The Hellenistic World

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Chapter 4

• The Hellenistic World

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Timeline
3
The Rise of Macedonia and the Conquests of
Alexander

• Macedonia
• Philip II (359 336 B.C.)
• Athenian Reaction to Philip
• Battle of Chaeronea (338 B.C.)
• Corinthian League

4
Alexander the Great

• The Conquests of Alexander
• Battle of Granicus River (334 B.C.)
• Battle of Issus (333 B.C.)
• Syria, Palestine and Egypt (332 B.C.)
• Battle of Gaugamela (331 B.C.)
• Persepolis (330 B.C.)
• India (327 B.C.)
• Hydaspes River (326 B.C.)
• Death of Alexander (323 B.C.)
• Alexanders Ideals

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Alexander and Darius at the Battle of Issus
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Alexanders Legacy

• Rise of military monarchies
• Spread of Greek culture, art, and language
• Greek cities and settlers

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Map 4.1 The Conquests of Alexander the Great
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The World of the Hellenistic Kingdoms

• Disintegration of the Empire
• Four Successor Kingdoms
• Macedonia Antigonids
• Syria Seleucids
• Pergamum Attalids
• Egypt Ptolemies
• Threat from the Celts
• Common Political System
• Dominance of Greeks
• Warfare and the Hellenistic World

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Map 4.2 The World of the Hellenistic Kingdoms
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The Great Altar of Zeus Pergamum
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Hellenistic Cities

• Settlement of Greeks
• Greek Culture
• Polis
• Exclusion of local population
• Spread of Hellenistic Culture in Near East

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Economic Trends

• Agriculture
• Shift of Manufacturing Centers to the East
• Commercial Expansion
• Trade

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Hellenistic Society

• New Opportunities for Upper-Class Women
• Upper-class women
• Spartan women
• Athenian women
• Women in politics
• The Role of Slavery
• Sources of slaves
• Effects of slavery
• Transformation of Education
• Evolution of the gymnasium
• Patrons of eductation

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New Directions in Literature

• Theocritus (c. 315 250 B.C.)
• Menander (c. 342-291 B.C.)
• New comedy
• Polybius (c. 203-c. 120 B.C.)
• History

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Hellenistic Art

• Patronage
• Sculpture
• Emotional and realistic art
• Emphasis on the female nude

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Laocoön and His Sons
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Old Market Woman
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A Golden Age of Science

• Astronomy
• Geometry
• Euclid (c. 300 B.C.)
• Archimedes of Syracuse (287-212 B.C.)
• Medicine

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The Temple to Asclepius Aegean island of Kos
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Philosophy New Schools of Thought

• Epicurus (341 270 B.C.)
• Doctrine of pleasure
• Stoicism
• Zeno (335 263 B.C.)
• Public service politics
• Appeal

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Religion in the Hellenistic World

• Decline of Civic Cults
• Mystery Religions
• Cult of Isis
• The Jews in the Hellenistic World
• Judaea
• Judah Maccabaeus (164 B.C.)
• Jews outside of Judaea

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The Cult of Isis
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Discussion Questions

• Why was Alexander so successful in building his
  empire?
• What do you think Alexander would have done had
  he lived longer?
• What impact, if any, did Hellenistic culture have
  outside of Europe?
• How did women fare in the Hellenistic world?
  Why?
• What were the main goals of Greek philosophy in
  the third and second century B.C.? How did these
  goals differ from philosophy during the classical
  period?
• What do mystery cults tell us about Greek
  tolerance toward other cultures?

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Web Links

• Ancient Greek Sites on the World Wide Web
• Internet Ancient History Sourcebook Greece
• Cultural Map of Hellas
• Alexander the Great of Macedon
• Diotima Women in the Ancient World
• The Archimedes Homepage
• The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy Greek
  Philosophy