Transcript Alexander the Great

The Decline of the City-State
& the rise of the Hellenistic Age
Alexander the Great (336-323 BC)
Effects of the Peloponnesian Wars, 431-404 BC
• Despite the restoration of democratic
government, Athens never returned to its
former power…
• A spirit of pessimism and disillusionment
prevailed among intellectuals & the young
• 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 BC
• 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:
• He wanted to conquer the
known world…
• His goal may have been
to have a stable empire
with no threats to his vast
holdings…
• Some say he had a vision
to unite the human race
and create one empire
where people could live in
peace and harmony…
• Another interpretation
sees him as a paranoiactyrant.
Alexander in Egypt
• Welcomed as a liberator from Persian tyranny
• Hailed as Pharoah and given the double crown of Upper
and Lower Egypt
• Irony: a barbarian chief of a backwater kingdom in the
Balkan mountains had become the ruler of the oldest
civilization on earth.
• Egypt had always been the object of awe and source of
inspiration to the Greeks
• Egyptian priesthood proclaimed him the son of Amun-Ra
(whom they identified as Zeus) and therefore a god himself.
Alexander’s final campaign…
• Alexander’s expansionism ended in the
mountainous regions of Bactria (present-day
Afghanistan) where 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 victoryhis famous horse Bucephalus was killed and
his men, thousands of miles and eight years
from home, refused to go on.
•
Returning to Babylon, Alexander began the
consolidation of his empire:
> integrated Greek and Persian armies
> arranged a mass marriage of his Greek
officers with Persian noblewomen;
>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 BC and
ends with the
death of
Cleopatra in 30
BC.
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…
• In the lands he conquered, Alexander introduced
Greek language, literature and art;
• established over 70 cities: Alexandria
• Hellenistic society is characterized by a mingling
of Greek, Egyptian & Persian cultures
• 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.
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
Zeno (342-270 BC) Stoicism:
• Urged individuals to live according to reason and
be indifferent to pleasure and pain
• 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!
Architecture: emphasized size and grandeur
The alter to Zeus at Pergamon, Asia Minor
Sculpture: showed realism and emotion
Any Questions?