Transcript Western Civilization

Western Civilization
Chapter 4
• At the end of the last chapter we saw that the
Peloponnesian War had changed the social
and political lives of the Greek people
– Some distrusted the elite
– Some distrusted democracy
– Some distrusted oligarchies
– Athens and Sparta were exhausted
– Mercenaries replaced hoplite phalanxes & hoplite
importance decreased
– Wars were more professional & brutal
– One city-state would fight another city-state
– By 330 B.C.E. Greek city-states had proven they
could not create a stable Greek nation
– They barely held their polis together
Enter Macedonia:
Macedonia
Macedonia
• Northeast of Greece
• Had king chosen by the army from within the
royal family
• Spoke a Greek dialect
• Shared Greek culture & traditions
• King Philip II moved in on Greece during their
time of chaos after Peloponnesian War
• Took over each polis because they couldn’t unite
to resist Philip
Philip II of Macedonia
• Philip formed Hellenic League, later called the
League of Corinth
• It was comprised of all the Greek city-states
• He formed a common army & navy
• He placed restrictions on members’ freedoms
• Philip then used Greek soldiers to take over Persia
• Philip II, however, was assassinated before he
could begin his campaign
Alexander the Great
• Philip’s son Alexander carried out his
campaign
• Alexander III of Macedonia became known as
Alexander the Great
• He ruled from 336-323 B.C.
• He was:
– a warrior
– a battlefield commander of the cavalry at the age
of 18
– charismatic, handsome, and intelligent
• Alexander had been a student of Aristotle
• He was Macedonian by birth but Greek in
spirit
• He was successful in the war against Persia
• He then took over Syria-Palestine, Egypt, and
Mesopotamia
• When Alexander moved in on India, his troops
refused to go on; they had never seen
elephants used in battle
• They went back through Persia to Babylon
(Mesopotamia) where Alexander fell ill and
died at the age of 32 in 323 B.C.; they think he
may have died from malaria
• His career was short and full of battles
• He never ruled the territory he took over
• Alexander did help to spread Greek culture
through conquest
• He is seen as the greatest conqueror
Alexander’s Kingdom
• After his death, fighting broke out as to who
would lead the empire
• The result was the empire being divided into
parts
– Ptolemy ruled over Egypt
– Antigonus ruled in Macedonia and the Aegean
world
– Seleucus ruled from Asia Minor to India
3 Kingdoms
• Greek culture spread to all these kingdoms
• The blending of Greek culture with the local
cultures was called Hellenistic culture ( a
name coined by Isocrates, an Athenian
teacher
– Greek language was the common language along
with Aramaic
• Agriculture, trade, industry, and military
service gave opportunity to most
• Upper ranks of government were in the hands
of the Greeks and Macedonians
• Native elites held lower ranking jobs
• Priests demanded and got major roles in
Ptolemy’s Egypt and in the Seleucid Kingdom
• Seleucids started colonies for retired military
• Greek-style buildings were built
• The Gymnasia was also important for
schooling the young elites; they were taught
literature, philosophy, oratory, and athletics
• Hellenistic cities with good harbors, banks,
roads on a trade route prospered
• Coins replaced barter
• Slavery was present; war and piracy were the
main sources of slaves
Antigonids
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Held power in Macedonia
He was a Stoic; stoicism emphasized duty
Wished to dominate all Greek city-states
Was unable to
Greeks resisted
– Athens won periods of freedom but was taken
over by the Antigonids more than once
– Sparta was crushed by Antigonids in 222 B.C.
Antigonus
• Some city-states had proportional
representation
• Some had constitutions
Ptolemy in Egypt
• This kingdom was the most stable, the
wealthiest, the most sophisticated
• Had a homogeneous population
• Had rich soil for farming
• Had an autocratic government
• Took part in foreign affairs
• In 200 B.C. Ptolemy’s power began to decline
• In 31 B.C. Rome annexed Ptolemaic Egypt
Seleucid
• Had little stability and shifting borders
• Had mixed population
• Antioch was its greatest, wealthiest, and most
luxurious city
• Had a tenuous hold on Asia Minor
• Seleucid Kingdom was seized by Persia (Parthia)
in the east and Rome in west becoming a Roman
Province
• Seleucids fell by 64 B.C.
Greco-Indian Interaction
• Parthia was Persian and spread empire west to
Mesopotamia
• Bactria was to the east and remained Greek from
mid-3rd century B.C. (today’s northern
Afghanistan) and prospered
• Today one can see the remains of a Greek
gymnasia, a theatre, and a library
• They spread into the Indus River Valley
– Coins have been found with Greek and Indian
languages on them
• Asoka was an Indian King who governed most
of India and was fascinated by Hellenistic
culture
– He was a religious reformer
– He converted to Buddhism
Hellenistic Kingdoms in India and Pakistan survived
until the time of Christ. Some survived until the
5th century A.D.. Greek influence can be seen in
Indian art
Overview of Hellenistic Culture
• The 3 centuries following Alexander’s death were
important culturally
• First, there was an enrichment of cultural
accomplishments by the Greeks
• Second, many Greek traditions were altered
when they came in contact with other
civilizations
• Greeks felt compelled to take their culture with
them (hard to leave it behind) to other areas of
Alexander’s empire
• As a result, Greek literary, artistic,
philosophical, and scientific concepts were
implanted in the dominant culture
• Most of the conquered people accepted the
Greek ways as a way of civilized life
• Cities remained the focal point of cultural life
• In Ptolemy’s Egypt large sums of money were
spent on architecture, libraries, and a research
center called a museum
Alexandria, Egypt
Alexandria
Literature and Art
• Much writing went on
• Demand for literature because literacy
increased
• Alexandria in Egypt tried to satisfy its people’s
thirst for knowledge
• It was the capital city
• Half a million lived there by the 1st century
B.C. mixed population: Egyptians, Greeks,
Indians, Italians, and Celts
• There were educational opportunities for boys
and girls
• Knowing Greek culture put one ahead
• Ptolemy I asked Demetrius of Athens to put
together a house of culture
• It was called a museum with a library
• It held the largest collection of Greek writings
in the world
• Library:
– Contained 700,000 papyrus rolls equal to 50,000
modern books
– Created educational programs in literature and
philosophy for 18 and 19 year old men in place of
military service
– Many read and many wrote as well; they weren’t
especially original
– They imitated others, mainly; some did write
about powerful women like Cleopatra
• Art
– architecture was important: cities were built
containing gymnasiums, temples, theatres, and
places for business
– Vase painting showing love-making as tender and
as part of married life
– Sculpture reflected fascination with human form;
showed idealized human form
– Realistic relief carvings decorated temples
• Science:
– Geography: Eratosthenes (275-200 B.C.) figured
out the circumference of the earth, studied the
tides, and created maps
– Astronomy: Hipparchus (185-120 B.C.) said sun,
moon, and stars revolve around earth
Aristarchus (310-230 B.C.) said earth
revolved sun
Public believed Hipparchus for many centuries.
– Mathematics: Euclid (323-285) developed
geometry
Archimedes ( 287-212 B.C.)
calculated pi
Hipparchus (310-230) developed
trigonometry
– Medicine:
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Advances were made in anatomy and physiology
Discovery of nerves
Discovery of the function of arteries
Advancements in surgery and the use of medicine
Philosophy
• People were concerned with the problems of
human conduct, ethical principles, the human
soul, and individual destiny
• Many felt the need for self-knowledge to gain
peace of mind
• New philosophies and new religions arose to
help allay these new concerns
• People were searching for the best way to live
• Skeptics doubted everything and thought people
should not be concerned with truth or values
since neither existed. They advocated simplicity.
Diogenes was the first skeptic
• Cynics advocated a return to nature and the
giving up of wealth and the conventions of the
day
• Stoicism stressed doing your duty, and then order
will follow. Bear misfortunes with patience. Zeno
was the founder.
Hellenistic Religion
• Native religious systems were well-defined
cults called mystery religions
• Mystery religions offered ethical guidance,
comfort, release from worries, reassurance
about death, and a sense of belonging
– Overpowered Greek religions and attracted many
Greeks
– Centered around the worship of a savior whose
death and resurrection provided eternal salvation
– Had elaborate, emotional rituals
– Ultimate salvation depended on moral conduct
– Appealed to all levels of people
– Seedbed for 2 new religions to follow: Christianity
and Islam
Hellenistic Judaism
• Before Alexander’s conquests, Jews and
Greeks occasionally came in contact with one
another
• That changed in 332 B.C. when Alexander took
Judea from the Persians
• Greeks governed Jews for a time and lost
control as a result of a Jewish revolt and
independence movement
• As a result of exposure to Hellenistic culture,
Jews placed an even greater emphasis on
salvation, martyrdom, and individual study
and prayer
• Reaction to Hellenistic culture varied:
– Admiration
– Resistance
– A desire to convert Greeks to Judaism
• Writings changed
– Developed a literature of resistance to foreigners
– Wrote of a future cataclysm and of a Messiah who
would kick out the foreigners and establish a new
kingdom of Israel
• There was a breakdown in Judaism:
– Sadducees: (righteous ones) had belief in the
importance of ritual in the temple of Jerusalem;
wealthy elite
– Pharisees: (those who separated themselves)
• Insisted on the validity of oral traditions, written law,
and rituals
• Wished to democratize Judaism
• Emphasized study and prayer in small groups
– Essenes:
• Associated with Qumran in Judean desert
• Dead Sea Scrolls found there
Others wished to blend their monotheism with
Hellenistic culture, so they could bring their Jewish
teachings to others
Jews living outside of Judea became known as the
Diaspora, the scattered
• In these places, Jews were soldiers, generals,
bureaucrats, tax collectors, and business
owners and workers.
• They spoke Greek
• The Hebrew Bible was even translated into
Greek
• These were the effects of one man -Alexander