Hellenistic KingdomsWhen Alexander died, he didn’t have anobvious heir to take over his kingdom,and no one knew who was in power. Withno clear direction, Alexander’s generalsfought for power. In the end, three powerful generals divided the empire amongthemselves. One became king of Macedonia and Greece, one ruled Syria, and thethird claimed Egypt.

Hellenistic MacedoniaAs you might expect, the kingdom ofMacedonia and Greece was the most Greek ofthe three. However, it also had the weakestgovernment. The Macedonian kings hadto put down many revolts by the Greeks.Damaged by the revolts, Macedoniacouldn’t defend itself. Armies from Rome,a rising power from the Italian Peninsula,marched in and conquered Macedonia inthe mid-lOOs BC.

Hellenistic SyriaLike the kings of Macedonia, the rulers ofSyria faced many challenges. Their kingdom, which included most of the formerPersian Empire, was home to many different peoples with many different customs.

Reviewing Ideas, Terms, and People1. Identify What king conquered Greecein the 300s BC?

2. a. Describe What territories did Alexander theGreat conquer?b. Interpret Why did Alexander destroy Thebes?C. Elaborate Why do you think Alexander namedso many cities after himself?

3. a. Recall What three kingdoms were created outof Alexander’s empire after his death?b. Explain Why were these kingdoms calledHellernstic?

Unhappy with Hellenistic rule, manyof these people rebelled against their leaders. Weakened by years of fighting, thekingdom slowly broke apart. Finally in the60s BC the Romans marched in and tookover Syria.

Hellenistic EgyptThe rulers of Egypt encouraged the growthof Greek culture. They built the ancientworld’s largest library in the city of Alexandria. Also in Alexandria, they built theMuseum, a place for scholars and artiststo meet. Through their efforts, Alexandriabecame a great center of culture and learning. In the end, the Egyptian kingdomlasted longer than the other Hellenistickingdoms. However, in 30 BC it too wasconquered by Rome.

READING CHECK

_________________

Analyzing Why were threekingdoms created from Alexander’s empire?

SUMMARY AND PREVIEW Alexander theGreat caused major political changes inGreece and the Hellenisfic world. In thenext section, you will learn about artisticand scientific advances that affected thelives of people in the same areas.

ÔNUWE QUIZ

Critical ThinkingBuilding an Spreading

4. Generalizing Empire CultureReview your noteson Alexander. Then,write one sentence Why Alexander was important]

explaining why he is an important historical figure.

ocusoNWRmNG

___ __

5. Evaluating Alexander Add Alexander the Greatto the table you created earlier. Remember thatalthough Alexander was a military man, not all ofhis accomplishments were in battle.

AchievementsEveryone in Athens has been talking about a philosopher andteacher named Socrates, so you decide to go and see him foryourself. You find him sitting under a tree, surrounded by hisstudents. “Teach me about Iife you say. But instead of answering,he asks you, “What is life?” You struggle to reply. He asks anotherquestion, and another If he’s such a great teacher, you wonder,shouldn’t he have all the answers? Instead, all he seems to haveare questions.

What do you think of Socrates?

BUILDING BACKGROUND Socrates was only one of the brilliantphilosophers who lived in Athens in the 400s BC. The city was alsohome to some of the world’s greatest artists and writers. In fact, allover Greece men and women made great advances in the arts andsciences. Their work inspired people for centuries.

The ArtsAmong the most notableachievements of the ancientGreeks were those they madein the arts. These arts includedsculpture, painting, architecture, and writings.

Statues and PaintingsThe ancient Greeks were master artists. Their paintings andstatues have been admired forhundreds of years. Examples ofthese works are still displayedin museums around the world.

Greek

IfYOU were there...

t

What You Will Learn...

Main IdeasJ. The Greeks made greatcontributions to the arts.

2. The teachings of Socrates,Plato, and Aristotle are thebasis of modern philosophy.

3. In science, the Greeks madekey discoveries in math,medicine, and engineering.

+The Big Idea

Ancient Greeks made lastingcontributions in the arts,philosophy, and science.

Key Terms and PeopleSocrates, p. 281Plato, p. 281Aristotle, p. 281reason, p. 281Euclid, p.282Hippocrates, p. 282

Greek sculptureis admired for itsrealism, naturallook, and details.

hmhsocialstudies.comTAKING NOTES

276 CHAPTER 9

Use the graphic organizer onlineto take notes on Greek achievements in the arts, philosophy, andscience.

277

I—

Greek statues are so admired becausethe sculptors who made them tried to makethem look perfect. They wanted their statues to show how beautiful people could be.To improve their art, these sculptors carefully studied the human body, especiallyhow it looked when it was moving. Then,using what they had learned, they carvedstone and marble statues. As a result, manyGreek statues look as though they couldcome to life at any moment.

Greek painting is also admired for itsrealism and detail. for example, Greek artists painted detailed scenes on vases, pots,and other vessels. These vessels often show

scenes frommyths or athletic competition5Many of the scenes were created using Onlytwo colors, black and red. Sometimes arlists used black glaze to paint scenes on redvases. Other artists covered whole vaseswith glaze and then scraped parts away tolet the red background show through.

Greek ArchitectureIf you went to Greece today, you would seethe ruins of many ancient buildings. Oldcolumns still hold up parts of broken roofs,and ancient carvings decorate fallen walls.These remains give us an idea of the beautyof ancient Greek buildings.

The Greeks took great care in designingtJieiT buildings, especially their temples.ROWS of tall columns surrounded the temples making the temples look stately andinspiring. Greek designers were very carefulwhen they measured these columns. Theyew that columns standing in a long row0ften looked as though they curved in themiddle. To prevent this optical illusion,they made their columns bulge slightlyin the middle. As a result, Greek columnslook perfectly straight.Ancient Greek designers took such

care because they wanted their buildingsto reflect the greatness of their cities. The

most impressive of all ancient Greek buildings was the Parthenon (PAHR-thuh-nahn)in Athens, pictured below. This temple toAthena was built in the 400s BC on theAthenian acropolis. It was designed to bemagnificent not only outside, but inside aswell. As you can see, the interior was decorated with carvings and columns.

New Forms ofWritingSculpture, painting, and architecture werenot the only Greek art forms. The Greeksalso excelled at writing, in fact, Greekwriters created many new writing forms,including drama and history.

History Close-up

The ParthenonThe Parthenon was a beautiful temple to thegoddess Athena, whom the people of Athensconsidered their protector. The temple, whichstood on the Athenian acropolis, was built byPericles and is still one of the most famousbuildings in the world.

The carvings on the west sideof the Parthenon show a contest between Athena and thegod Poseidon to decide whowould be honored in the city.

Inside the Parthenon was amagnificent statue of Athena bythe sculptor Phidias, whom manypeople considered the greatestsculptor in all of Greece.

The Parthenon’s 46 columns are a type calledDoric columns. Thesesimple columns have nodecoration at the top.

4

-—

IL1üill‘[

Once a year, the people of Athens_

-__I held a great festival in honor of Athena. .—_ — —

— Part of the festival included a great - ,. — —

- procession that wound through the city — —- _:.•___ —

.2-

-.-

:-— —--

278 CHAPTER9 - - --.

----- :_-----

—_

- —______————--—— — Z---——---- -

/39

Why do you think people are bringing animals and

________

goods with them to the temple?

/

TII

t I

‘C-

I-

€1LI

Greek statues are so admired becausethe sculptors who made them tried to makethem look perfect. They wanted their statues to show how beautiful people could be.To improve their art, these sculptors carefully studied the human body, especiallyhow it looked when it was moving. Then,using what they had learned, they carvedstone and marble statues. As a result, manyGreek statues look as though they couldcome to life at any moment.

Greek painting is also admired for itsrealism and detail. for example, Greek artists painted detailed scenes on vases, pots,and other vessels. These vessels often show

scenes frommyths or athletic competition5Many of the scenes were created using Onlytwo colors, black and red. Sometimes arlists used black glaze to paint scenes on redvases. Other artists covered whole vaseswith glaze and then scraped parts away tolet the red background show through.

Greek ArchitectureIf you went to Greece today, you would seethe ruins of many ancient buildings. Oldcolumns still hold up parts of broken roofs,and ancient carvings decorate fallen walls.These remains give us an idea of the beautyof ancient Greek buildings.

The Greeks took great care in designingtJieiT buildings, especially their temples.ROWS of tall columns surrounded the temples making the temples look stately andinspiring. Greek designers were very carefulwhen they measured these columns. Theyew that columns standing in a long row0ften looked as though they curved in themiddle. To prevent this optical illusion,they made their columns bulge slightlyin the middle. As a result, Greek columnslook perfectly straight.Ancient Greek designers took such

care because they wanted their buildingsto reflect the greatness of their cities. The

most impressive of all ancient Greek buildings was the Parthenon (PAHR-thuh-nahn)in Athens, pictured below. This temple toAthena was built in the 400s BC on theAthenian acropolis. It was designed to bemagnificent not only outside, but inside aswell. As you can see, the interior was decorated with carvings and columns.

New Forms ofWritingSculpture, painting, and architecture werenot the only Greek art forms. The Greeksalso excelled at writing, in fact, Greekwriters created many new writing forms,including drama and history.

History Close-up

The ParthenonThe Parthenon was a beautiful temple to thegoddess Athena, whom the people of Athensconsidered their protector. The temple, whichstood on the Athenian acropolis, was built byPericles and is still one of the most famousbuildings in the world.

The carvings on the west sideof the Parthenon show a contest between Athena and thegod Poseidon to decide whowould be honored in the city.

Inside the Parthenon was amagnificent statue of Athena bythe sculptor Phidias, whom manypeople considered the greatestsculptor in all of Greece.

The Parthenon’s 46 columns are a type calledDoric columns. Thesesimple columns have nodecoration at the top.

4

-—

IL1üill‘[

Once a year, the people of Athens_

-__I held a great festival in honor of Athena. .—_ — —

— Part of the festival included a great - ,. — —

- procession that wound through the city — —- _:.•___ —

.2-

-.-

:-— —--

278 CHAPTER9 - - --.

----- :_-----

—_

- —______————--—— — Z---——---- -

/39

Why do you think people are bringing animals and

________

goods with them to the temple?

/

TII

t I

‘C-

I-

€1LI

The Greeks created drama, or plays, aspart of their religious ceremonies. Actorsand singers performed scenes in honor ofthe gods and heroes. These plays became apopular form of entertainment, especiallyin Athens.

In the 400s BC Athenian writers created many of the greatest plays of theancient world. Some writers produced tragedies, which described the hardships facedby Greek heroes. Among the best tragedywriters were Aeschylus (Es-kuh-luhs) andSophocles (SAHF-uh-ldeez). For example,Sophocles wrote about a Greek hero whomistakenly killed his own father. OtherGreek dramatists focused on comedies,which made fun of people and ideas. Onefamous comedy writer was Aristophanes(ar-uh-STAHF-uh-neez). He used his comedyto make serious points about war, courts oflaw, and famous people.

The Greeks were also among the firstpeople to write about history. They wereinterested in the lessons history couldteach. One of the greatest of the Greek

Primary Source .

‘iiiHow does Socrates tell his students to act when theysee him drink the poison?

280 CHAPTER 9

ANALYZING PRIMARY SOURCES

historians was Thucydides (thoo-sIDuhdeez). His history of the PeloponnesianWar was based in part on his experiencesas an Athenian soldier. Even though hewas from Athens, Thucydides tried to beneutral in his writing. He studied the Warand tried to figure out what had caused it.He may have hoped the Greeks could learnfrom their mistakes and avoid similar warsin the future. Many later historians modeled their works after his.

READING CHECK

__________________

Summarizing What weresome forms of art found in ancient Greece?

PhilosophyThe ancient Greeks worshipped gods andgoddesses whose actions explained manyof the mysteries of the world. But byaround 500 BC a few people had begun tothink about other explanations. We callthese people philosophers. They believedin the power of the human mind to think,explain, and understand life.

11Then raising the cup to his lips, quite

readily and cheerfully he drank off the poi

son. And hitherto most of us had been able

to control our sorrow; but now when we saw

him drinking.. . my own tears were flowing

fast; so that I covered my face and wept.

Socrates alone retained his calmness: What

is this strange outcry? he said . . . I have

been told that a man should die in peace.

Be quiet then, and have patience.YY—Plato, from Phaedo

r5octSft1ong the greatest of these thinkers wasa wan named Socrates (SAHK-nih-teez). Heöelieved that people must never stop looking for knowledge.

Socrates was a teacher as well as athinker. Today we call his type of teachingthe Socratic method. Socrates taught byasking questions. His questions were abouthuman qualities such as love and courage.He would ask, “What is courage?” Whenpeople answered, he challenged theiranswers with more questions.

Socrates wanted to make people thinkand question their own beliefs. But hemade people angry, even frightened. Theyaccused him of questioning the authority of the gods. For these reasons, he wasarrested and condemned to death. Hisfriends and students watched him calmlyaccept his death. He took the poison hewas given, drank it, and died.

PlatoPlato (PLAYT-Oh) was a student of Socrates.Like Socrates, he was a teacher as well asa philosopher. Plato created a school, theAcademy, to which students, philosophers,and scientists could come to discuss ideas.Although Plato spent much of his time

running the Academy, he also wrote manyworks. The most famous of these workswas called The Republic. It describes Plato’sidea of an ideal society. This society wouldbe based on justice and fairness to everyone. To ensure this fairness, Plato argued,society should be run by philosophers. Hethought that only they could understandwhat was best for everyone.

AristotlePerhaps the greatest Greek thinker wasAristotle (ar-uh-STAH-tuhl), Plato’s student.He taught that people should live livesof moderation, or balance. for example,

Euclid is considered one of theworld’s greatest mathematicians.He lived and taught in Alexandria,Egypt, a great center of learning.Euclid wrote about the relationship between mathematicsand other fields, includingastronomy and music. Butit is for geometry that he isbest known. In fact, his workswere so influential that the branchof geometry we study in school—the study of flat shapes and lines—is called Euclidean geometry.

people should not be greedy, but neithershould they give away everything theyown. Instead, people should find a balancebetween these two extremes.

Aristotle believed that moderationwas based on reason, or clear and orderedthinking. He thought that people shoulduse reason to govern their lives. In otherwords, people should think about theiractions and how they will affect others.

Aristotle also made great advances inthe field of logic, the process of makinginferences. He argued that you could usefacts you knew to figure out new facts. forexample, if you know that Socrates lives inAthens and that Athens is in Greece, youcan conclude that Socrates lives in Greece.Aristotle’s ideas about logic helped inspiremany later Greek scientists.

READING CHECK

__________________

Generalizing What didancient Greek philosophers like Socrates, Plato,and Aristotle want to find out?

ACADEMICVOCABULARYneutralunbiased, notfavoring eitherside in a conflict

Euclidc. 300 BC

Drawing Conclusions Why doyou think a branch of geometry isnamed after Euclid?

BOOK

The Death ofSocratesIn 399 BC Socrates was arrestedand charged with corrupting theyoung people ofAthens and ignoringreligious traditions. He was sentencedto die by drinking poison. Socratesspent his last hours surrounded byhis students. One of them, Plato, laterdescribed the event in detaiL

II

Socrates himselfdoes not protestagainst his sentence but willinglydrinks the poison.

The students andfriends who have visited Socrates, includingthe narrator, are muchless calm than he is.

THEGREEKWORLD 281

The Greeks created drama, or plays, aspart of their religious ceremonies. Actorsand singers performed scenes in honor ofthe gods and heroes. These plays became apopular form of entertainment, especiallyin Athens.

In the 400s BC Athenian writers created many of the greatest plays of theancient world. Some writers produced tragedies, which described the hardships facedby Greek heroes. Among the best tragedywriters were Aeschylus (Es-kuh-luhs) andSophocles (SAHF-uh-ldeez). For example,Sophocles wrote about a Greek hero whomistakenly killed his own father. OtherGreek dramatists focused on comedies,which made fun of people and ideas. Onefamous comedy writer was Aristophanes(ar-uh-STAHF-uh-neez). He used his comedyto make serious points about war, courts oflaw, and famous people.

The Greeks were also among the firstpeople to write about history. They wereinterested in the lessons history couldteach. One of the greatest of the Greek

Primary Source .

‘iiiHow does Socrates tell his students to act when theysee him drink the poison?

280 CHAPTER 9

ANALYZING PRIMARY SOURCES

historians was Thucydides (thoo-sIDuhdeez). His history of the PeloponnesianWar was based in part on his experiencesas an Athenian soldier. Even though hewas from Athens, Thucydides tried to beneutral in his writing. He studied the Warand tried to figure out what had caused it.He may have hoped the Greeks could learnfrom their mistakes and avoid similar warsin the future. Many later historians modeled their works after his.

READING CHECK

__________________

Summarizing What weresome forms of art found in ancient Greece?

PhilosophyThe ancient Greeks worshipped gods andgoddesses whose actions explained manyof the mysteries of the world. But byaround 500 BC a few people had begun tothink about other explanations. We callthese people philosophers. They believedin the power of the human mind to think,explain, and understand life.

11Then raising the cup to his lips, quite

readily and cheerfully he drank off the poi

son. And hitherto most of us had been able

to control our sorrow; but now when we saw

him drinking.. . my own tears were flowing

fast; so that I covered my face and wept.

Socrates alone retained his calmness: What

is this strange outcry? he said . . . I have

been told that a man should die in peace.

Be quiet then, and have patience.YY—Plato, from Phaedo

r5octSft1ong the greatest of these thinkers wasa wan named Socrates (SAHK-nih-teez). Heöelieved that people must never stop looking for knowledge.

Socrates was a teacher as well as athinker. Today we call his type of teachingthe Socratic method. Socrates taught byasking questions. His questions were abouthuman qualities such as love and courage.He would ask, “What is courage?” Whenpeople answered, he challenged theiranswers with more questions.

Socrates wanted to make people thinkand question their own beliefs. But hemade people angry, even frightened. Theyaccused him of questioning the authority of the gods. For these reasons, he wasarrested and condemned to death. Hisfriends and students watched him calmlyaccept his death. He took the poison hewas given, drank it, and died.

PlatoPlato (PLAYT-Oh) was a student of Socrates.Like Socrates, he was a teacher as well asa philosopher. Plato created a school, theAcademy, to which students, philosophers,and scientists could come to discuss ideas.Although Plato spent much of his time

running the Academy, he also wrote manyworks. The most famous of these workswas called The Republic. It describes Plato’sidea of an ideal society. This society wouldbe based on justice and fairness to everyone. To ensure this fairness, Plato argued,society should be run by philosophers. Hethought that only they could understandwhat was best for everyone.

AristotlePerhaps the greatest Greek thinker wasAristotle (ar-uh-STAH-tuhl), Plato’s student.He taught that people should live livesof moderation, or balance. for example,

Euclid is considered one of theworld’s greatest mathematicians.He lived and taught in Alexandria,Egypt, a great center of learning.Euclid wrote about the relationship between mathematicsand other fields, includingastronomy and music. Butit is for geometry that he isbest known. In fact, his workswere so influential that the branchof geometry we study in school—the study of flat shapes and lines—is called Euclidean geometry.

people should not be greedy, but neithershould they give away everything theyown. Instead, people should find a balancebetween these two extremes.

Aristotle believed that moderationwas based on reason, or clear and orderedthinking. He thought that people shoulduse reason to govern their lives. In otherwords, people should think about theiractions and how they will affect others.

Aristotle also made great advances inthe field of logic, the process of makinginferences. He argued that you could usefacts you knew to figure out new facts. forexample, if you know that Socrates lives inAthens and that Athens is in Greece, youcan conclude that Socrates lives in Greece.Aristotle’s ideas about logic helped inspiremany later Greek scientists.

READING CHECK

__________________

Generalizing What didancient Greek philosophers like Socrates, Plato,and Aristotle want to find out?

ACADEMICVOCABULARYneutralunbiased, notfavoring eitherside in a conflict

Euclidc. 300 BC

Drawing Conclusions Why doyou think a branch of geometry isnamed after Euclid?

BOOK

The Death ofSocratesIn 399 BC Socrates was arrestedand charged with corrupting theyoung people ofAthens and ignoringreligious traditions. He was sentencedto die by drinking poison. Socratesspent his last hours surrounded byhis students. One of them, Plato, laterdescribed the event in detaiL

II

Socrates himselfdoes not protestagainst his sentence but willinglydrinks the poison.

The students andfriends who have visited Socrates, includingthe narrator, are muchless calm than he is.

THEGREEKWORLD 281

ScienceAristotle’s works inspired many Greek scientists. They began to look closely at theworld to see how it worked.

MathematicsSome Greeks spent their lives studyingmathematics. One of these people wasEuclid (Yoo-lduhd). He was interested ingeometry, the study of lines, angles, andshapes. In fact, many of the geometry ruleswe learn in school today come straightfrom Euclid’s writings.

Other Greek mathematicians includeda geographer who used mathematics toaccurately calculate the size of the earth.Years later, in the AD 300s and 400s, a woman named Hypatia (hy-PAY-shuh) taughtabout mathematics and astronomy.

Medicine and EngineeringNot all Greek scientists studied numbers.Some studied other areas of science, suchas medicine and engineering.

Greek doctors studied the human bodyto understand how it worked. In tryingto cure diseases and keep people healthy,Greek doctors made many discoveries.

Reviewing Ideas, Terms, and PeopleI. a. Identify What two types of dramadid the Greeks invent?b. Explain Why did Greek columns bulge in themiddle?C. Elaborate How did studying the human bodyhelp Greek artists make their statues look real?

2. Describe How did Socrates teach? What is thismethod of teaching called?

3. a. Identify In what fields did Hippocrates andEuclid make their greatest achievements?b. Make Inferences Why do some people callGreece the birthplace of the Western world?

The greatest Greek doctor WasHippocrates (hip-AHK-rnh-teez). He want..ed to figure out what caused diseases 5ohe could better treat them. Hippocrates isbetter known today, though, for his ideasabout how doctors should behave.

Greek engineers also made great discoveries. Some devices they invented arestill used today. For example, farmers imany countries still use water screws tobring water to their fields. This device,which brings water from a lower level to ahigher one, was invented by a Greek scientist named Archimedes (ahr-kuh-MEED-eez)in the 200s BC. Greek inventors could beplayful as well as serious. For example, oneinventor created mechanical toys like birds,puppets, and coin-operated machines.

READING CHECK

__________________

Summarizing Whatadvances did Greek scientists make in medicine?

SUMMARY AND PREVIEW Through theirart, philosophy, and science, the Greekshave greatly influenced Western civilization. In the next chapter, you will learnabout another group that has helpedshape the Western world—the Romans.

Critical Thinking4. Summarizing Add abox to the bottom ofyour note-taking chart.Use it to summarizeGreek contributionsin the arts, philosophy,and science.

Greek Contributions

{ ArtsPhilosophyLnce

Summary

j Focus ON WRITING

5. Taking Notes about Artists and Thinkers Add theartists and thinkers from this section to your chart.Because these people were not military leaders, allof your notes will go in the thirdcolumn of your chart.

Greek Philosophers—Socrates, Plato, and AristotleWhat would the world be like if no one believedin the importance of knowledge and truth?

When did they live? the 400s and 300s BC

Where did they live? Athens

What did they do? They thought. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle thoughtabout the world and searched for knowledge, wisdom, and truth. Betweenthem they created the Socratic method of learning, the first political sciencebook, and a method of scientific reasoning.

Why are they important? In mostof the ancient world, strong fighterswon all the glory. But in Athens, greatthinkers and wise men were honored.People listened to them and followedtheir advice. Even today, peopleadmire the ideas of Socrates, Plato,and Aristotle. Their teachingsare at the root of modernphilosophy and science.

Making Inferences Do youthink these philosophers wouldhave been as influential if theyhad lived in a different city?Why or why not?

How did Socrates,Plato, and Aristotleinfluence history?

Socrates taughtPlato.

Plato taughtAristotle.

Many doctorsrecite the

HippocraticOath, a pledge tobehave ethically,when they finishmedical school.

Aristotle taughtAlexander the Great,who helped spreadGreek ideas throughmuch of the world.

Section 4 Assessment ãNuNEQUII

I.‘.1

1

This drawing shows howone artist imagined Plato(left), Aristotle (center),and Socrates (right) to look

HISTORYFVIDEOThe Death ofa Philosopher“i’ hmhociaIstudies.com

282 CHAPTER 9