Philostratus’s Heroikos: Religion And Cultural Identity In The Third Century C.E.

Philostratus’s “Heroikos,” composed by a leading figure of the Second Sophistic movement, presents a rich and intricate literary dialogue that encapsulates the cultural, religious, and political currents of the Roman Empire during the Severan era. Framed as a conversation between a Greek vinedresser and a Phoenician merchant, the work not only advocates for the veneration of Greek hero cults but…