The Spread of Hellenistic Culture Chapter 5 Section 5 Page 132

First, A Review… Philip and Alexander were kings of which country? Macedonia Why did Philip want to take Persia? It had wealthy provinces and to avenge the attacks on Greece years before What did Alexander do with Darius’s offer of the Western half of the Persian empire? Rejected it How far had Alexander’s army marched in 11 years? 11,000 miles Where was Alexander’s tomb located for centuries? Alexandria

Hellenistic Culture in Alexandria After Alexander the Great’s death, a new culture emerges-Greek Hellenic Blended Greek, Egyptian, Persian and Indian influences together Language was Koine (koy-nay) in Hellenistic cities like Alexandria

Alexandria, Egypt Alexandria the center of commerce and Hellenistic civilization Location- great place, located on edge of Nile delta Population over 500,000

Modern view of Alexandria

Trade and Cultural Diversity Very beautiful, majestic palaces that look over harbor Ships from all around Mediterranean docked in its spacious harbor Thriving commerce enabled Alexandria to grow and prosper People of all cultures and trade mingled in crowded marketplaces

Alexandria’s Greatest Attractions A tomb containing Alexander’s glass coffin was stored in Alexandria An enormous stone lighthouse called the Pharos soared over the harbor The lighthouse contained a bronze mirror that reflected the light from a blazing fire Famous museum and library dedicated to the Muses, the Greek goddesses of art and sciences

Great Library in Alexandria, Egypt

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3707641.stm

Science and Technology Scholars in Alexandria provided most of the scientific knowledge available Museum contained small observatory where astronomers could study the planets and stars Astronomer Aristarchus concluded that the sun was 300 times larger than the earth and that other planets revolve around the sun

Incorrect Information Unfortunately, other astronomers refused to support Artistarchus’ theories By 2nd century A.D. , another astronomer Ptolemy incorrectly placed the earth at the center of the solar system, and is believed to be true for next 1400 years

Earth’s Size A scholar named Eratosthenes closely calculated the earth’s true size using geometry He concluded the earth’s circumference at 24,662 miles Today we compute the earth’s circumference to be 24,860 miles His estimate was within 1% of our modern calculations

Mathematics and Physics Euclid, a mathematician opened a school of geometry in Alexandria and wrote the book, Elements Book was used in universities into the 1900’s Archimedes, gifted in geometry and physics, studied at Alexandria Accurately estimated the value of pi Shared knowledge that helped build different machines

Philosophy and Art Teachings of Plato and Aristotle very influential in Hellenistic philosophy 2 major philosophies develop during this period- Stoicism and Epicureanism

Stoicism Greek philosopher Zeno founded stoicism Philosophy based on ethics Proposed people should live life in harmony with natural law Preached that things like human desires, power and wealth were dangerous distractions that should be controlled Encourage those to focus on things they could control

Epicureanism Greek philosopher Epicurus founded Epicureanism Taught the universe was composed of atoms and ruled by gods who had no interest in humans Believed the main goal of humans was achieve harmony of body and mind Today, the word epicurean means one devoted to pursuing human pleasures

Realism in Sculpture Like science, sculpture flourished during Hellenistic period, sculptures and statues were displayed Largest known statue was the Colossus of Rhodes- bronze statue stood more than 100 feet high Legend said it straddled the harbor, but experts don’t think that is true Was destroyed by an earthquake, and bronze was sold for scrap

Hellenistic Sculptors Hellenistic sculptors moved away from the harmonic balance and began to create more realistic works Instead of a serene face and perfect body, they began to create more natural works Explored new subjects like ordinary people, and a wrinkled old peasant woman

Decline By 150 B.C., Hellenistic world was on a decline A new city Rome was growing and gaining strength Through Rome, Greek-style drama, architecture, sculpture, religion and philosophy were preserved and became the core of Western Civilization

Just for Fun… Wife Swap- Athens/ Sparta http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLyW5UYPYYs&feature=related