Hellenistic Greece

Alexanders 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:
Philosophy
Literature
History
Science
Medicine
Life in the Hellenistic World
What was the most
significant change in
Hellenistic society? City States
Recall: the main
political unit of Greece
was the city-state.
After Alexander
conquers much of the
known world the
political unit switches Kingdoms
to 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 todays
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