Celebrity, Fame, and Infamy in the Hellenistic World

This book traces the roots of modern notions of celebrity, fame, and infamy back to the Hellenistic period of classical antiquity, when sensational personages like Cleopatra of Egypt and Alexander the Great became famous world-wide.

Riemer A. Faber is a professor in the Department of Classical Studies at the University of Waterloo.

Glenn Bugh, Department of History, Virginia Tech:
“The scholarship is uniformly sound and the essays reflect the latest scholarship on their respective topics. The bibliographies are extensive and comprehensive.”

James J. Clauss, Department of Classics, University of Washington:
“Celebrity, Fame, and Infamy in the Hellenistic World offers a new and unparalleled contribution to Hellenistic studies: a fascinating exposé of multimedia self-promotion from Alexander the Great to Antony’s Cleopatra. This interdisciplinary collection also demonstrates that the lives of the rich and famous, and oftentimes infamous, were as interesting to ancient audiences around a Mediterranean basin linked by efficient communication and international travel as they are to moderns tuned in to contemporary social media.”