Adrian Christ and Zachary Woods

Alexander and the Hellenistic Kingdoms

Time Periods• Alexander born 20 or 21 July 356 BCE• Died 10 or 11 June 323 BCE• Last Hellenistic Kingdom in Egypt is annexed

into the Roman Empire- 12 Aug. 30 BCE

Geography• Alexander’s empire stretched from India to

Macedonia• Hellenistic culture appeared in hybrids with

local customs in all Diadochi empires

Political Structures

• Alexander was a king and later an emperor• Worshipped as a son of Amun• Absolute ruler

Influence of Persia

• Alexander adopts Persian satrapies• Proclaims himself rightful ruler of Persia upon

Darius III’s death

Adoption of Local Ideas

• Alexander adopts local/new titles (Pharoah, Shahanshah, King of Asia)

• Hybridizes Greek culture with local• Spreads Hellenistic ideas across vast area

Economy

• Depended on trade for food in Greece• Persian treasures spread across empire• Tax collectors under Alexander independent of

satraps

Trade Routes

• Trade throughout empire• Traded across Mediterranean with Rome and

Carthage• Traded with China?

Social Structure• Hierarchal class structure• Many slaves• Greeks/Macedonians

considered themselves superior to Asians

• Greeks depend on merchants but they still have a low status

• Aristocratic elite

Art/Architecture

• Architecture and much other art stayed the same or declined

• Monumental projects taken on• Freedom of previous Greek eras reduced

under new monarchies

Science/Technology

• Moved away from philosophy towards practical science

• Study of natural phenomena rather than human ethics

Religion

• Alexander’s Hellenization of his empire spreads Greek religion along with culture

• In some areas religion remains almost the same• Hybrid gods and rituals emerge

Hellenization

• Process of Greek culture spreading across the remains of Alexander’s empire

• Happened both intentionally and unintentionally

Intellectuals

• Great intellectual centres shifted to Antioch, Alexandria, and Pergamon from Greece

• Believed that scientific method was first used during this period

• Aristotle, Theophrastus, Strato, Archimedes

Stoicism• Self-control/fortitude to

overcome dangerous emotions• Live in accordance with nature

Epicureanism

• Live to experience simple pleasures- knowledge, friendship• Avoid physical pain• Abstain from luxury to avoid

future loss of it

Alexander: Birth and the Crown

• Son of Philip II of Macedon and Olympias, daughter of the Queen of Epirus

• Taught by Aristotle• Philip conquers all of Greece• Philip assassinated by his

bodyguard, Pausanius

Alexander: Conquests

• Begins rule by ending rebellions across Greece and in the north-razes Thebes

• Invades Asia Minor, liberates Ionian cities• Wins Battle of the Granicus• Solves Gordian Knot• Wins Battle of Issus• Proclaimed Pharoah at Siwa

Alexander: Conquests cont.• Returns to Mesopotamia and wins

final victory over Darius III at Gaugamela

• Continues to conquer Persia, Media, Bactria, Sogdiana and the Punjab

• Army demands he return back west• Dies of a fever(?) in Babylon aged

32• “to the strongest”

Diadochi: the Successors

• Several wars ensue between the various generals of Alexander

• Wars end with Lysimachus, Cassander, Ptolemy, and Seleucus as kings

• Things remain mostly the same until Rome’s arrival

Bibliography• http://www.eternalegypt.org/EternalEgyptWebsiteWeb/HomeServlet?ee_website_action_key=action.display.module&modul

e_id=301&language_id=1&story_id=51&ee_messages=0001.flashrequired.text• http://wikipedia.org – various articles• http://wps.ablongman.com/long_stearns_wc_4/17/4389/1123706.cw/index.html• http://kekrops.tripod.com/Hellenistic_Files/Hellenistic_Science.html • http://www.zum.de/whkmla/sat/notes/notesviiihell.html• http://virtualreligion.net/iho/alexander.html