The Spread of Hellenistic Culture

Chapter 6 Section 4

Chapter Review

• What did they use to make their statues more lifelike?

• Another name for the sin of pride

• What did Alexander spread wherever he marched?

• What was Alexander's ultimate goal?

• Who was Socrates student?

Learning and Commerce• Alexander’s conquest spread Greek culture to

the Nile valley, Southwest Asia, and the lands that bordered India

• This influence lasted in these areas long after the death of Alexander

• Hellenistic society had contained a small group of wealthy people and a large group of poor people and few middle class

• {The spread of the Hellenistic culture brought wealth to the middle class}

Random picture

Commerce and Learning• Most people prospered from trade which was

centered around the major cities• Alexandria of Egypt (named after Alexander)

became the largest Hellenistic city and commercial center

• The trade routes spread to China, India, and Arabia

• The cities became centers for learning as well as trade

• The Library at Alexandria Egypt contained thousands of scrolls that contained much of the worlds knowledge up to that time

Women and Culture

• As people thrived they also became better educated

• Old values faded and new values brought better lifestyles for women

• Women gained rights regarding property and began to appear more in public

• The Greeks began to consider any Hellenized Egyptian or Syrian as Greek

• The Ideas of the Greeks regarding these people as “barbarians” changes

Religion and Philosophy• In the large urban civilization of Hellenistic

kingdoms the Greek concept of the polis declined

• This caused people to feel that they had lost control over their lives

• This caused people to turn to new religions and philosophies

• Hellenistic leaders in Africa and Asia encouraged the practice of ruler worship

• The role of the polis was replaced with a monarch

Religion

• Many people turned to these authority figures for guidance

• Some also turned to so-called mystery religions which were cults that introduced worshipers to secret teachings or mysteries

• This usually had to do with life after death and immortality

• The rituals of the mystery religions provided the members with a feeling of unity, security, and personal worth

Philosophy

• Some turned to philosophy for understanding• These philosophers were mainly concerned with

ethics• There were four chief schools of Philosophy that

existed • Cynicism, Skepticism, Stoicism, and

Epicureanism • The Next picture are some Greek philosophers

they are not necessarily responsible for these philosophies

• Cynics thought that people should live simply and naturally

• Skeptics thought that all knowledge is uncertain because of the ever changing universe

• Stoics believed that every person had a “spark” of the divine within you achieve happiness by following that spark within

• Epicurean philosophy was about seeking pleasure and avoiding pain (you avoid pain by limiting pleasure)

Another random picture

Math and Physics

• The Greeks became outstanding in science and mathematics

• Euclid contributed to the development of geometry showing how geometric statements flow logically from one to another

• This is the basis for modern geometry books• {Archimedes was probably the greatest scientist

of the Hellenistic period• He calculated the value of pi,} the ratio of the

circumference of a circle to its diameter

Archimedes

• He used math to explain how levers work• He invented many machines, including the

compound pulley, and the Archimedes screw

Science• {Hellenistic doctors gained knowledge from the

Egyptians}• They learned from the Egyptian art of

embalming which examine and catalogs the parts of the human bodies

• To learn more they studied the bodies of executed criminals

• They were able to conclude that the brain was the center of the nervous system

• They were able to perform delicate surgery

Astronomy and geography• Hellenistic scientists made significant advances

in astronomy when they gained knowledge of the Egyptians and Babylonians

• They used geometry to track the movement of the stars

• Aristarchus correctly guessed the Earth moved around the sun but could not convince others

• They used the sun and moon to calculate the length of a year

• {Eratosthenes calculated the distance around the Earth}

Section review

• The Hellenistic culture brought what to the middle class?

• Hellenistic doctors gained knowledge from what other civilization?

• Eratosthenes calculated the distance around __________?

• He calculated the value of pi

Some TAKS Review

• We are adding some TAKS review to help you on the Benchmarks

• The following are the common types of questions you are going to find on the TAKS test

• Read the question and keep the answer in your head

• We will then discuss the question and answer it together

Obj 2 _W.23A TAKS April 2006._gr10

5 During the Middle Ages, the most direct effect of the printing press in Europe was the

A loss of power among peasantsB increase of royal authorityC rapid spread of new ideasD limited use of books in universities

14 John Locke’s philosophy of natural rights asserts that all people have certain basic rights from birth. In the Declaration of Independence, these rights are referred to as —

F political rightsG unalienable rightsH states’ rightsJ women’s rights

Obj 4_8.20A TAKS April 2006._gr10

18 Following the battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775, the Second Continental Congress created the Continental army. The commander in charge of uniting American militias under this new army was —

F Baron von SteubenG Benjamin FranklinH Thomas JeffersonJ George Washington

Obj 1_8.4B TAKS April 2006._gr10

Obj 1_8.1C TAKS April 2006._gr10

21 The firing on Fort Sumter on April 12,

1861, was the first armed conflict of the —

A Revolutionary WarB Civil WarC Seven Years WarD Mexican War

Obj 4_8.3ATAKS April 2006._gr10

25 One factor that enabled the growth of independent colonial government in British North America was the — A lack of social and economic provisions in the chartersB creation of wealth through the development of industryC difficulty of exercising governmental control from a distanceD extensive cooperation between native peoples and settlers

29 Under the constitutional principle of popular sovereignty, the authority of government is derived from —

A state legislaturesB the U.S. Supreme CourtC acts of the U.S. CongressD the will of the people

Obj 4_8.16B TAKS April 2006._gr10

The End

Review and test next time!