After having been for decades the province of a relatively small group of scholars the
Hellenistic polis has become central to the research agenda of Ancient historians more broadly.
This development can be traced from the early nineties of the last century and has picked up
pace in a sustained fashion at the turn of the millennium. Recent research has started
approaching the Greek polis of the centuries between Alexander and Cleopatra as a specific
historical phenomenon striving to define its most peculiar aspects from as many angles as
possible and to point to new avenues of interpretation that might contribute to recognizing
its historical role.In this general framework this volume attempts to explore new lines of
thought to question established ways of reading the evidence and to take stock of recent
developments. The contributors do not subscribe to any particular shared approach on the
contrary their approaches and questions stem from many different scholarly traditions and
methodologies. Rather than seeking to achieve a complete coverage the volume provides a
selection of current research agendas in many cases offering glimpses of ongoing projects.
