In the course of my research, I will seek to assess the changes and the enduring continuities regarding the cultural realities of the Graeco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek realms of the early to late Hellenistic period, as well as the matter of the identity and self-presentation of their inhabitants, particularly the governing Greek(-speaking) stratum, to the degree possible, given the available evidence. The mostly uncharted territory of Graeco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek history, is plagued by historiographical extremes, essentialist and revisionist. I aim to provide a more moderate and, hopefully, more accurate analysis of the nature of the settler experience, hybrid identities, and cultural expression within these more obscure Hellenistic realms, and, in turn, contribute to this growing and exciting new field of Hellenistic history.
More generally, I am very interested in matters of cultural identity in the Hellenistic era, the hybridities and contradictions of this fascinating period of change, continuity and unprecedented civilisational interaction. What did it mean to be Greek? How does this definition change, based on geography and cultural context? How is this manifested in cultural production such as art, architecture and coinage? How did the more ‘silent peoples’ of antiquity perceive and present themselves? These are all questions I will try to tackle in every aspect of my research, in my doctoral thesis and elsewhere. I am particularly interested in cultural hybridities, encounters and exchange in the Hellenistic East, and specifically in the interation between ancient Classical and Indian art in Baktria and India.
