The Hellenistic Age, 336-31 B.C.E.

1. The Hellenistic Age, 336-31 B.C.E. The West CHAPTER 4

2. Unity and Expansion Under King Philip • Hereditary monarchy supported by army of free citizens, who fought for spoils of war • Philip II (382-336 B.C.E.): unified nobility; reorganized and revolutionized army • 338 B.C.E. Battle of Chaeronea: Macedonians defeat Greek poleis • League of Corinth: established by Philip II, to control Greek states

3. The Conquests of Alexander • Defeated Persians and created an empire stretching from Eastern Mediterranean to India • Greek settlers became the cultural and political élite in conquered lands • Dissemination of Hellenic culture throughout conquered lands

4. Successor Kingdoms: Dividing the Spoils • Several smaller Hellenic kingdoms arose from conquests, after the death of Alexander: Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt, Antigonid dynasty in Macedon, Seleucid dynasty in old Persian empire • Hereditary monarchies with centralized bureaucracies and large, professional armies • Ruling élite uniformly Greek and Macedonian • Hellenistic religion legitimized monarchical rule

5. Cities: The Heart of Hellenic Life • Cities served as administrative and cultural centers, and were showcases of art and design • Increasing social differentiation, as urban élite became wealthy and powerful under monarchical rule • Persistence of older religious and cultural traditions in some conquered cities, such as Jerusalem and Babylon

6. New Opportunities for Women • In Egypt and other Hellenized lands, Greek women enjoyed full citizenship and held high religious offices • Wives of Hellenic kings emerged as models for powerful and virtuous women • Increasing eroticization and idealization of the female form • Gender hierarchy favoring men persisted

7. Hellenistic Literature, Philosophy and Science • New forms of drama and poetry evolved • Platonic and Aristotelian schools continued • New schools of philosophy arose: Epicureanism, Stoicism, Cynicism • Alexandria, Egypt, became center for scientific learning • Advances in mathematics, astronomy and medicine

8. Encounters with Foreign Peoples • Hellenistic explorers traveled down east and west coasts of Africa, circumnavigated the British Isles, and reached Scandinavia • Greeks considered non-Greeks to be inferior barbarians • Language was a major barrier to acceptance of Hellenic culture • Myths of messianic, military resistance to Greek rule persisted

9. Celts on the Fringes of the Hellenistic World • Celtic civilization arose north of the Alps, in eighth century B.C.E., and established commercial links with Hellenistic kingdoms • Celtic military activities restricted the expansion of Hellenistic world • Ca. 400-200 B.C.E. hostile Celtic migrations into Hellenistic territories

10. Roman Origins and Etruscan Influences • Settlements began in Rome ca. 1000 B.C.E. • Control of Tiber River crossings and major trade routes allowed Rome to grow • Romans absorbed Hellenic culture through contacts with Etruscans, in seventh and sixth centuries B.C.E.

11. The Beginnings of the Roman State • Ca. 500 B.C.E. Roman monarchy abolished and republic is founded • Political participation by all free, male citizens who could afford their own weapon • Political power controlled by an oligarchy of patrician families • Social conflict between patrician and plebian classes shaped political institutions and broadened access to effective power

12. Roman Territorial Expansion • By 263 B.C.E., Rome had conquered the entire Italian peninsula through political alliances, careful diplomacy and military tenacity and discipline • Conquered peoples were expected to provide loyalty and military service

13. Rome and the Hellenistic World • Rome destroyed the imperial power of Carthage in three wars between 264 and 146 B.C.E. • Rome seized control of Greece in three wars against Macedon, between 215 and 168 B.C.E. • Influx of Hellenistic ideas, about literature, art, science, philosophy, rhetoric and education, into Rome • Against some resistance, Rome adopted and “Romanized” the Greek intellectual inheritance

14. Life in the Roman Republic • Patrician families exerted influence through networks of political patronage • Hierarchical social order: senators, equestrians, plebeians, Roman allies, slaves • Slaves comprised about one-third of the population • Family life mirrored social structure: male head-of-household held all authority

15. The Gracchi • Tiberus Gracchus (162-133 B.C.E.) - initiated program of land redistribution to limit wealth of large landholders • Gaius Gracchus, after 123 B.C.E., sped up program of land reform, attempted to dilute power of corrupt provincial administrators • Gaius Marius (157-86 B.C.E.) first Roman general to use army for political gain

16. The Social War and the First Triumvirate • 88 B.C.E. Rome granted full citizenship rights to remainder of Italian population, after their unsuccessful revolt • Broadening of citizenship weakened political power of Roman patricians • Dictatorship of Sulla (88-80 B.C.E.) set precedent for military intervention in politics • First triumvirate of Pompey, Julius Caesar and Crassus circumvented legal restraints to gain political power

17. Julius Caesar and the End of the Roman Republic • Caesar used his loyal legions to become dictator in 44 B.C.E. • Caesar permanently destroyed the power of the Senate and reorganized the calendar • Following the assassination of Caesar, the Second Triumvirate of Mark Antony, Octavian Caesar and Marcus Lepidus seized power • Octavian eliminated his fellow triumvirs and established a new political system: the Roman Empire

18. Defining the West in the Hellenistic Age • Cultural and geographical boundaries of the West began to form during Hellenistic Age • Interaction of Hellenistic, Roman, Phoenician and Middle Eastern cultures formed the foundation of Western civilization