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