Chapter 4The Hellenistic

World, 336–146 B.C.

Tetrapylon of Aphrodisias.Tetrapylon of Aphrodisias. This monumental gate celebrates the beautiful and rich city of Aphrodisias in modern Turkey.

John Buckler

This map shows the course of Alexander’s invasion of the Persian Empire and the speed of his progress. More important than the great success of his military campaigns was his founding of Hellenistic cities in the East.

Alexander’s Conquests

This exquisite detail of a cameo bowl from Hellenistic Egypt dates from about 125 B.C. The figure on the left represents the Nile pouring out the horn of plenty. The other figures represent the deities who gave Egypt its great riches.

Tazza Farnese

G. Dagli-Orti/ The Art Archive

No matter where in old Greece they had come from, all Greeks would immediately feel at home walking along this main street in Pergamum. They would all see familiar sights. To the left is the top of the theater where they could watch the plays of the great dramatists, climb farther to the temple, and admire the fortifications on the right.

The Main Street of Pergamum

Faith Cimok, Turkey

Excavation of this theater in Stratos, a major city in northwestern Greece, began only in 1994. Not a city in the mainstream of Greek affairs, Stratos nevertheless shared the love and appreciation of the arts that stamped all of Greek culture. Even in its partially excavated state, the theater boasts the remains of a stone building in the foreground, the orchestra, and behind it the seats. Beyond its many architectural refinements, the theater is of interest because most Greek plays were staged in small theaters such as this.

Theater of Stratos

John Buckler

This small terra-cotta sculpture is generally seen as a mother advising her daughter, a new bride. Such intimate scenes of ordinary people were popular in the Hellenistic world, in contrast to the idealized statues of gods and goddesses of the classical period.

Marital Advice

British Museum/Michael Holford

Cultural BlendingPtolemy V, a Macedonian by birth and the Hellenistic king of Egypt, dedicated this stone to the Egyptian sacred bull of the Egyptian god Ptah. Nothing here is Greek or Macedonian, a sign that the conquered had, in some religious and ceremonial ways, won over their conquerors.

Egyptian Museum, Cairo

Harbor and Warehouse at DelosDuring the Hellenistic period Delos became a thriving trading center. Shown here is the row of warehouses at water’s edge. From Delos cargoes were shipped to virtually every part of the Mediterranean.

Rolf Richardson/age fotostock/superstock

Hellenistic MagicThis magical text, written in Greek and Egyptian, displays a snake surrounding the magical incantation. The text is intentionally obscure.

British Library

The scene depicts part of the ritual of initiation into the cult of Dionysus. The young woman here has just completed the ritual. She now dances in joy as the official with the sacred staff looks on.

Hellenistic Mystery Cult

Scala/Art Resource, NY

TycheThis statue depicts Tyche as the bringer of bounty to people. Some Hellenistic Greeks worshiped Tyche in the hope that she would be kind to them. Philosophers tried to free people from her whimsies. Others tried to placate her.

Faith Cimok, Turkey

Archimedes’ mill. A slave turns a large cylinder fitted with blades to form a screw that draws water from a well.

Archimedes’ mill.

Courtesy, Soprintendenza Archeologica di Pompei. Photograph by Penelope M. Allison

This model shows a catapult as its crew would have seen it in action. The arrow was loaded on the long horizontal beam, its point fitting into the housing. There the torsion spring under great pressure released the arrow at the target, which could be some 400 yards away.

Catapult

Courtesy, Noel Kavan

This gilded case for a bow and arrows indicates that Alexander’s success came at the price of blood. These vigorous scenes portray more military conflict than philosophical compassion.

This gilded case for a bow and arrows indicates that Alexander’s success came at the price of blood.

Archaeological Museum Salonica/Dagli-Orti/The Art Archive