Greek Culture/Hellenistic Period

Greek Columns

Doric- basic with no base

Ionic- have bases and volutes

Corinthian- bases and complicated designs

Greek Art

lifelike but not realistic; arete

Herodotos

father of history/father of lies. Recorded anything locals told him, so often recorded myths.

Thucydides

Athenian general who recorded the Peloponnesian war. Liked to add dramatic speeches that weren’t actually said. Died before he finished recording the Peloponnesian war.

Xenophon

Finished the records that Thucydides started, wrote the Anabasis

The Anabasis

Xenophon’s account of how he led 10,000 Greek mercenaries through the heart of Persia back to Greece.

Aristophanes

A comedy writer; wrote Lysistra

Aiskhylos

A tragedy playwright;

wrote The Persians and the Oresteia Trilogy

1. Agamemnon

2. The Libation Bearers

3. The Furies (Eumenides)

Sophokles

wrote tragedies about Thebes.

Oedipus Trilogy

1. Oedipus Rex

2. Oedipus Colonnus

3. Antigone

Euripides

Popular with the people but unpopular with judges in contests. Wrote unlikable and flawed protagonists.

Medeia

Sokrates

Questioned traditions and democracy. Was put to death. Socratic Method

Plato

Student of Sokrates. Focused on goodness and ethics. Advocated for a republic; a nation run by educated elites and a philosopher king. Founded his own school, The Academy.

Aristotle

Student of Plato. Focused on the intended purpose of things. Believed the rich should rule. Founded the Lyceum. Taught Alexander the Great.

Cynics/Diogenes

“to behave like dogs”

Epikouros

Life is nasty and short, therefore enjoy it. (yolo)

Zeno/Stoics

Believed the universe was guided by logos and that everything should be in moderation. (Greek Buddhism)

Macedonia

Greece’s red-neck cousins

Philip II

First great ruler of Macedonia and Alexander’s father.

1. sarisa

2. reintroduces cavalry

3. system of combat that combines foot soldiers, archers, and chariots

Assassinated by Pausanias before he could invade Persia (his dream)

Battle of Chaeronea

17 y/o Alexander vs the sacred band.

Isokrates wants peace while Demosthenes leads Athens and Thebes against Philip, they lose.

Alexander the Great

Ruler of the largest empire in history. Makes it all the way to India before his troops give up on him. Died mysteriously.

Diadokhoi

5 generals split Alexanders land and fight over it

Winners are:

The Antigonids in Macedon (no incest)

The Ptolemies in Egypt

The Seleucids in Syria

Ptolemies

Ruling family in Egypt who decend from Alexander’s General Ptolemy. Were Greek but adapted Egyptian traditions such as incest.

Kings

Philadelphos- means sibling loving

Euergetes- means benefactor

Philopator- means father loving

Eratosthenes

mapmaker who calculated the circumstance of the earth

Archimedes

a mathematician and inventor, water displacement and the lever.

Sycretism

Adapting gods from one culture into another.

Pergamon

Example of Hellenistic influence. Capital is a perfect Greek city.(but in like Turkey) King Attalos founder

Serapus

four gods rolled into one; half Greek half Egyptian. became a very popular god.

Sarisas

long spikes used by Philip’s army

Persepolis

City in Persia where Alexander burns down the former palace of Xerxes as revenge for the Persians burning Athens years before.