Hellenic to Hellenistic Wow! Our music is really depressing. The Greeks Hellenic to Hellenistic “Hellenes" (Έλληνες) (Latin: “Graeci“)

“Axial Age” Similar to Zhou dynasty and developments in South Asia Eastern Mediterranean becomes a hybrid society Mixture of old & new Traders carry ideas Coins, political ideas, alphabet

Legacies of the Greco-Roman World Rationalism Philosophy, science and history Humanism Truth, art and athletics Inherent Order Natural law, physics and taxonomy Politics Government, civic responsibility and democracy Delphi

Early Philosophy (600-470 BCE) Is the world permanent or changing? Democritus – all physical things are formed by combinations of tiny particles called atoms. Sophists – “Man is the measure of all things” There is no common objective reality that all persons grasp the same way.” Truth is relative to each individual Pleasure is the highest good - hedonism

Socratic Philosophers (470-322 BCE) “Truth and reality are absolute” “The unexamined life is not worth living” Socrates Truth is in the mind but hidden by false impressions You can only know the truth through inquiry Stressed importance of honor & integrity

There is only one real tree. Plato Dualism – the world is imperfect, changeable and different in appearance to every individual; the world we perceive is an illusion, the real world is a world of “ideal” forms. Philosophers will discover the perfect, eternal, real world Republic – society should be governed by “Philosopher kings” There is only one real tree.

exoskeleton, over there. Aristotle Reality = form and matter Logic - key to truth and happiness, by logic people can gain knowledge “Golden Mean” – perfection, virtuous and excellent between extremes, when neither adding something nor taking something away will make improvements. Government – rule by the middle class, devoted to general welfare of the people. Use senses to classify science (taxonomy) Develops inductive thinking- The Politics Wants to strengthen urban communities OK, everyone with an exoskeleton, over there.

The most difficult thing in life is to know yourself Thales The most difficult thing in life is to know yourself Men create the gods in their own image Democritus Xenophanes Nothing exists except atoms and empty space; everything else is opinion

Socrates Aristotle Plato  Pythagoras Diogenes  Euclid or Archimedes Italian painter, Raphael's masterpiece, The School of Athens, considered the perfect embodiment of the classical spirit of the High Renaissance.  

A great city is not to be confounded with a populous one As the builders say, the larger stones do not lie well without the lesser. A great city is not to be confounded with a populous one Plato Aristotle

Alexander’s conquest leads to the Hellenistic Age Hellenistic -derived from Héllēn –Greek word for “Greek”

Influence of Hellenistic Culture Hellenistic is not one single culture Political expansion leads to cultural diffusion Lays foundation for state systems/leads to more warfare Leads to stability in trading Growth of “Silk Road” Use of money & common language

Influence of Hellenistic Culture Language Replaced dialects with a “common” Greek easier communication between Egyptians, Syrians, Judeans Religion Led to worship of Greek gods Not accepted universally ex. Jews in Judea rebelled vs. Hellenistic culture (Maccabean Revolt – Diaspora) Judaism Hellenism One G-d Gods, Goddesses and Who Knows What! Man in the Image of G-d Gods in the Image of Man Beauty of Balance Beauty as Ideal

Influence of Hellenistic Culture Arts Sculpture more realistic Cosmopolitan Cities Alexandria becomes the model – huge library Inhabitants become “cosmopolitan” – Not just citizens of a particular polis Becomes ultimately the culture of elites base of later Roman culture Penetrated into sub Saharan Africa - Meroe

Hellenistic Philosophers (340 BCE) Philosophy becomes accessible to a wider audience  Affluent members of the population, including women, begin to study philosophy focuses on the problem of human happiness What is the meaning of this?

But, eating an entire cake would make you sick. That’s evil. Epicureans knowledge originates and stops in the senses pleasure is the sole good and pain is the sole evil man must moderate himself in reference to these desires But, eating an entire cake would make you sick. That’s evil. Cake is yummy!

The universe functions according to a plan of goodness – “Natural Law” Stoics - Zeno Named after Stoa Poikilē in Athens where Zeno taught The universe functions according to a plan of goodness – “Natural Law” Nature is understood through reason All persons are inherently equal as all share a spark of reason You can live in harmony with nature but need to control your passions (Get over it!)

Cynics preached a return to nature and a rejection of conventional mores as the key to man's happiness Did not consider themselves members of any nations Diogenes made his home in the streets of Athens, made a virtue of extreme poverty. Lived in a large tub, walked the streets carrying a lamp in the daytime claiming to be looking for an honest man. Nice tub, mate!

Skeptics by doubting everything, believed that they could attain a state of perfect tranquility Bet they didn’t even believe that!

Hellenistic Science Math Hipparchus - trigonometric tables and gave methods for solving spherical triangles. Pythagoras - The Pythagorean Theorem Euclid – wrote about triangles and circles, irrational numbers, and three-dimensional geometry.

Not heavy, not heavy, not heavy. Hellenistic Science Physics Archimedes – lever and hydrostatic discoveries Aristotle's - "Physics" and "Metaphysics” Not heavy, not heavy, not heavy.

Hellenistic Science Astronomy (applying logical thinking and geometry) Anaxagoras - cause of eclipses Aristarchus - the earth goes around the sun Thales - the earth is round.

Chant after me: Black bile, yellow bile, phlegm and blood. Hellenistic Science Medicine You could learn to understand and treat diseases by using careful observation and logical thought. Hippocrates - dismissed the notion that Magic or spirits caused or cured disease. Chant after me: Black bile, yellow bile, phlegm and blood.

Hellenistic Science Cartography The earth is a sphere Claudius Ptolemy wrote Guide to Geography (Geographike hyphygesis)-remained an authorative reference on world geography until the Renaissance.

Discuss changes and continuities in intellectual development in Greek-influenced areas from 500 B.C.E. to 30 B.C.E.