William Greenwalt

Abstract

Interview with William Greenwalt (Santa Clara University)In this first issue, Karanos’ Editorial Board wants to pay a well-merited tribute to one of the main promoters of the Ancient Macedonian Studies: William (Bill) Steven Greenwalt (University of Santa Clara). His name is most that well known in our fieldwork, but maybe he has not enjoyed the deserved authority as far as he does not finalize his research achievements with a typical monography or a History of Macedon. Nevertheless, Greenwalt is one of the researchers who had contributed mostly in the return of the interest on Ancient Macedonia beyond the figure of Alexander the Great, concretly attending to the Argead dynasty. Thanks to his work and efforts, questions like the royal charisma of the Argeads or his polygamy are now discussed in full and accepted in the academic sphere. Likewise, he is also a researcher who has popularized in the academia the name of Karanos, legendary monarch who gives name to our journal. It was, then, almost mandatory to begin with him our section of interviews to the Main Voices in Ancient Macedonian Studies.Disciple of Harry Del and E. Gruen, Greenwalt has developed a research line focused in religious topics, with a strong influence from the anthropological perspective. Some of his theories can be put in question and discussed by researchers who does not agree with him, but as far as we think that almost anything in the Ancient (Macedonian) World can be subject to question, we are sure that Greenwalt’s contribution to the knowledge of Ancient Macedonia and the force and weight of his ideas along the last decades is beyond any doubt, and helped to the brilliant progress and renovation of our fieldwork.