THE HELLENISTIC WORLD PDF, EPUB, EBOOK F. W. Walbank | 296 pages | 20 Aug 2010 | HarperCollins Publishers | 9780006861041 | English | London, United Kingdom The Hellenistic World PDF Book Externally, the developing tension was expressed in wars, riots, and persecutions , such as the Jewish—pagan riots in Alexandria in ad 38 and —, the Jewish—Roman wars of ad 66—70 and —, and the beginning of the persecution of Christians under the Roman emperor Nero in ad The Greeks in Bactria broke away from the Seleucids and established a great state in what is now Afghanistan and Central Asia. For example, at this time the writing parchment papyrus became ubiquitous in the Greek world. Cultural influences were by no means one way, and alien elements were grafted onto Greek ways. Another major force that had to be dealt a death-blow was that of the Seleucid kings that had spread out over Anatolia from their home in Syria. The civilization of the Hellenistic Age in Anatolia and the rest of the Near East differed from the old Greek city-states in the process of government as well. Meanwhile, many Macedonians and Greeks settled in the new areas, populating the cities founded by Alexander. Seleucus escaped to Egypt. And it still is not to us today. Indeed, the Bactrian Greeks even expanded into India and created a powerful empire, something Alexander the Great failed to accomplish. Pergamum, Ephesus, Antioch, Damascus, and Trapezus are few of the cities whose reputations have survived to our day. He established some seventy cities across the surface of the vast empire he accumulated and persuaded his soldiers to settle in them. The classical period was an era of war and conflict—first between the Greeks and the Persians, then between the It grew and shrank considerably over its period of existence. They were helped along by a number of advances in military technology: long-range catapults, for example, along with pikes called sarissas that were about 16 feet long—long enough for soldiers to use not as projectiles, but as spears. The earlier Ionic and Doric columns, with their austere simplicity, were replaced by lavishly decorated Corinthian columns. Mythological figure, possibly Dionysus, riding a panther, a Hellenistic opus tessellatum emblema from the House of Masks in Delos, Greece, 2nd century bce. Athens thus enjoyed a renaissance. Hellenistic civilization The city-state polis had been the defining feature of Greek civilization, and one of the most notable features of the period is that Alexander and his successors founded numerous Greek-style cities right across the Middle East, as far as Afghanistan and India. Depictions of man in both art and literature revolved around exuberant, and often amusing themes that for the most part explored the daily life and the emotional world of humans, gods, and heroes alike. It is into this world that a new player in the civilization game would appear in the mids B. Load Next Page. He left no heir, so the empire was partitioned between his generals and commanders. To reach this end he set himself up as a god-king much like the Egyptian Pharaohs and had ordered his subjects to worship him. Cultural Achievements in the Hellenistic Age While the Hellenistic world was politically divided, the region was unified culturally and very cosmopolitan. The death of Alexander the Great marks the start of the later period of Greek history that scholars call Hellenistic Times. His generals had to be content with the office of governor. They are wrong. Brennus pushed down into Greece but was repulsed by the Aetolians. Hipparchus c. By the time the First Punic War broke out, Rome had become the dominant power throughout the Italian Was Atlantis Located in Ancient Greece? Hellenistic philosophers, too, turned their focus inward. All aspects of culture took a Greek hue, with the Greek language being established as the official language of the Hellenistic world. Hellenic civilization dominated, influencing peoples from the Western Mediterranean to India. See Article History. This state included Egypt, part of Arabia, Palestine and the island of Cyprus. Non-Greek natives could get into government only by becoming Greeks. Table Of Contents. Athens had been an imperial power in the 5th and 4th centuries BCE, but in the Hellenistic period it seemed only a second-rate city, its politicians bowing to foreign orders, its democracy robbed, its economy in shambles, and even its civic and religious institutions curtailed. Macedonia and Greece were ruled by the Antigonids. Public buildings and monuments were constructed on larger scale in more ambitious configuration and complexity. The story of the jockeying for power during the next two decades or so is inordinately complex. Cassander had her put to death, while keeping Rhoxane and Alexander IV under his protection—or guard. The Hellenistic World Writer At Babylon power was shared by two senior officers, Perdiccas c. At the end of the classical period , around B. The religious life of the Hellenistic world would not be complete without reference to the communities of Jews which now existed in many cities throughout the Middle East, and which began to spread in Greece as well. There were three major kingdoms covering Macedonia and large parts of what had been the Persian Empire. However, a son by his first wife, Ptolemy Ceraunus, the Thunderbolt grandson of Antipater , was stirring the waters round Lysimachus, and the latter soon lost support. It was used by all educated men whether they were Greek or not. This was not to be; King Philip was assassinated by his bodyguard Pausanias in B. The armies were now supported by the resources of large kingdoms, not small city-states, so that they could be composed of many more troops. The era saw stunning achievements in the arts, philosophy, and technology. Olbia, Libya c. The Cynics believed that civilization was a fraud and people should live as close to nature as possible. The Hellenistic period saw major advances in astronomy. Three large states arose out of the Diadochi Wars:. Attempts were made to expel foreigners or to suppress foreign worship— e. The Hellenistic World. At the same time as these new productions, the poems, plays and epics of classical Greece retained their popularity Sculpture and painting Some of the best-known works of Greek sculpture belong to the Hellenistic period: the Venus of Milo , the Dying Gaul , Laocoon and his Sons , and the Winged Victory of Samothrace. Hipparchus c. From ancient times the Greeks had consulted oracles, used charms and cast spells, but close contact with the complex system of astrology developed by the priests of ancient Mesopotamia had a powerful effect in them, and deeply penetrated their thinking. How different was it militarily, politically, economically, and culturally from its classical predecessor? It was the most culturally diverse empire, and had to be ruled with a strong hand. Subjects did obeisance before the thrones, and kings soon took to expecting divine honours from their subjects. The Hellenistic period saw two of the greatest Greek mathematicians, Euclid c. After Alexander died in B. History at Home. Each city was a self-governing community so far as local affairs were concerned; each had its gymnasium, temples, theatres, stoa public square , town council and other institutions of a Greek city-state. His generals had to be content with the office of governor. Alexander had wanted to form a permanent political union of the different peoples across the lands he conquered. Lysimachus c. The Hellenistic World Reviews While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. These developments in art may have been a reflection of the lesser importance now attached to communal civic life. The office of king was hereditary and the king embodied the state. Was Atlantis Located in Ancient Greece? Corequisites None Excluded Combination of Modules None Aims To introduce the major political, economic, social and cultural characteristics and developments of the Hellenistic period. So, we can say that foreign absolute rulers dominated local populations through the use of a network of bureaucratic officials and a foreign army. A stationary steam engine was invented during this period, though it was put to no profitable use, and a catapult that was operated by compressed air was also devised. Though overshadowed in classical times by the work of his teacher Plato, from late antiquity Eumenes, allied with Polyperchon, challenged Antigonus and secured Babylon, but he was betrayed and killed in The only major change came in the brilliant coup by which Seleucus succeeded in recovering Babylon. Antigonus was able to secure Macedonia. For some purposes the period is extended for a further three and a half centuries, to the move by Constantine the Great of his capital to Constantinople Byzantium in ce. In the war, his great empire broke up into several pieces each ruled by one of his generals. Clement of Alexandria, all of the 2nd century ; but there were also brief periods of Hellenistic revitalization. Most old Greek city-states were in this category. The smaller city-states tended to form alliances with each other, conceding large parts of their individual sovereignty in order to ensure their joint protection against their more powerful neighbours. Cultural Achievements in the Hellenistic Age While the Hellenistic world was politically divided, the region was unified culturally and very cosmopolitan. Peloponnesian War The two most powerful city-states in ancient Greece, Athens and Sparta, went to war with each other from to B. He was dead at the age of thirty-three. Leading cities like Athens and Sparta tried often unsuccessfully to play one big kingdom off against another.