Chapter 4THE Greek World Expands PDF

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Chapter 4THE GREEK WORLD EXPANDS 400-150 B.C.E. The Rise of Macedonia came forth with II of Macedonia (382-336 B.C.E) and Philip II (R. 359336 B.C.E.) The third and youngest son of King Amytas III was sent to Thebes as a hostage at 14. Both older brothers died in battle and Philip II (R. 359-336 B.C.E.) became king at age 34 and named his son, born in 359, Alexandros (leader of men). Through combination of war and diplomacy, Philip II united Balkan kingdoms. Philip II’s Army was a hoplite force and consisted of Theban organizations, namely “The Companions” and elite cavalry squad. Theban organization was exclusive to nobility and provided Philip with hostages to keep nobility loyal. Alexander and “The Companions” educated by Aristotle who arrived at court in 343 B.C.E. Isocrates, leader of Athens saw Philip as ally against Persia Athenians and refused diplomatic efforts In Battle of Chaeronea in 338: Athens was defeated and Theban “Sacred Band” was destroyed. Philip II was assassinated in 336 B.C.E and Alexander became King Greeks called him “sacker of cities” Romans called him Alexander the Great. Plutarch (46 B.C.E. -120 C.E.) was a Greek historian and Platonist philosopher who lived during Roman Empire. Plutarch primarily was interested in exploring the influence of character on the lives of great leaders and compared the lives of great leaders of Greeks and Macedonians with Roman leaders. Alexander the Great conquered Egypt in 322 B.C.E and was seen as liberator from Persians and was given double crown for Upper and Lower Egypt and named was the. Pharaoh. He decided that Egypt would be capital of his empire and founded the city of Alexandria. Final Campaigns Invaded Afghanistan and barely managed to hold it. Alexander the great moved down through Pakistan to the Indus valley of India Defeated Indian warlord Porus at Battle of Hydaspes in 326 B.C.C.E.) Alexander’s army refused to continue and Alexander died in 323 (likely malarial fever) .Alexander’s Idea of Governance followed the defeat of Persian Empire and attempted to create cohesion by requiring officers to marry Persian women . Alexander’s Idea of Governance adopted Persian dress and customs and planned to make Egypt center of his government but did not interfere with local customs and culture .Alexander’s legacy was the Strongest and died without naming an heir. There was turmoil till 275 B.C.E in Ptolemaic Egypt, Seleucid Asia Antigonid Macedon and Greece. Western world after Alexanders death was ruled by GrecoMacedonians who returned to Greek customs and culture Hellenistic which “Greek-like” Cosmopolitan Empire . Ptolemy’s Egypt Ptolemy ( 367 B.C.E. – 283 B.C.E.) was a General in Alexander’s army most likely his half-brother asked only for province of Egypt and oversaw development of Alexandria as an academic center of Scientific and medical advances in anatomy, astronomy, mechanical engineering and physics. Ptolemy’s family ruled for 300 years and the male heirs were called “Ptolemy” most sisters were called “Cleopatra”. They followed Egyptian religious practices but spoke only Greek and were the most successful of the Hellenistic Kingdoms. Seleucid Asia was ruled by Seleucus (358-281 B.C.E.) immediately following Alexander’s death. His wife was a Persian and he ceded much of the Indus Valley to the warriorking Chandragupta. By mid third century B.C.E. Seleucids had lost most of Bactra (Afghanistan) to local war lords. Following Seleucus’ death in 281 B.C.E. his son, Antiochus succeeded him. Antiochus was half- Persian and ruled from the capitol, Antioch Antiochus III lost the kingdom to the Romans Antiochus IV Epiphanes was the one who desecrated the Jewish temple in Jerusalem was great-great grandson of Seleucus.

Rise of Stoicism under Antigonus Zeno of Citium (335-263 B.C.E.) Stoics were based on stoa a colonnade. They believed cosmos is an ordered whole in which all contradictions are resolved for ultimate good and evil is relative: misfortunes are merely incidents that will lead to the final perfection of the universe. Everything that happens is pre-determined. People are free only in the sense that they can accept fate or rebel against it. One can attain happiness (tranquility of mind) by accepting that whatever happens must be for the best. Adaptation of Stoicism under Antigonus Kingship was a form of noble servitude, to be endured rather than enjoyed. They refused to compete with Seleucids or the Ptolemies and used “soft” power to keep them at war with each other and away from Macedonian sphere of influence. Greeks resented rule by Barbarians and created new form of political alliance to resist them. Aetolian League and Achaean League Ancient was the ancient form of Federalism. Citizens of member poleis participated in councils of state that dealt with foreign policy and military affairs. Each poleis was admitted as an equal member and all citizens of a member poleis was a citizen of the league. They enacted common civil and criminal laws and judicial procedures. They dealt with common weights, measures, and coinage. Hellenistic cosmopolis emerged by 300 B.C.E. They admired all things Greek and had common language. The Hellenistic cosmopolis fueled by Greek emigration to major cities around the former Alexandrian empire Greek homeland and population decreased by 50%. Cities were connected by trade, infrastructure spending and migration of workers from rural areas to cities in search of work, increased wealth as well as opportunities. Militaries of Hellenistic Kingdoms kept roads and sea lanes relatively safe for trade. Ancient Alexandria became center of learning and commercial port with 500,000 inhabitants. Ancient Alexandria consisted of orderly grid of wide streets and splendid public buildings and parks Museum was the storehouse as well as showcase of Greek culture. Economic Issues In Hellenistic Cities: Agriculture was the major occupation. Small farmers suffered exploitative taxation and industrial production based on individual labor of artisans. Artisans also suffered from exploitative taxation. The rate for unemployment was high .Boom and bust syndrome created constant extremes and wide divisions between rich and poor. Epicurean Philosophy: Epicurus (341-270 B.C.E.) based his theories on Democritus who lived in the 5th century B.C.E. The theory suggest that the universe is made up entirely of atoms in which every individual object or organism is a product of a combination of atoms. Although based on the randomness of atoms Epicurus concluded that there is no ultimate purpose in workings of the universe. Epicurus also concluded that the highest good cannot come from enduring hardship and suffering. He stated misfortune is the chance by-product of random atomic actions and gods do not intervene in human affairs. Through his theory he believed highest good is pleasure which were The moderate satisfaction of bodily appetites, Intellectual pleasure of contemplating excellence and remembering past enjoyments as well as Serenity in the face of death.

Similarities and differences between Stoicism and Epicureanism: Stoics and Epicureans both believed that nothing is better than the “tranquility of mind.” They both believed that focus should be individual self not the community. Stoics believed that the pursuit of virtue is highest

importance compared to Epicureans in which virtue was not considered an end in itself . Stoics believed that the universal absolute of justice was attainable while on the other hand Epicureans stated that there is no universal absolute of justice. Epicureans declared that a government exists for nuisance to be endured as long as it benefits and individual, while Stoics declared that the government exists for benefits of citizens even when it is unjust. Epicureans stayed away from politics wherein Stoics believed it was their duty to be active in politics. Skeptics was formed by Carneades (214-129 B.C.E.). He Born in Cyrene, North Africa and was a student of Aristotle. He believed all knowledge is based on sense perception and is therefore limited and relative. Secondly he believed no one can prove anything simply because our senses can deceive us because they are unreliable  We can say something “appears” to be a certain thing but we cannot say we know it for certain. He stated one can have no definite knowledge of the supernatural, the meaning of life or right or wrong and the only recourse is to suspend judgment. Religion in the Hellenistic World was an intersection between religion and politics. Early civilizations believed gods (one or more) protected a community and furthered its interests; and failure to worship or obey the gods led to personal or communal misfortune. They believed in man’s duty to the gods. Whereas in Greek they believed “man is a creature of the poleis” Man may have duties to the gods but these duties are in the service of the poleis. In Hellenistic world elites gravitated towards philosophy and declared a rational relationship to the world and to religion. They emerged with “Rootless multiculturalism” which fostered worship of many different gods and religious diffusion (Greeks worshiped Egyptian and Persian gods; Persians and Egyptians worshiped Greek gods. The Septuagint which was a translation of Hebrew Scriptures into Greek for Jews who did not live in Palestine also came into action. Majority of people still worshiped gods rather than engaging in philosophical speculation. Scientific Revolution in Hellenistic period was called “most brilliant age in the history of science before the 17th century.” There was a stimulus of fusion of Greek, Egyptian and Mesopotamian/Persian science. There was a common language and affordable travel improved communication between scientific communities. Competition among patrons of science increased. Achievements: Measuring and mapping (astronomy, geography, geometry). It was declared that Earth and planets revolve around the sun. Euclid geometry was formed. Circumference of the earth was calculated and scientists concluded that one might reach Asia by sailing West. Medicine and Mechanics knowledge was elaborated Archimedes of Syracuse and physical properties of pulley, lever, and screw was explained. In the era of Herophilus of Chalcedon, detailed description of the brain as the engine of intellect was given and also gained insights of how heart functions to carry blood to all parts of the body. Sculpture became a big part of th art and consisted of counter-positioning, creating action and realism Influence on sculpture of Renaissance. Importance of Hellenistic World in Development of Western Civilization Cosmopolitan cities included greater public facilities and more opportunity to a wider range of people, wide cultural diffusion Greek language and culture may have been dominant but Egyptian, Mesopotamian and Persian cultures provided important contributions to Hellenistic cities and societies framework

for Roman imperial government. There was a bridge between older civilizations and Rome. Romans emulated Hellenistic city planning ,not Athenian planning. Lastly, cosmopolitan population did not consider themselves bound by the old prejudices and superstitions of the past...