1. Bellwork In the last lesson, what did we discuss about Greece?
What happened to Athens and Sparta?
Who took control of Greece?
What happened to Persia?
New cultures are now assimilating Greek culture? How do you think this is going to affect Greek society?

2. Section 3, Unit 5 Ancient Greece p. 5
World History
Section 3, Unit 5
Ancient Greece p. 5

3. Objectives
Identify the cultural characteristics of Hellenistic Greece in the arts, sciences, and philosophies.
Compare Greek Classical Art to Hellenstic Art
Identify and discuss the impact of Greece on the modern world

4. Alexander the Great’s Role
Alexander’s Empire extended from Greece into Africa and Asia.
In doing so, he created various Greek outposts in the areas he conquered.
After his death, trade would spread Greek culture throughout the areas and each region would soon develop it’s own traditional ways of life, religion, and government.

5. Recall: Dynasties
After Alexander’s death, the empire was split into several dynasties:
Who were the three generals that controlled each Dynasty?

6. Hellenistic Period
After Alexander’s death, a vibrant new culture emerged. Greek (Hellenic) culture blended with the conquered Egyptian, Persian, and Indian influences. This blending became known as Hellenistic culture.
During the Hellenistic period, the dynasties began to speak a similar language: Koine which became a trading language for the areas.

7. Alexandria
Among the many cities in the Hellenistic world, the African city of Alexandria became the foremost center of commerce and Hellenistic civilization.
At the western edge of the Nile Delta, Alexandria was capable of keeping a thriving commerce economy through sea-trade with other nations.

8. Alexandria (cont.)
By the third century B.C., Alexandria became a diverse community of Greeks, Jews, and Egyptians that numbered over a half million
Alexandria became a international community, rich with customs and traditions from across the region.

9. Alexandria’s beauty
Alexandria was admired for it’s beauty. Within Alexandria, one would find:
Broad Avenues lined with statues of Greek gods
Alexander's elaborate glass coffin
Pharos- the 400 ft. high lighthouse which reflected a large flame off of a bronze mirror
Library of Alexandria- a museum dedicated to the Muses: Greek goddesses of arts and sciences. It contained:
Art galleries, a zoo, a botanical garden
It was a home of advanced study and helped promote literature and the sciences

10. Alexandria in review
Much of Ancient Alexandria has been lost, however, to both flooding and destruction.
The Library of Alexandria was burned down and the Pharos fell to earthquakes.

11. Alexandria’s Archeological Sites

12. Science and Technology
During the Hellenistic period, the center of scholarship moved away from Athens and moved to Alexandria, which succeeded in preserving Greek and Egyptian learning in the sciences.
It wouldn’t be until the 16th and 17th centuries that scientific advances would move past the discoveries made in Alexandria.

13. Astronomy
Alexandria’s museum contained a small observatory for astronomers.
One astronomer, Aristarchus, reached two scientific conclusions:
The sun was 300 times larger than the Earth
The Earth revolved around the sun

14. Aristarchus’s idea of the Sun
Aristarchus did disprove the idea the sun was no bigger than Greece, but did greatly underestimate the size. The sun is 1.3 million times larger than the earth, not 300 times.

15. Aristarchus and the Earth
Aristarchus did provide the first known model for the sun being the center of the known universe.
However, other astronomers refused to support his theory and instead supported Ptolemy’s incorrect geocentric belief that the earth was the center of the known universe.

16. Eratosthenes
While scholars debated the earths position, a scholar named Eratosthenes closely calculated the earths true size.
He skillfully used geometry to compute the earths circumference at 24,662 miles. Today, scientists know that the earth is actually 24,860 miles.
His estimate was within 1% of our modern calculations.

17. Mathematics and Sciences
Hellenistic Greece period also experienced an immense growth in the fields of math and science.

18. Euclid
Eratosthenes and Aristarchus used a geometry text compiled by Euclid.
Euclid was a highly regarded Alexandrian Greek mathematician who created the Elements, a book of 465 carefully presented geometric positions and proofs.
His work became the basis for most modern day geometry.
His geometry is referred to as Euclidean Geometry

19. Question
For any of the math whizzes out there: What theorem is being represented here?

20. Pythagorean Theorem
Pythagoras, sometime around 800 B.C., founded a theorem that measures the three sides of a right triangle.
Triangle with one angle at 90 degrees.

21. Pythagorean Theorem
The concept was known long before Pythagoras in earlier Chinese and Arabic texts (dating to around 1,100 B.C.) and may have been used by the Egyptians in the building of their pyramids.
However, Pythagoras became famous for his theorem after his death when his works on the theorem were spread throughout the known world by Arabic invaders.

22. Archimedes
Arguably the greatest scientist of the era, Archimedes revolutionized mathematics, the sciences, and engineering in Alexandria.
He made extreme advances in physics and was a great inventor.

23. Pi
Archimedes first accurately measured the circumference of a circle to it’s diameter– creating the value of Pi. He argued that Pi was between 3 10/71 or 3 1/7 (both would equal 3.14…)

24. Other works of Archimedes
Archimedes screw– helped bring water out from a low-lying body of water when turned.
Heat Ray: utilizing mirrors, Archimedes was believed to have set fire to enemy ships if they came too close by focusing rays of light onto them.

25. Archimedes Legacy
Archimedes developed many other devices during his life, including improvements on the catapult, lever, and pulley system.
Hellenistic scientists would later build on his knowledge and build force pumps, pneumatic machines, and a steam engine.

26. Philosophy and Art
Like earlier Greek philosophers, Hellenistic scholars believed the universe followed rational principles. They felt that philosophy offered the best way to understand these principles.
Although scholars would still follow the teachings of Plato and Aristotle, new schools of thought would lead into major philosophies of the Hellenistic period:
Stoicism and Epicureanism.

27. Stoicism
The Greek philosopher Zeno founded the school of thought called Stoicism.
Stoics believed in a divine power who controlled the universe.
They proposed that people should live a virtuous life in harmony with natural law. Stoics also preached that vices such as human desires, power, and wealth were dangerous distractions that should be controlled.
It promoted the belief that people should focus their lives on what they can control and promote social unity.

28. Epicureanism
Epicureanism was founded by Epicurus and they believed that the universe was composed of atoms and ruled by gods who had no interest in humans.
They believed that the only real objects in the world were those you can perceive with your senses and that the greatest good and highest pleasure come from virtuous conduct and the absence of pain.
i.e., people should be devoted to pursuing human pleasures.
Epicureans proposed that the main goal of humans was to achieve harmony of body and mind.

29. Art Sculpture flourished during the Hellenistic Age.
Rulers, wealthy merchants, and cities all purchased statues to honor the gods, commemorate heroes, and portray ordinary people in everyday situations.

30. Colossus of Rhodes
The largest known Hellenistic statue was the Colossus of Rhodes, a bronze statue that stood over 100 feet high.
The statue was of the Greek God Helios and stood over the harbor of Rhodes.
The statue, however, was destroyed in an earthquake in 226 B.C., but is still remembered as one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World.

31. Changes in Sculpture
Art and Sculpture changed between the Classical period and the Hellenistic Period.
Hellenistic Sculptures moved away from harmonic balance and idealized forms.
They focused more on realism, emotional works, natural postures, and even began to create ordinary people in sculpture.

32. End of the Hellenistic Period
By 150 B.C., the Hellenistic world was in decline.
A new city, Rome, was growing and becoming stronger.
Through Rome, Greek-style drama, architecture, sculpture, religion, and philosophy would be preserved and become the core of Western civilization.

33. Impact of Greece on the Modern World
Greece has had an immense impact on the modern world in the areas of:
Architecture
Sports
Sciences
Government
Arts

34. Architecture
Architectural styles that the Greeks utilized that are still used today include:
Slanted roofs
Pillars
Statues in the architecture
Sports stadiums
Pillars, Slanted roof

35. Sports
The Greeks valued and respected human strength. The Olympics still continues to this day and is a long lasting tribute to the Greek spirit of athleticism and sportsmanship

36. Sciences The Greeks developed and expanded on the sciences including:
Astronomy (size of the earth, heliocentric)
Geometry
Medicine (Hippocratic Oath)
Methods of arguing according to logic
Development of the lever, pulley, and pump

37. Government
The Athenians developed one of the first known democratic governments in which they directly voted on issues. Although at the time only male, adult citizens could vote, this system would slowly grow and become the foundation of the modern democratic systems used by many countries that still exist today.

38. Arts
The Greeks valued arts and left a lasting imprint on them including:
Focusing on the human form and creating a standard of art that future artists in history would be expected to meet (their art would greatly affect the Renaissance artists)
Creating drama and building the first theatres
Inventing both classical and Hellenistic art

39. Questions
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask now.

40. Review
What was the major difference between the Hellenistic and Classical Greek period in terms of their art?
Name one major Greek mathematician and write what he discovered.
What was the difference between Stoics and Epicureans?
What was the center of Hellenistic civilization? What attracted scholars to come to this city?
What were two major scientific conclusions made in the field of astronomy?
Name one major impact of Greek culture on modern western civilization. If you can, please provide an example.
Compare Cultures: The United States, much like Hellenistic Greece, is a breadbasket of cultures. Do you think the U.S. is similar to Hellenistic Greece because we have so many different cultures? Why or why not?

41. Next lesson
In the next lesson, we are going to move into Ancient Rome and discuss their culture and civilization.