Alexander and Hellenism
Macedonians invade GreeceHellenistic Era
Macedonians Invade Greece
Philip and Alexander
Philip II 359 BCE Goal: unite Greece under one
ruler Greeks crushed - Battle of
Chaeronea (near Thebes) 338 BCE
Quickly control all Greece - round 'em up to attack Persia... BUT...
Alexander's Conquests 20 yrs old to
throne preparation for
kingship... resume father's
goal: Persia! avenge
burning of Athens back in 480 BCE
Alexander's Legacy
large quantities of gold and silver flow into Greece
creation of divine-right monarchies in imitation of Alexander
Greek culture (language, architecture, literature, art) spreads
Greek culture absorbs elements from others
Hellenistic Era
Hellenistic Kingdoms
Greeks / Macedonians form ruling class
Greek = lingua franca created new cities Greek bureaucrats and specialists
of all kinds spread through kingdoms
Hellenistic Arts and Literature
Alexandria (Egypt)!
Pergamum libraries wealth
Science
Astronomy Aristarchus
sun center, earth orbits
Eratosthenes earth = round only 185 mi.
off in estimating circumference
Mathematics Euclid
"Elements" geometry
Archimedes pi geometry water pump
Philosophy
Epicurianism Epicurus happiness = goal of life only true happiness =
pleasure (not physical sense)
freedom from worry and emotional turmoil
Free self from public activity
ideal: friendship
Stoics Zeno, Diogenes most popular material possessions
impede happiness happiness = live in
harmony with will of God ["The cause..."] and good citizenship
protect yourself psychologically from life's troubles