Civic Ruler Cult Essay

The cult paid to the dead or living kings by the cities, in order to win their (or their successors’) concrete favour or to show gratitude after gaining it.
There are multiple ways of defining exactly what the term ruler cult meant in Macedonia. One of the methods of this differentiation is between civic and royal ruler cults. A ‘civic ruler cult’ that which is recognised by cities within the rule of a king and is usually voluntary, and ‘royal ruler cult,’ that which is promoted or set up by the king himself. A civic ruler cult was generally found to be practiced by those cities who had a cult set up for a deceased king, as a dead king could not impose his will after his death, though a subsequent king could however honour their predecessors

Aelius Aristeides is said to have given a speech saying that these cities either offered or paid divine honours to the Macedonian kings. Pydna to Amyntas III and Amphipolis to Philip II even before they officially became part of the Macedonian kingdom. This speech was most likely fictitious in nature and was written with a political context illustrating an anti-Macedonian portrayal in attempts to dissuade Athenians not to trust Philip as there was a strong anti-Macedonian feelings in parts of Greece at the time, particularly in Athens. While the speech itself is most likely a fabrication to further the anti-Macedonian sentiment, it should be trusted by modern scholars given the information provided regarding the actions and behaviour of the two cities. An excerpt from the speech given by Aelius Aristeides is as follows:
You should not exceed the inhabitants of Amphipolis and Pydna: the former offered him sacrifices as to a god, while the latter went so far as to show him a temple dedicated to his father. Yet, he drove out some among them, when he had enough of them, and slaughtered others in his father’s temple – after taking an oath! –: and the slaughter took the place of the