his 101 chapter 4 the greek world expands 400-150 b.c.e. spring 17
TRANSCRIPT
THE GREEK WORLD EXPANDS400-150 B.C.E .
Chapter 4
The Rise of Macedonia
Philip II of Macedonia (382-336 B.C.E)
Third and youngest son of King Amytas III
Sent to Thebes as a hostage at 14.Protégé of Epaminondas.
Both older brothers died in battle.Became king at age 34 .
Named his son, born in 359, Alexandros (leader of men).Through combination of war and diplomacy, Philip II united Balkan kingdoms.
Philip II’s Army
Hoplite forceTheban organization “The Companions” and
elite cavalry squad Exclusive to nobility Provided Philip with hostages to keep nobility loyal Alexander and “The Companions” educated by
Aristotle who arrived at court in 343 B.C.E.Battle of Chaeronea in 338: Athens defeated
Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.E.) [R. 336-323 B.C.E.]
Philip II was assassinated in 336 B.C.E. by one of his own bodyguards.
Alexander became King Greeks called him “sacker of cities” Romans called him Alexander the Great
Alexander’s Conquests
Defeated Persia in 333 Destroyed capitol city of Persepolis Gave amnesty to cities that surrendered, slaughtered
civilians, soldiers and livestock of cities that did notInvaded and conquered Egypt in 322
Received as liberator from Persians Given double crown for Upper and Lower Egypt and
named Pharaoh Decided that Egypt would be capital of his empire and
founded the city of Alexandria Plans for library Never saw the city or the library
Alexander’s Empire
Alexander’s Idea of Governance
Following defeat of Persian Empire. Attempted to create cohesion by requiring officers to
marry Persian women Officers must Adopt Persian dress and customs
Planned to make Egypt center of his government.
Did not interfere with local customs and culture.
Adopted ideas of battle from the Assyrians and the Greeks
Adopted ideas of governance from Persia
Pediment on Alexander’s Sarcophagus
Final Campaigns
Invaded Afghanistan and barely managed to hold it
Defeated Indian warlord Porus at Battle of Hydaspes in 326 B.C.C.E.) Alexander’s army refused to continue campaign
through IndiaDied in 323 (likely malarial fever)
Hellenistic Kingdoms
Alexander’s legacy” “To the Strongest” Died without naming an heir
Turmoil from 323 to 275 B.C.E.3 Successor Empires
Ptolemaic Egypt Seleucid Asia Antigonid Macedon and Greece
Western world ruled by Greco-Macedonians Returned to Greek customs and culture Hellenistic = “Greek-like” Cosmopolitan Empire
Hellenistic Kingdoms c. 303 B.C.E
Ptolemy’s Egypt
Ptolemy ( 367 B.C.E. – 283 B.C.E.) a General in Alexander’s army Perhaps his half-brother
Asked only for province of EgyptOversaw development of Alexandria as an
academic center Scientific and medical advances in anatomy,
astronomy, mechanical engineering and physicsFamily ruled for 300 yearsMale heirs called “Ptolemy”; sisters called
“Cleopatra”Followed Egyptian religious practices but spoke
only GreekMost successful of the Hellenistic Kingdoms
Ptolemy I
Seleucid Asia
Ruled by Seleucus (358-281 B.C.E.) immediately following Alexander’s death Wife was a Persian Ceded much of the Indus Valley to the warrior-king
Chandragupta By mid third century B.C.E. Seleucids had lost most of
Bactra (Afghanistan) to local war lordsFollowing Seleucus’ death in 281 B.C.E. his
son, Antiochus succeeded him. Antiochus was half-Persian and ruled from the capitol, Antioch
Antiochus III lost the kingdom to the Romans
Coin showingSeleucus I
Seleucid Empire c. 200 B.C.E.
Antigonid Macedon & Greece
Macedonian homeland was highly unstable following Alexander’s death
276 B.C.E. General Antigonus (382 B.C.E. -301 B.C.E.) took control of Macedonia. Dominated trade in eastern Mediterranean Dominated Greece Most effective army in the Hellenistic world
Antigonus I
Zeno of Citium
Rise of Stoicism under Antigonus
Zeno of Citium (335-263 B.C.E.) Stoics based on stoa a colonnade Cosmos: an ordered whole in which all contradictions
are resolved for ultimate good. Evil is relative: misfortunes are merely incidents that
will lead to the final perfection of the universe. Everything that happens is pre-determined. People are free only in the sense that they can accept
fate or rebel against it. One can attain happiness (tranquility of mind) by
accepting that whatever happens must be for the best.
Epicurean Philosophy
Epicurus (341-270 B.C.E.) based his theories on Democritus who lived in the 5th century B.C.E. The universe is made up entirely of atoms; Every individual object or organism in a product of a combination of atoms;
Based on the randomness of atoms Epicurus concluded that there is no ultimate purpose in workings of the universe Highest good cannot come from enduring hardship and suffering Misfortune is the chance by-product of random atomic actions gods do not intervene in human affairs Highest good is pleasure (a happy life)
The moderate satisfaction of bodily appetites Intellectual pleasure of contemplating excellence and remembering past
enjoyments Serenity in the face of death No fear of gods
Similarities & Differences: Stoicism and Epicureanism
Stoics Nothing is better than
“tranquility of mind” Focus on individual not
the community Pursuit of virtue is
highest importance Universal absolute of
justice is attainable Government exists for
benefit of citizens even when it is unjust
Duty to be active in politics
Epicureans Nothing is better than
tranquility of mind Focus on individual not
the community Virtue is not an end in
itself No universal absolutes of
justice Government is at best a
nuisance to be endured as long as it benefits individual
Stay away from politics
Skeptics
Carneades (214-129 B.C.E.) Born in Cyrene, North Africa Student of Aristotle
All knowledge is based on sense perception and is therefore limited and relative
No one can prove anything Because our senses can deceive us, they are unreliable
We can say something “appears” to be a certain thing but we cannot say we know it for certain
One can have no definite knowledge of the supernatural, the meaning of life or right or wrong
The only recourse is to suspend judgment
Carneades of Cyrene
Is Socrates the philosophical father of skepticism?What about scientific inquiry?How can change exist without skepticism?
Hellenistic Cosmopolis
By 300 B.C.E.Admired all things Greek.Common language;Fueled by Greek emigration to major cities around the
former Alexandrian empire; Greek homeland population decreased by 50%
Cities were connected by trade;Infrastructure spending;Migration of workers from rural areas to cities in
search of work, increased wealth, opportunities;Militaries of Hellenistic Kingdoms kept roads and sea
lanes relatively safe for trade;
Ancient Alexandria
Center of learning;Commercial port;500,000 inhabitants;Orderly grid of wide streets;Splendid public buildings and parks;Museum was the storehouse and showcase of
Greek culture;
Modern Alexandria
Economic Issues In Hellenistic Cities
Agriculture: major occupation Small farmers suffered exploitative taxation
Industrial production: based on individual labor of artisans Artisans also suffered from exploitative taxation High unemployment Boom and bust cycle created constant extremes and
wide divisions between rich and poor
Religion in the Hellenistic World
Intersection between religion and politics Early civilizations
gods (one or more) protected a community and furthered its interests; failure to worship or obey the gods led to personal or communal misfortune; man’s duty to the gods
Greeks: “man is a creature of the poleis” Man may have duties to the gods but these duties are in the service of the poleis Many gods and all are deserving of worship
Hellenistic world Elites gravitated toward philosophy Rational relationship to the world and to religion “Rootless multiculturalism” fostered worship of many different gods and
religious diffusion (Greeks worshiped Egyptian and Persian gods; Persians and Egyptians worshiped Greek gods)
Septuagint: translation of Hebrew scriptures into Greek for Jews who did not live in Palestine
Majority of people still worshiped gods rather than engaged in philosophical speculation
Scientific Revolution
Hellenistic period called “most brilliant age in the history of science before the 17th century.”
Conversion of events, societies and cultures created a globalized scientific community. Fusion of Greek, Egyptian and Mesopotamian/Persian
science; Common language, affordable travel, improved
communication between scientific communities; Competition among patrons of science.
Achievements
Measuring and mapping (astronomy, geography, geometry) Earth and planets revolve around the sun Euclid geometry Eratosthenes of Alexandria
Circumference of the earth One might reach Asia by sailing West
Medicine and Mechanics Archimedes of Syracuse
Specific gravity Physical properties of pulley, lever, and screw
Herophilus of Chalcedon Detailed description of the brain as the engine of intellect Arteries contain only blood not blood and air Heart functions to carry blood to all parts of the body
Sculpture
Counter-positioningCreating actionRealismInfluence on sculpture of Renaissance
Winged Victory of Samothrace or NikeOf Samothrace,Louvre Museum,Paris
Laocoon andHis Sons , VaticanMuseum, Vatican City
Dying Gaul,CapitolineMuseums,Rome
Importance of Hellenistic World in Development of Western Civilization
Cosmopolitan cities: greater public facilities and more opportunity to a wider range of people.
Wide cultural diffusion Greek language and culture may have been dominant but Egyptian,
Mesopotamian and Persian cultures provided important contributions to Hellenistic cities and society
Framework for Roman imperial government. Bridge between older civilizations and Rome.Romans emulated Hellenistic city planning, not Athenian
planning.Modernity: cosmopolitan population did not consider
themselves bound by the old prejudices and superstitions of the past.