THE GREEK WORLD EXPANDS400-150 B.C.E .

Chapter 4

The Rise of Macedonia

Philip II of Macedonia (382-336 B.C.E)

Philip II (R. 359-336 B.C.E.)

Third and youngest son of King Amytas III Sent to Thebes as a hostage at 14.

Protégé of Epaminondas. Both older brothers died in battle.

Became king at age 34 . Named his son, born in 359, Alexandros (leader of

men). Through combination of war and diplomacy, Philip II

united Balkan kingdoms.

Philip II’s Army

Hoplite forceTheban organization “The Companions” and elite

cavalry squad Exclusive to nobility Provided Philip with hostages to keep nobility loyal Alexander and “The Companions” educated by Aristotle

who arrived at court in 343 B.C.E.Isocrates, leader of Athens saw Philip as ally

against Persia Athenians refused diplomatic efforts

Battle of Chaeronea in 338: Athens defeated, Theban “Sacred Band” destroyed.

Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.E.) [R. 336-323 B.C.E.]

Philip II was assassinated in 336 B.C.E.Alexander became King

Greeks called him “sacker of cities” Romans called him Alexander the Great

Plutarch & Alexander

Plutarch (46 B.C.E. -120 C.E.) Greek historian and Platonist philosopher who lived

during Roman Empire. Plutarch primarily interested in exploring the influence

of character on the lives of great leaders. Plutarch wrote Parallel Lives to compare the lives of

great leaders of Greeks and Macedonians with Roman leaders. Men of action and great deeds Referred to his sources (list of authorities)

Manuscripts of Parallel Lives date from 10th and 11th centuries C.E.

First modern edition published in Florence in 1517.

Alexander’s Conquests

Defeated Persia in 333 Destroyed capitol city of Persepolis Gave amnesty to cities that surrendered, slaughtered

civilians, soldiers and livestock of cities that did notInvaded and conquered Egypt in 322

Received as liberator from Persians Given double crown for Upper and Lower Egypt and

named Pharaoh Decided that Egypt would be capital of his empire and

founded the city of Alexandria Plans for library Never saw the city or the library

Alexander’s Empire

Final Campaigns

Invaded Afghanistan and barely managed to hold it

Moved down through Pakistan to the Indus valley of India

Defeated Indian warlord Porus at Battle of Hydaspes in 326 B.C.C.E.) Alexander’s army refused to continue

Died in 323 (likely malarial fever)

Alexander’s Idea of Governance

Following defeat of Persian Empire.Attempted to create cohesion by requiring

officers to marry Persian women Adopting Persian dress and customs

Planned to make Egypt center of his government

Did not interfere with local customs and culture

Hellenistic Kingdoms

Alexander’s legacy” “To the Strongest” Died without naming an heir

Turmoil till 275 B.C.E. Ptolemaic Egypt Seleucid Asia Antigonid Macedon and Greece

Western world ruled by Greco-Macedonians Returned to Greek customs and culture Hellenistic = “Greek-like” Cosmopolitan Empire

Hellenistic Kingdoms c. 303 B.C.E

Ptolemy’s Egypt

Ptolemy ( 367 B.C.E. – 283 B.C.E.) a General in Alexander’s army Perhaps his half-brother

Asked only for province of EgyptOversaw development of Alexandria as an

academic center Scientific and medical advances in anatomy,

astronomy, mechanical engineering and physicsFamily ruled for 300 yearsMale heirs called “Ptolemy” most sisters called

“Cleopatra”Followed Egyptian religious practices but spoke

only GreekMost successful of the Hellenistic Kingdoms

Ptolemy I

Seleucid Asia

Ruled by Seleucus (358-281 B.C.E.) immediately following Alexander’s death Wife was a Persian Ceded much of the Indus Valley to the warrior-king Chandragupta By mid third century B.C.E. Seleucids had lost most of Bactra

(Afghanistan) to local war lordsFollowing Seleucus’ death in 281 B.C.E. his son,

Antiochus succeeded him. Antiochus was half-Persian and ruled from the capitol, Antioch

Antiochus III lost the kingdom to the RomansAntiochus IV Epiphanes who desecrated the Jewish

temple in Jerusalem was great-great grandson of Seleucus

Coin showingSeleucus I

Seleucid Empire c. 200 B.C.E.

Antigonid Macedon & Greece

Macedonian homeland was highly unstable following Alexander’s death

276 B.C.E. General Antigonus (382 B.C.E. -301 B.C.E.) took control of Macedonia. Dominated trade in eastern Mediterranean Dominated Greece Most effective army in the Hellenistic world

Antigonus I

Rise of Stoicism under Antigonus

Zeno of Citium (335-263 B.C.E.) Stoics based on stoa a colonnade Cosmos is an ordered whole in which all

contradictions are resolved for ultimate good. Evil is relative: misfortunes are merely incidents that

will lead to the final perfection of the universe Everything that happens is pre-determined People are free only in the sense that they can accept

fate or rebel against it One can attain happiness (tranquility of mind)by

accepting that whatever happens must be for the best

Zeno of Citium

Implications of Stoic Philosophy

Political?Moral?Is this a philosophy that supports the

maintenance of the status quo?Positive implications?

Adaptation of Stoicism under Antigonus

Kingship is a form of noble servitude, to be endured rather than enjoyed

Refused to compete with Seleucids or the Ptolemies

Used “soft” power to keep them at war with each other and away from Macedonian sphere of influence

Greeks resented rule by Barbarians and created new form of political alliance to resist them

Aetolian League and Achaean League

Ancient form of Federalism Citizens of member poleis participated in councils of

state that dealt with foreign policy and military affairs Each poleis was admitted as an equal member All citizens of a member poleis was a citizen of the

league Applied common civil and criminal laws and judicial

procedures Common weights, measures, and coinage

Hellenistic Cosmopolis

By 300 B.C.E.Admired all things GreekCommon languageFueled by Greek emigration to major cities around

the former Alexandrian empire Greek homeland population decreased by 50%

Cities were connected by tradeInfrastructure spendingMigration of workers from rural areas to cities in

search of work, increased wealth, opportunitiesMilitaries of Hellenistic Kingdoms kept roads and sea

lanes relatively safe for trade

Ancient Alexandria

Center of learningCommercial port500,000 inhabitantsOrderly grid of wide streetsSplendid public buildings and parksMuseum was the storehouse and showcase of

Greek culture

Muntazah Complex

Pediment on Alexander’s Sarcophagus

Modern Alexandria

Economic Issues In Hellenistic Cities

Agriculture major occupation Small farmers suffered exploitative taxation

Industrial production based on individual labor of artisans Artisans also suffered from exploitative taxation High unemployment Boom and bust syndrome created constant extremes

and wide divisions between rich and poor

Epicurean Philosophy

Epicurus (341-270 B.C.E.) based his theories on Democritus who lived in the 5th century B.C.E. The universe is made up entirely of atoms Every individual object or organism in a product of a combination of

atomsBased on the randomness of atoms Epicurus concluded that

there is no ultimate purpose in workings of the universe Highest good cannot come from enduring hardship and suffering Misfortune is the chance by-product of random atomic actions gods do not intervene in human affairs Highest good is pleasure

The moderate satisfaction of bodily appetites Intellectual pleasure of contemplating excellence and remembering past

enjoyments Serenity in the face of death

Implications of Epicurean Philosophy

Political?Moral?Is this a philosophy that supports the

maintenance of the status quo?Positive implications?

Similarities & Differences:Stoicism and Epicureanism

Stoics Nothing is better than

“tranquility of mind” Focus on individual not

the community Pursuit of virtue is

highest importance Universal absolute of

justice is attainable Government exists for

benefit of citizens even when it is unjust

Duty to be active in politics

Epicureans Nothing is better than

tranquility of mind Focus on individual not

the community Virtue is not an end in

itself No universal absolutes

of justice Government is at best a

nuisance to be endured as long as it benefits individual

Stay away from politics

Skeptics

Carneades (214-129 B.C.E.) Born in Cyrene, North Africa Student of Aristotle

All knowledge is based on sense perception and is therefore limited and relative

No one can prove anything Because our senses can deceive us, they are unreliable

We can say something “appears” to be a certain thing but we cannot say we know it for certain

One can have no definite knowledge of the supernatural, the meaning of life or right or wrong

The only recourse is to suspend judgment

Carneades of Cyrene

Is Socrates the philosophical father of skepticism?What about scientific inquiry?How can change exist without skepticism?

Religion in the Hellenistic World

Intersection between religion and politics Early civilizations

gods (one or more) protected a community and furthered its interests; failure to worship or obey the gods led to personal or communal misfortune; man’s duty to the gods

Greeks: “man is a creature of the poleis” Man may have duties to the gods but these duties are in the service of the poleis Many gods and all are deserving of worship

Hellenistic world Elites gravitated toward philosophy Rational relationship to the world and to religion “Rootless multiculturalism” fostered worship of many different gods and

religious diffusion (Greeks worshiped Egyptian and Persian gods; Persians and Egyptians worshiped Greek gods

Septuagint: translation of Hebrew scriptures into Greek for Jews who did not live in Palestine

Majority of people still worshiped gods rather than engaged in philosophical speculation

Scientific Revolution

Hellenistic period called “most brilliant age in the history of science before the 17th century” Stimulus of fusion of Greek, Egyptian and

Mesopotamian/Persian science Common language, affordable travel improved

communication between scientific communities Competition among patrons of science

Achievements

Measuring and mapping (astronomy, geography, geometry) Earth and planets revolve around the sun Euclid geometry Eratosthenes of Alexandria

Circumference of the earth One might reach Asia by sailing West

Medicine and Mechanics Archimedes of Syracuse

Specific gravity Physical properties of pulley, lever, and screw

Herophilus of Chalcedon Detailed description of the brain as the engine of intellect Arteries contain only blood not blood and air Heart functions to carry blood to all parts of the body

Sculpture

Counter-positioningCreating actionRealismInfluence on sculpture of Renaissance

Winged Victory of Samothrace or NikeOf Samothrace,Louvre Museum,Paris

Laocoon andHis Sons , VaticanMuseum, Vatican City

Dying Gaul,CapitolineMuseums,Rome

Importance of Hellenistic World in Development of Western Civilization

Cosmopolitan cities: greater public facilities and more opportunity to a wider range of people

Wide cultural diffusion Greek language and culture may have been dominant but

Egyptian, Mesopotamian and Persian cultures provided important contributions to Hellenistic cities and society

Framework for Roman imperial government Bridge between older civilizations and RomeRomans emulated Hellenistic city planning not

Athenian planningModernity: cosmopolitan population did not consider

themselves bound by the old prejudices and superstitions of the past