project aims to elucidate the geopolitical dynamics among Hellenistic basileiai and other actors during the height of their power in the 3rd century BCE. Additionally, it will investigate the Eastern and Western responses to Rome’s ascendance as a prominent player in the Mediterranean system.

In the context of the Mediterranean East, the HeRoM project examines the competitive dynamics among Hellenistic basileiai and other political actors during the third century.

It considers the deployment of hard and soft power by political entities to elucidate the formal and informal power dynamics that prevailed in Mediterranean multipolar systems.

This project examines the financial, informational and cultural strategies political actors deploy within a multipolar system to enhance their power, consolidate their position and influence, and co-opt other political actors.

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The 2025 HeRoM International Conference Beyond War. Personal, Cultural and Economic Factors in Hellenistic Politics is scheduled to take place in Bergamo between September 10 and 13. The conference will focus on the themes mentioned above pertaining to the third-century Hellenistic Mediterranean.

Particular attention will be paid to the personal connections and political relationships that influenced domestic and foreign policies in the Hellenistic Mediterranean from the establishment of the Hellenistic kingdoms in 306 B.C. These new political structures were based on the communal ethnic origins and life experiences of their rulers. The personal relationships among members of Hellenistic establishments underwent significant transformations during the third century. These changes had a profound impact on political events and were, in turn, shaped by them.

Furthermore, by analysing the relationships between major and minor entities, the project aims to elucidate the local impact of multipolar interactions and to shed light on the involvement of weakly positioned political entities in geopolitical competition beyond the battlefield.

The conference will concentrate on contributions from the late fourth and third centuries. Nevertheless, it will also acknowledge research on Hellenistic Multipolarity from the early second century until 188 BC.

Link per seguire da remoto: https://meet.google.com/iqp-skhf-xjy