Abstract
This paper explores the notion of insularity and religious life in the sacred landscape of Ikaros/Failaka with a particular focus on the Hellenistic period. The little island of Ikaros/Failaka in the Persian Gulf had a long pre-Hellenistic religious history and was occupied by Alexander, explored by his officials and became part of the Seleucid kingdom. From the mid-20th century, archaeological missions working on the nesiotic space of the Persian Gulf have revealed material evidence that has altered our view of this remote part of the Hellenistic world. Research revealed a flourishing network of cultural communication and contacts between the indigenous population of the East and Greco-Macedonians. These interactions mirror the landscape of the Hellenistic East. Thus Ikaros/Failaka, an island on the periphery of the Seleucid kingdom, situated at a strategic point (near the mouth of the River Euphrates and close to the shores of the Persian Gulf) appears to be part of a chain of locations that possessed political/military, economic, and religious importance for the Seleucids. It became a fruitful landscape, where the Seleucids pursued their political and religious agenda.
Highlights
In recent times, the matter of insularity and insular landscapes has become an important issue in the study of Mediterranean islands
In our analysis of the insularity of Ikaros/Failaka, we focus on the long-term spatial and temporal parameters involved in the notion of insularity that derive from Braudel
To sum up our observations, the long-term spatial and temporal aspects of Braudelian analysis may apply to the island of Ikaros/Failaka, albeit with some restrictions caused by the fluctuation in human settlement, and so reveal some important aspects that may define insularity
Summary
The matter of insularity and insular landscapes has become an important issue in the study of Mediterranean islands. In mentioning the parameters involved in the notion of insularity, he notes that ‘insularity is contingent on both space and time, and may be adopted or adapted as individuals or wider social concerns dictate’ Using the theoretical approaches involved in insularity, in combination with literary sources, historical narratives and archaeological discoveries, scholars have reinterpreted the insular landscapes of the Mediterranean as spaces where human activity is characterised by the interplay of many internal and external factors. The literary sources on the islands of the Persian Gulf are Mediterranean a network vibrant geo-historical and not geo-political entities interacted scanty, perhaps because the majority ofofancient writers were concerned tothat offer a over time and space
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