1. Alexander
And the
Hellenistic Period

2. Macedonia Under Philip II

3. Threat of Macedonia Phillip II – 359 B.C.
Unites all of Greece under Macedonia
Created a true monarchy
Brilliant military strategist
Battle of Chaeronea
Macedonia defeats the Greeks
Uses phalanx formations & then cavalry to crush opponents
Alexander leads a cavalry charge at 18
Plan was to unite Greeks to go against Persians
Phillip II was assassinated
At his daughters wedding in 336 B.C.
Son, Alexander take the throne

4. Death of Phillip II of Macedonia

5. Alexander the Great 20 years old when he took the throne
Motivated by a desire & empire
Tutored by Aristotle
Desire to avenge Persian burning of Athens
Alexander’s Conquests
334 B.C. defeated the Persian Army
 30,000 infantry – 5,000 cavalry
 hit Persians quickly and used phalanx formation
 freed Greek city-states in Asia Minor
332 B.C. defeated Syria, Palestine, and Egypt
 Alexandria became the Greek capital of Egypt
Turned toward Pakistan and India
 soldiers refused and went home
323 B.C. returned to Babylon
 died at age 32 from wounds, fever and alcohol

6. Alexander the Great

7. Alexander the Great in Persia

8. Legacy of Alexander Great Military leader Motivated by desire
 Created largest empire ancient world had known
 willing to risk his own life
Sought to imitate Achilles
 kept a copy of the Illiad under his pillow
Extended Greek rule over a vast area
 brought much wealth to Greece & Macedonia
New culture emerges from blend of Greek and Eastern customs
 Alexander adopted Persian dress and married a Persian woman

9. Alexander the Great’s Empire

10. The Spread of
Hellenistic Culture
324 B.C B.C.

11. The Hellenistic Kingdoms
Hellenistic Culture
Blend of Greek culture w/ Egyptian, Persian and Indian influence
Rulers encouraged massive spread of Greek colonies
Southwest Asia
 modern Afghanistan and India
Architecture and Sculpture
Built throughout the empire
 moved away from earlier classicism to realistic art

12. The Hellenization of Asia

13. Pergamum: A Hellenistic City

14. Greatest Accomplishment of the Hellenistic Age
Alexander the Great saved Greek Culture and spread their ideas to every new place he conquered.
The new culture that emerged was called “Hellenistic” culture, which means “Greek-like”.
All of the following are the legacies of this Hellenistic age….

15. Science & Technology Alexander preserved Greek and Egyptian learning
Observatory: study planets and stars
Ptolemy
Friend to Alexander – satrap of Egypt
Last renowned astronomer
 said Earth was center of universe

17. Eratosthenes
Said Earth was round – 28,000-29,000 miles (within 185 m.)
 was an astronomer as well as poet

18. Mathematics & Physics Euclid Mathematician taught in Alexandria
 Elements: best known book
 still used as basis for geometry
Archimedes
Most famous scientist
 geometry of spheres and cylinders
 mathematical constant pi
 created device that raised water
from the ground
 created pulley to lift heavy object

20. Archimedes Moving the World

21. The Economy of the Hellenistic World

22. Hellenistic Philosophers
Athens chief center of philosophy
New system of Epicureanism and Stoicism
Epicureanism: self interest
avoid pain & seek pleasure.
Gods had no interest in humans
politics should be avoided.
soul dies with body, should not fear death

23. Epicurus “Pleasure is our first and kindred good
Epicurus “Pleasure is our first and kindred good. It is the starting-point of every choice …”

24. Zeno - Stoicism

25. Realism in Sculpture Hellenistic Art
More realistic; less ideal than Greek art
Showed individual emotions, wrinkles, and age!
Moved away from appreciation of human body
Female nudes become popular
Colossus of Rhodes
100 ft. high – one of 7 wonders of the Ancient World

26. Hellenistic Art

27. The Breakup of Alexander’s Empire

28. 7 Wonders of the World Tourist attractions of the Hellenistic World
1. Pyramids of Khufu
26th century BC
2. Hanging Gardens of Babylon
6th century BC
3. Temple of Artemis
4. Statue of  Zeus
5th century BC
5. Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
4th century BC
6. Colossus of Rhodes
3rd century BC
7. Lighthouse of Alexandria

29. The Temple of Artemis City of Ephesus - Western Turkey
First shrine to Goddess Artemis built around 800 B.C.
Goddess of fertility
First temple burnt in 356 BC - Herostratus
New temple ft long & 225 ft wide columns
Parthenon 230 ft long, 100 ft wide & 58 columns
Major tourist attraction
Souvenirs & religious items including miniature statues of Artemis
Destroyed by Goths in 262 A.D
Few remains today
Marble salvaged for local building needs

30. Hanging Gardens Of Babylon - Iraq
Garden built by King Nebuchadnezzar, who ruled the city for 43 years starting in 605 BC
Strabo described them as groups of vaulted terraces raised one above another
Built to cheer up Nebuchadnezzar's homesick wife, Amyitis from Medes
Land she came from was green, rugged and mountainous, and she found the flat, sun-baked terrain of Mesopotamia depressing.

31. The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
Western Turkey
Mausolus, with his queen Artemisia (also sister), ruled over Halicarnassus & the surrounding territory for 24 years
In 353 B.C. Mausolus died
Artemisia, heartbroken, decided to build the world’s most splendid tomb
Stood above the city ruins for some 17 centuries until destroyed by an earthquake in 1404 AD

32. The Great Pharos Lighthouse
Alexandria, Egypt founded by Alexander in 332 BC
Under Ptolemys the city became rich and prosperous
City needed both a symbol & a mechanism to guide the many trade ships into the busy harbor
Built on the island of Pharos
Building of the Pharos started in 290 B.C
Took 20 years to complete
Became tallest building in existence, with the exception of the Great Pyramid
Became big tourist attraction
Damaged by earthquakes
Finally collapsed in 1306 AD

33. The Great Pyramids of Giza
Pharaoh Khufu 2400 BC
Only remaining wonder
756 feet long & 450 high
Tallest man-made structure for over 4400 years until Eiffel Tower
Composed of 2,300,000 blocks of stone
Originally covered by a beautiful smooth limestone surfacing
Khufu’s tomb and treasure has never been found

34. The Colossus of Rhodes
Island of Rhodes was an important economic center
Southwestern tip of Asia Minor
Held off a siege of city for over a year
Celebrated the victory by building huge statue
Melted metal from war machines left behind
Construction took 12 years
110 ft high and stood upon a 50 foot pedestal near the harbor
Destroyed by earthquake after 56 years

35. Statue of Zeus Temple of Zeus at Olympia – constructed 470 to 460 B.C.
Similar to Parthenon in design
Needed a magnificent statue of Zeus
50 feet high
Phidias – sculptor
Statue of Athena in the Parthenon