Transcript Impact of Alexander

The Decline of the City-State
& the rise of the Hellenistic Age
The Peloponnesian Wars (431—404
Alexander the Great (r 336-323 )
BCE
BCE)
The corruption of the Delian League
Sparta's response to the Delian League
The Final Blow to Athens…
• The Spartan
admiral, Lysander
captured the
Athenian fleet in the
Dardanelles
…cutting of its food
supplies
• Athens was
required to tear
down its walls and
agreed to be ruled
by a government
appointed by Sparta
Effects of the Peloponnesian Wars,
431-404
BCE
• Despite the restoration of democratic
government, Athens never returned to its
former power…
• Constant warfare among other states
continued… In 371, Sparta lost its first war
to Thebes
• The loss of manpower on both sides
weakened all of Greece
Philip II of Macedon r. 359-336 BCE
An ambitious
and resourceful
ruler of
Macedonia who
built up his army
and planned to
conquer the
Greeks and the
Persians.
“The Philippics”
• A series of
fiery speeches
by
Demosthenes
• In 338 BC,
Philip defeated
Athens and its
allies and
created “The
League of
Corinth”
Alexander the Great,
r 336-323 BC
• Inherited an empire
• Destruction of Thebes
Aristotle tutoring
Alexander
(J. L. Ferris, 1895)
Alexander III… The Legend:
• Some say he had a vision to
unite the human race in a
Pan-Hellenic culture - one
empire where people could
live in peace, understanding
and harmony…
• He wanted to conquer the
known world…just another
paranoiac-tyrant.
• His goal may have been to
have a stable empire with no
threats to his vast holdings.
• Welcomed as a liberator
from Persian tyranny
• Hailed as Pharoah and
given the double crown of
Upper and Lower Egypt
• Egypt had always been
the object of awe and
source of inspiration to
the Greeks
Irony: “a barbarian chief of a
backwater kingdom in the
Balkan mountains had
become the ruler of the
oldest continuous
civilization on earth.”
Alexander in Egypt
Alexander’s expansionism ended
in the mountainous regions of
Bactria (present-day Afghanistan) his army experienced its hardest fighting
and never succeeded in getting more than
a tenuous hold on the territory.
Alexander’s last battle, Hydaspes,
326 BC, on the banks of the Indus
River, was an empty victory- his
famous horse Bucephalus was
killed and his men, thousands of
miles and eight years from home,
refused to go on.
Alexander’s final
campaign…
Returning to Babylon, Alexander began to
consolidate his empire:
> integrated 30,000 Persian youth into his army
> married a Persian princess
> arranged for 80 of his officers and 10,000
soldiers to marry women from the Empire
>punished soldiers who did not respect
Persian culture
> Adopted Persian dress for himself
> Encouraged the ritual of proskynesis
Alexander died in 323 BC
Alexander’s Legacy…
He pushed the world in a
new direction- a
fusion of disparate
people & an
intermingling of
cultures
• The Hellenistic Age
begins with his death
in 323 BCE and ends
with the death of
Cleopatra in 27BCE.
Alexander’s vast empire merged many peoples into a new,
cosmopolitan culture known as “Hellenistic Civilization.”
• Map of Alex empire
goes here
The empire was divided among 4 generals
Seleucus; Ptolemy; Lysimachus and Cassander
Cosmopolitanism…
• Hellenistic society is characterized by a mingling
of Greek, Egyptian & Persian cultures
• In the lands he conquered, Alexander introduced
Greek language, literature and art;
• established over 70 cities: Alexandria
• A world community joined by commerce, trade
and travel replaced the Polis as the center of life
• New philosophies- Stoicism and Epicureanism
emerged to help the common man cope with
their new status in a world community instead of
the local polis.
Zeno (342-270 BC) Stoicism:
• Urged individuals to live according
to
reason and be indifferent to
pleasure and pain (happiness
and sorrow)
• Avoid desires and disappointments; calmly accept
whatever life brings your way…
• The commonality of Man: all people are morally
equal, including women and slaves, because all
have the power to reason…
• Advocated high moral standards including protecting
the rights of fellow human beings
Epicurus, (341-270 BC) -Epicureanism:
• Strive for individual happiness in the big,
confusing world by avoiding pain and anxiety…
• Criticized attempts to gain wealth, power or fame
because it increases anxiety…
• Enjoy the simple pleasures of life- talking with
friends, enjoying good food or just “lying on soft
grass near a running stream.”
• Later followers stressed the “pleasure” rather
than the simplicity!
Circa 200 BCE
The Lighthouse of
Alexandria, Egypt,
was the world's first important
lighthouse. It guided ships into
the city's harbor for about
1,500 years before being
toppled by an earthquake.
Hellenistic Science and Math
• Euclid (about 300 BC): Geometry
• Archimedes (287-212 BC): Mathematician and Scientist –
discovered principles of the lever, the pulley and specific
gravity.
• Aristarchus (310-230 BC): Astronomy-concluded the
earth revolved around the sun
• Architecture: emphasized size and grandeur
• Sculpture: showed realism and individuality
Ptolemy's great work on geography and mapmaking, called the Geography,
appeared around the year 150 AD. It influenced philosophers and scientists for 1500
years.
Architecture: emphasized size and grandeur
The alter to Zeus at Pergamon, Asia Minor
Sculpture: showed realism and emotion
“Heaven
cannot have
two suns, nor
earth, two
masters.”
“I am not afraid of
an army of lions
led by a sheep, I
am afraid of an
army of sheep
led by a lion.”
“Remember
upon the
conduct of
each
depends the
fate of all.”
“There is nothing
impossible to
him who will try.”
“I m indebted to my father for living, but to my teacher for living well.”