1. Daily Life in Classical Athens
Greek Religion
No body of doctrine or focus on morality
Festivals
Mount Olympus
Oracle of Apollo at Delphi
Daily Life in Classical Athens
150,000 citizens, 43,000 of which were adult males who exercised political power
Family the central institution
Women kept under strict control
Male homosexuality a prominent feature
Rise of Macedonia and the Conquests of Alexander
Philip II ( B.C.E.)
Greeks crushed in 338 B.C.E. at the Battle of Chaeronea

2. The World of the Hellenistic Monarchs
1. Unlike the other Hellenistic kings, the Ptolemies in Egypt were not city builders and made little effort to spread Greek culture. In the second century B.C. the Greeks and Egyptians began to intermarry with each adopting the language and customs of the other thereby creating a Greco-Egyptian culture.
2. In order to attract Greeks, the far ranging Selucid Empire established many cities and military colonies in Mesopotamia. Although the Selucids had no apparent plan for Hellenizing the population, the arrival of so many Greeks must have had an impact. Especially important in the Hellenizing process had to be the military colonies located near native villages.
3. The great wealth Alexander found in the Persian capitals was used to finance the creation of new cities, building roads, and modernizing harbors.
4. Contact with India by sea was established by the Ptolemies who learned to utilize the monsoon winds. This route further stimulated the exchange of ideas and goods. The commerce came by sea into the Persian Gulf, up the Tigris to Seleucia. From Seleucia, the trade would move by caravan to Antioch and Ephesus on the west coast of Asia Minor. By land, the trip from the Indus to Seleucia took forty days and from Seleucia to the Mediterranean another fifteen. The longer alternate southern route wound its way by sea along the coast from India, around Arabia, and up the Red Sea. Goods would be transferred by caravan to the Nile and floated down to Alexandria and the Mediterranean.
5. The Hellenistic Age marked a shift in the center of eastern Mediterranean trade from Athens to Corinth and the new cities of Egypt and Asia. The Black Sea's commercial importance was reduced due to the Gallic and Scythian invasions.
6. The despotism of Hellenistic kingdoms was countered by a city-state federalism established by the Aetolian League (stretching across central Greece and parts of the Peloponnesus) and the Aechean League (including much of the Peloponnesus). These confederations were national unions in the modern sense.
Questions:
1. After the breakup of Alexander's empire, how did the new kingdoms approach their political organization? How was it different from the polis?
2. How did trade contribute to the development of the Hellenistic Age?
The World of the Hellenistic Monarchs

3. ©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc
©2004 Wadsworth, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is a trademark used herein under license.

4. Alexander the Great (336-323 B.C.E.)
Attacks the Persian Empire
Army of 37,000 men and 5,000 cavalry
Battle of Granicus River, 334 B.C.E.
Battle of Issus, 333 B.C.E.
Defeat Persian king Darius III
Battle of Gaugamela, 331 B.C.E.
Persepolis, 330 B.C.E.
Alexander in India, 327 B.C.E.
Battle of Hydaspes River, 326 B.C.E.
Soldiers refuse to go on
Death of Alexander, 323 B.C.E.

5. The Legacy of Alexander
Hellenistic Age (“to imitate Greeks”)
Monarchy
Military strength, divine rule
Culture
Art, architecture, language, literature
Cities
The Hellenistic Kingdoms
New dynasties created
Hellenizing an urban phenomenon
Economic and Social trends
Commerce
New opportunities for women
Involved in managing affairs
Women in Athens still remained restricted
New roles for the wives of monarchs

6. Culture in the Hellenistic World New Directions in Literature and Art
Library of Alexandria
Menander (c B.C.E.)
Histories and biographies
Polybius (c. 203-c 120 B.C.E.)
Golden Age of Science
Archimedes ( B.C.E.)
Philosophy
Epicurus ( B.C.E.)
Free to follow self-interest
Zeno ( B.C.E.)
Happiness only found in living with the will of the gods
Religion in the Hellenistic World
Mystery cults
Cult of Isis W