Six Ancient Greek Conceptions of Love

[Bertilak]

My readings on translated primary sources on Alexander III of Macedonia's and Philip II of Macedonia's lives from Arrian's The Anabasis of Alexander, Plutarch's The Life of Alexander, and Quintus Curtius Rufus's The Life of Alexander raised some questions on the words people use for love in Ancient Greek compared to modern English. Modern English simply contains affection, erotic, and love for the general notions of friendliness and sexual relationships. Ancient Greeks, including the Macedonians' imitation of Ancient Athenian culture, differentiated between six different conceptions of love with eros, philia, agape, philautia, storge, and xenia. Conceptions of eros, storge, and philia might apply closely to modern contexts because eros appears in sexual relationships, storge appears in functional relationship between parents and children, and philia appears in the non-sexual affection of friendships. These finer distinctions between types of affection and love in Ancient Greek provide better guidance on human relationships than the simpler conceptions of love and affection within the modern English language.

What do you think about the Ancient Greeks' finer distinctions between the types of love? What potential applications might appear in modern contexts for these finer distinctions?

[Geo]

I kinda wonder if the Classical Greek considered the inhabitants of the Kingdom of Macedonia to be Greek...

[Elok]

Pretty sure that's a "no," Geo.  At least, it's been emphasized to me in every bio of Alexander I've read.  They were sorta Greek-adjacent but it didn't count.

[Buster's Uncle]

Agreed - a common criticism of Phillip by his Macedonian contemporaries was that he wanted to be respected by the Greeks too much to conquer them properly.

[Geo]

Agreed - a common criticism of Phillip by his Macedonian contemporaries was that he wanted to be respected by the Greeks too much to conquer them properly.

Heh. I wonder how this goes with Putin. Does he crave respect by other powerful world leaders too much to properly conducts his conquests?

[Buster's Uncle]

It sure don't look that way...

[Bertilak]

I kinda wonder if the Classical Greek considered the inhabitants of the Kingdom of Macedonia to be Greek...

Classical Greeks considered Macedonians a sort of rural backwater with partially Hellenized people until Alexander III's destruction of Thebes and domination of Athens and Sparta. While both ethnic groups worshiped the Greek Pantheon, Classical Greek polises excluded Macedonians from participation in the Ancient Olympics and other rituals of significance for inclusion into full Greek status. Alexander III's conquests resulted in the Macedonians' inclusion into the Olympics and full status as equals to the Classical Greeks. Alexander's conquests, however, triggered elevated levels of anti-Macedonian sentiments inside the Classical Greek polises throughout Alexander III's life and a few rebellions.
Classical Greeks, according to James Allan Evans in Daily Life in the Hellenistic Age from Alexander to Cleopatra, also perceived the Macedonian practice of drinking wine in an unadulterated state a practice of barbarians (96).