Download The Decline of the City

The Decline of the City-State
& the rise of the Hellenistic Age
The Peloponnesian Wars (431—404
Alexander the Great (r 336-323 )
BCE
BCE)
The creation of the Delian League, 478 BCE
The corruption of the Delian League
The Final Blow to Athens…
• The Spartan
admiral, Lysander
captured the
Athenian fleet in the
Dardanelles
…cutting of its food
supplies
• Athens was
required to tear
down its walls and
agreed to be ruled
by a government
appointed by Sparta
Effects of the Peloponnesian Wars,
431-404
BCE
• Despite the restoration of democratic
government, Athens never returned to its
former power…
• Constant warfare among other states
continued… In 371, Sparta lost its first war
to Thebes
• The loss of manpower on both sides
weakened all of Greece
Philip II of Macedon r. 359-336 BCE
An ambitious
and resourceful
ruler of
Macedonia who
built up his army
and planned to
conquer the
Greeks and the
Persians.
“The Philippics”
• A series of
fiery speeches
by
Demosthenes
• In 338 BC,
Philip defeated
Athens and its
allies and
created “The
League of
Corinth”
Alexander the Great,
r 336-323 BC
• Inherited an empire
• Destruction of Thebes
Aristotle tutoring
Alexander
(J. L. Ferris, 1895)
Alexander III… The Legend:
• Some say he had a vision
to unite the human race in
a Pan-Hellenic culture one empire where people
could live in peace,
understanding and
harmony…
• He wanted to conquer the
known world…
• His goal may have been
to have a stable empire
with no threats to his vast
holdings…
• Another interpretation
sees him as a paranoiactyrant.
• Welcomed as a liberator
from Persian tyranny
• Hailed as Pharoah and
given the double crown of
Upper and Lower Egypt
• Egypt had always been
the object of awe and
source of inspiration to
the Greeks
Irony: “a barbarian chief of a
backwater kingdom in the
Balkan mountains had
become the ruler of the
oldest continuous
civilization on earth.”
Alexander in Egypt
Alexander’s expansionism ended
in the mountainous regions of
Bactria (present-day
Afghanistan) - his army experienced
its hardest fighting and never succeeded in
getting more than a tenuous hold on the
territory.
Alexander’s last battle, Hydaspes,
326 BC, on the banks of the Indus
River, was an empty victory- his
famous horse Bucephalus was
killed and his men, thousands of
miles and eight years from home,
refused to go on.
Alexander’s final
campaign…
•
Returning to Babylon, Alexander began to
consolidate his empire:
> integrated 30,000 Persian youth into his army
> married a Persian princess
> arranged for 80 of his officers and 10,000
soldiers to marry women from the Empire
>punished soldiers who did not respect
Persian culture
> Adopted Persian dress for himself
> Encouraged the ritual of proskynesis
Alexander died in 323 BC
Alexander’s Legacy…
• He pushed the
world in a new
direction- a fusion
of disparate
people & an
intermingling of
cultures
• The Hellenistic
Age begins with
his death in 323
BCE and ends with
the death of
Cleopatra in 27
BCE.
Alexander’s vast empire merged many peoples into a new,
cosmopolitan culture known as “Hellenistic Civilization.”
• Map of Alex empire
goes here
The empire was divided among 4 generals
Seleucus; Ptolemy; Lysimachus and Cassander
Cosmopolitanism…
• Hellenistic society is characterized by a mingling
of Greek, Egyptian & Persian cultures
• In the lands he conquered, Alexander introduced
Greek language, literature and art;
• established over 70 cities: Alexandria
• A world community joined by commerce, trade
and travel replaced the Polis as the center of life
• New philosophies- Stoicism and Epicureanism
emerged to help the common man cope with
their new status in a world community instead of
the local polis.
Zeno (342-270 BC) Stoicism:
• Urged individuals to live according
to reason and be indifferent to
pleasure and pain (happiness and sorrow)
• Avoid desires and disappointments; calmly
accept whatever life brings your way…
• The commonality of Man: all people are morally
equal, including women and slaves, because all
have the power to reason…
• Advocated high moral standards including
protecting the rights of fellow human beings
Epicurus, (341-270 BC) -Epicureanism:
• Strive for individual happiness in the big,
confusing world by avoiding pain and anxiety…
• Criticized attempts to gain wealth, power or fame
because it increases anxiety…
• Enjoy the simple pleasures of life- talking with
friends, enjoying good food or just “lying on soft
grass near a running stream.”
• Later followers stressed the “pleasure” rather
than the simplicity!
Hellenistic Science and Math
• Euclid (about 300 BC): Geometry
• Archimedes (287-212 BC): Mathematician and Scientist –
discovered principles of the lever, the pulley and specific
gravity.
• Aristarchus (310-230 BC): Astronomy-concluded the
earth revolved around the sun
• Architecture: emphasized size and grandeur
• Sculpture: showed realism and individuality
Architecture: emphasized size and grandeur
The alter to Zeus at Pergamon, Asia Minor
Sculpture: showed realism and emotion
Any Questions?