Culture, Religion, and Myths of Identity in the Alexandra

Hellenistic incubation (temple medicine, healing by dreams) is described authentically in the Alexandra. The excursus about the re-burying of Hektor’s bones at Boiotian Thebes (a cult of relics) is grounded in Hellenistic events. The excursus about the tribute of the Lokrian Maidens has strongly Hellenistic features and the ritual is also attested by a third-century bc inscription. Divine epithets show the poet’s acquaintance with both Greek and Roman cultic realities. Myths of identity are examined, including and especially the Roman.