Hellenistic Greece
Alexander’s Empire on the year of his death
What does mean to be Hellenistic?
Hellenistic - The blending of Greek
cultures with those of Persia, Egypt, and
Central Asia following the conquests of
Alexander the Great.
Question to Consider: What is an empire?
Give the definition and explain how
Alexander the Greats’ conquests apply.
Blending Cultures
Best way to encourage cultural exchange is
through marriage.
– Alexander married Roxana of Bactria and Stateira of
Persia.
– He also did this to legitimize his claims to the Persian
Empire.
• Roxana bore Alexander a posthumous son (child born after
the death of a parent). She named the child Alexander IV;
unfortunately, he never reaches adulthood because he was
murdered in a political plot.
Blending Cultures Cont…
Another great way to gain cultural exchange is
through trade and education.
– When Egypt built the city of Alexandria the most
important achievement was the Library of Alexandria,
which contained information on:
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Philosophy
Literature
History
Science
Medicine
Life in the Hellenistic World
What was the most
significant change in
Hellenistic society?
– Recall: the main
political unit of Greece
was the city-state.
– After Alexander
conquers much of the
known world the
political unit switches
to kingdoms.
City States
Kingdoms
Hellenistic Achievements
Philosophy
– Cynicism- rejected the ideas of pleasure, wealth, and
social responsibility. Instead, they should live
according to nature. Withdrew from society.
• Many gave away possessions and became vagrants or
wanderers. They were like homeless people in today’s
society.
– Epicureans- sought out pleasure, developed close
friendships with those that shared similar beliefs
• Pleasure- Good
• Pain- Bad or Evil
– Stoicism- placed emphasis on reason, self-discipline,
emotional control, and personal morality.
Hellenistic Achievements cont…
Art and Literature
– Art pieces conveyed
emotion and
movement.
• Nike of Samothrace
was carved in a flowing
style.
– Literature focuses on
everyday lives.
Hellenistic Achievements cont…
Science and
Technology
– Euclid “Father of
Geometry”
• Formulated many of the
ideas about geometry
that we still use today.
– Eratosthenes
• Calculated the size of
the Earth
– Archimedes
• Great Inventor:
compound pulley &
Mechanical screw for
drawing water