The Hellenistic Period experienced significant cultural advancements
due to the mixing of Greek and Asian culture, and royal patronage for
science.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE [ edit ]
Explain the influences on Hellenistic culture and the reasons for its spread
KEY POINTS [ edit ]
Great libraries rose during the Hellenistic Period, including those at Alexandria and Pergamon.
The spread of Greek culture throughout the Near East and Asia owed much to the development of
cities, and settlements situated on trade routes allowed cultures to mix and spread.
The spread of Greek influence and language can be seen in Ancient Greek coinage as portraits
became more realistic, and the obverse of the coin was often used to display a propaganda image,
commemorating an event or displaying the image of a favored god.
The Greek gods continued to be worshiped, and new Egyptian and Syrian gods were also added to
the Pantheon. The worship of Hellenistic rulers was also a feature of this period, most notably in
Egypt, where the Ptolemies adopted earlier pharaonic practice, and established themselves as
god­kings.
Hellenistic philosophy experienced an age of eclecticism, a new awakening of the diverse
knowledge and theories present in Greek culture. Instead of contemplating and debating ideals,
logic, extinguished emotion, or consummate beauty, people would explore and analyze reality.
Hellenistic culture produced seats of learning in Alexandria in Egypt and Antioch in Syria along
with Greek speaking populations across several monarchies. Scientific inquiries were often
sponsored by royal patrons.
TERMS [ edit ]
Hellenistic period
the period of ancient Greek and Mediterranean history between the death of Alexander the Great
in 323 BCE and the emergence of the Roman Empire as signified by the Battle of Actium in 31
BCE.
Alexandria
an important centre of the Hellenistic civilization and remained the capital of Hellenistic and
Roman & Byzantine Egypt for almost one thousand years until the Muslim conquest of Egypt in
641 CE.
Stoicism
a school of Hellenistic philosophy founded in Athens by Zeno of Citium in the early 3rd century
BCE. Taught that destructive emotions resulted from errors in judgment, and that a sage, or
person of "moral and intellectual perfection," would not suffer such emotions.
Epicureanism
a system of philosophy based upon the teachings of the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus,
founded around 307 BCE. Epicurus was an atomic materialist, which led him to a general attack
on superstition and divine intervention.
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The states of the Hellenistic period were deeply fixated with the past and its seemingly lost
glories, and Hellenistic culture reflected this fixation. Athens retained its position as the
most prestigious seat of higher education, especially in the domains of philosophy and
rhetoric, with considerable libraries. Alexandria was arguably the second most important
center of Greek learning, and the Library of Alexandria was estimated to have had 700,000
volumes. The city of Pergamon became a major center of book production, possessing a
library of some 200,000 volumes, and was second only to Alexandria. The island of Rhodes
boasted a famous finishing school for politics and diplomacy, while Antioch was founded as a
metropolis and center of Greek learning which retained its status into the era of Christianity.
Seleucia, meanwhile, replaced Babylon as the metropolis of the lower Tigris.
The Great Library of Alexandria
The Great Library of Alexandria, O. Von Corven. 19th century.
The spread of Greek culture throughout the Near East and Asia owed much to the
development of cities. Settlements such as Ai­Khanoum, located in modern­day­Afghanistan,
as well as others that were situated on trade routes, allowed cultures to mix and spread. Ai­
Khanoum's location ultimately allowed access to commerce with the Chinese empire.
The identification of local gods with similar Greek deities facilitated the building of Greek­
style temples, and the Greek culture in the cities also meant that buildings such as gymnasia
became common. Many cities maintained their autonomy while under the nominal rule of
the local king or governor, and often had Greek­style institutions. Greek dedications, statues,
architecture and inscriptions have all been found. However, local cultures were not replaced,
and often mixed to create a new culture.
Greek language and literature spread throughout the former Persian Empire. The
development of the Alexander Romance (mainly in Egypt) owes much to Greek theater as
well as other styles of story. The Library at Alexandria, set up byPtolemy I Soter, became a
center for learning and was copied by various other monarchs. The spread of Greek influence
and language can be seen in Ancient Greek coinage. Portraits became more realistic, and the
obverse of the coin was often used to display a propaganda image, commemorating an event
or displaying the image of a favored god. The use of Greek­style portraits and Greek language
continued into the Parthian period, even as the use of Greek was in decline.
Corinthian Stater
Corinthian stater with a mythical pegasus.
Religion
In the Hellenistic period, there was much continuity in Greek religion: the Greek gods
continued to be worshiped, and the same rites were practiced as before. Change came from
the addition of new religions from other countries, such as including the Egyptian deities Isis
and Serapis, and the Syrian gods of Atargatis and of Hadad, which provided a new outlet for
people seeking fulfillment in both the present life and the afterlife. The worship of Hellenistic
rulers was also a feature of this period, most notably in Egypt, where the Ptolemies adopted
earlier pharaonic practice, and established themselves as god­kings. Elsewhere rulers might
receive divine status without the full status of a god. Magic was practiced widely, and this
too, was a continuation from earlier times. Throughout the Hellenistic world, people would
consult oracles, and use charms and figurines to deter misfortune or to cast spells. A complex
system of astrology was also developed in this era, which sought to determine a person's
character and future in the movements of the sun, moon, and planets. The systems of
Hellenistic philosophy, such as Stoicism and Epicureanism, offered an alternative to
traditional religion, even if their impact was largely limited to the educated elite. The spread
of Christianity throughout the Roman world, followed by the spread of Islam, ushered in the
end of Hellenistic philosophy and the beginnings of Medieval philosophy, which was
dominated by the three Abrahamic traditions: Jewish philosophy, Christian philosophy, and
early Islamic philosophy.
Philosophy
During the Hellenistic and Roman periods, many different schools of thought developed in
the Hellenistic world and then the Greco­Roman world. Hellenistic philosophy experienced
an age of eclecticism, a new awakening of the diverse knowledge and theories present in
Greek culture. Instead of contemplating and debating ideals, logic, extinguished emotion, or
consummate beauty, people would explore and analyze reality. There were Greeks, Romans,
Egyptians, Syrians and Arabs who contributed to the development of Hellenistic philosophy.
Elements of Persian philosophy and Indian philosophy also had an influence.
Sciences
Hellenistic culture produced seats of learning in Alexandria in Egypt and Antioch in Syria
along with Greek speaking populations across several monarchies. Hellenistic science
differed from Greek science in at least two ways: first, it benefited from the cross­fertilization
of Greek ideas with those that had developed in the larger Hellenistic world; secondly, to
some extent, it was supported by royal patrons in the kingdoms founded by Alexander's
successors. Especially important to Hellenistic science was the city of Alexandria in Egypt,
which became a major center of scientific research in the 3rd century BCE. Two institutions
established there during the reigns of Ptolemy I Soter (reigned 323–283 BCE) and Ptolemy
II Philadelphus (r. 281–246 BCE) were the Library and the Museum. Unlike Plato's Academy
and Aristotle's Lyceum, these institutions were officially supported by the Ptolemies,
although the extent of patronage could be precarious, depending on the policies of the
current ruler.
Notable Hellenistic achievements in science include:
Herophilos (335–280 BCE), who was the first to base medical conclusions on dissection
of the human body and to describe the nervous system.
Archimedes (c. 287­212 BCE), a geometer, physicist, and engineer who laid the
foundations of hydrostatics and statics, and explained of the principle of the lever.
Eratosthenes (c. 276 BCE­195/194 BCE), who measured the distance between the Sun
and the Earth and the size of the Earth.
Art
A number of the best­known works of Greek sculpture belong to the Hellenistic period,
including Laocoön and his Sons, Venus de Milo, and the Winged Victory of Samothrace.