professional flattery

[nick]

Dear Companions ---A discussion at work today brought up the next subject. I hope someone of you knows the answer.A. Did antique kings like Alexander, the Diadochi and the Roman emperors hire 'professional flatterers' to overload them with compliments?B. If yes, is there any Greek term that denotes this profession?C. If yes, is there any Latin word that denotes this profession?Thanks for your replies. I couldn't resist posting the issue here.Regards ---Nick

[Efstathios]

I do not think so,at least for the case of Alexander and Philip.Alexander had many people flattering him but they were obviously doing it bythemselves in order to gain the King's favor.And Philip i think would probably be disgusted by these kind of people because mainly he was a raw and hardened soldier that could not withstand any forms of this behaviour in people.Usually warrios/generals demanded from people to be more tough and straight rather than going in front of the King "licking" him (it's a greek expression) and flattering him in order to get favor from him.This behaviour is just too unmilitary and i do not think that Philip or Alexander would pay someone to do that. About the Persian Kings i do not know.Since their rulership was based on power and fear uppon the people then maybe they would do something like this,but i have not read anything about it. And generally in the sources i have read about the ancient times i have not seen anything like this.

[Nicator]

Hi Nick,The only words that come to my mind are sycophant, flatterer, and my personal favorite...obsequious. Though none of these equate exactly to what you're asking. That's more closely akin to, if you'll forgive the wording, prostitution. As you're well aware, Alexander was loathe to throw Nearchus' gross account of the Hydaspes battle overboard on the Indus, and made fun of other flatterers that wrote ridiculously tall tales of his deeds in Persia (though he did pay quite well for some of it). later Nicator

[marcus]

I suppose there's an element of 'payment', in as much as court hangers on such as Anaxarchus were 'kept' by the king. Bed and board in exchange for flattering comparisons with the gods ... in the same way that you have to do your own washing up at a youth hostel :-)ATBMarcus

[abm]

the Greek word for flatterer is kolax and this is the word Theopompus uses to describe Agathokles (the father of Lysimachus?), a companion of Philip II. In later times it becomes a topos in ancient literature to call the friends of the kings flatterers (kolakes), but it is a matter of debate whether this was the prevalent attitude among hellenistic greeks. I don't know whether the kings actually payed men for flattery, but of course, a king needed friends. On the other hand there was a 'competition' among these friends to gain the king's favor to the highest possible extent and flattery probably was a means to accomplish this. As Marcus said, since the king kept these men and often gave them lavish gifts, they were in a way paid for their flattery.regards,abm