The Tradition and Ideology of Naming Seleukid Queens

Abstract

This article examines the traditions and ideology which guide the Seleukid dynasty’s faithful repetition of female names over various generations as a case study for better understanding Hellenistic royal onomastics. Beginning with a review of the function of Greek personal names more generally, the article then examines the mechanics behind repeating royal female names. The name Laodike is then taken as a case study, and is examined in relation to Seleukid mythology, royal cult, and the longer literary tradition stretching back to Homer. A reconstruction is then proposed, in which it is argued that female names functioned as quasi- titles.