Ancient Greece: Alexander and the Hellenistic Era

Vocabulary flashcards covering the rise of Macedonia, Philip II, the conquests of Alexander the Great, and the cultural, scientific, and philosophical advancements of the Hellenistic Era.

Macedonia

A kingdom north of Greece inhabited by rural farmers and laborers who spoke a Greek dialect and emerged as a powerful kingdom by the end of the fifth century b.c.

Philip II

The Macedonian king who took the throne in 359 b.c., built a powerful army, crushed allied Greek city-states at the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 b.c., and unified Greece before being assassinated.

Battle of Chaeronea

A military engagement near Thebes in 338 b.c. where Philip II's Macedonian army defeated the Athenians and allied Greek states, ending the freedom of the Greek city-states.

Alexander the Great

Son of Philip II who became king of Macedonia at age 20, conquered the Persian Empire, and created a vast empire stretching from Greece to modern Pakistan and India before dying at age 32 in 323 b.c.

Alexandria

The Greek capital of Egypt built by Alexander in 332 b.c., which featured an ancient library of over 500,000 scrolls and grew to become the largest city in the Mediterranean region by the first century b.c.

Battle of Gaugamela

A decisive 331 b.c. battle fought near Babylon where Alexander defeated the Persian army, allowing him to take possession of the rest of the Persian Empire.

Darius III

The king of Persia who was defeated by Alexander the Great during the Macedonian conquest of the Persian Empire.

Hellenistic Era

A period created by Alexander's conquests—from a Greek word meaning "to imitate Greeks"—defined by the expansion of Greek language, culture, and ideas to the non-Greek world of Southwest Asia and beyond.

Pergamum

The most important city and kingdom in western Asia Minor that arose as one of four Hellenistic successor states, boasting a library second only to Alexandria's.

Subsidizing

Aiding or promoting with public money, practiced by Hellenistic monarchs who spent large amounts of money supporting writers, architects, and sculptors.

Apollonius of Rhodes

A Hellenistic author who wrote the epic poem Argonautica, which tells the story of Jason's quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece.

Theocritus

A Hellenistic poet who wrote short poems expressing love of nature and an appreciation of its beauty, believing writers should not attempt epic poems matching Homer.

Menander

The most successful playwright of Hellenistic comedy in Athens, who created plays aimed solely at entertaining and amusing while avoiding political commentary.

Aristarchus of Samos

A Hellenistic astronomer who developed the theory that the sun is at the center of the universe while the Earth rotates around it in a circular orbit.

Eratosthenes

An astronomer who determined that Earth is round and calculated its circumference at 24,675 miles (39,702 km), within 185 miles (298 km) of the actual figure.

Euclid

A Hellenistic mathematician who wrote Elements, an influential textbook on plane geometry that has been used up to modern times.

Archimedes

A Hellenistic scientist of Syracuse who worked on the geometry of spheres and cylinders, established the value of pi, discovered specific gravity, and emphasized the power of levers.

Archimedes' screw

A machine devised by Archimedes used to pump water out of mines and lift water for irrigation.

Founder

An originator who establishes an institution, movement, or school of thought, such as Epicurus establishing Epicureanism.

Epicureanism

A philosophy founded by Epicurus in Athens holding that happiness is the goal of life, achievable through the pursuit of pleasure defined as freedom from emotional turmoil and worry.

Stoicism

A Hellenistic philosophy founded by Zeno that taught happiness is found only by living in harmony with the will of God, bearing whatever life offers, and actively engaging in public service as a good citizen.

Zeno

A Syrian merchant who came to Athens, studied philosophy after losing his possessions in a shipwreck, and founded Stoicism by teaching in the Painted Portico (Stoa Poikile).