Hellenistic World & Early Rome: Key Terms (Video Notes)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key people, places, ideas from the lecture notes.

Aphrodite of Knidos

First monumental female nude in Greek art, by Praxiteles, signaling shifting standards of beauty and modesty.

Praxiteles

Ancient Greek sculptor who created Aphrodite of Knidos, exemplifying new aesthetic ideals.

Philip II

Macedonian king who reformed the army (phalanx) and unified Greece under Macedonian dominance, laying groundwork for Alexander.

Macedonian phalanx

Military formation with a deep, multi-row frontage using long spears (sarissas) that boosted Greek-style warfare.

Sarissa

Long spear (often around 4–6 meters) used by the Macedonian phalanx.

League of Corinth

Political/military alliance that united the Greek city-states under Macedonian hegemony.

Chaeronea (338 BCE)

Decisive battle establishing Macedonian supremacy over Athens and Thebes.

Alexander the Great

Phillip II’s son who conquered Persia, Egypt, and extended into India, blending Greek and local cultures.

Son of Ammon

Egyptian royal title used by Alexander to legitimize his rule in Egypt.

Gaza massacre

Ruthless siege of Gaza exemplary of Alexander’s harsh methods in Persia.

Hydaspes

Gaugamela-era campaign fought at the Hydaspes River in India; marked limits of Alexander’s expansion.

Ptolemaic Egypt

Wealthy, stable Hellenistic kingdom centered in Alexandria; dynastic rule lasting until Cleopatra.

Alexandria

Egyptian city founded by Alexander; cultural, scientific, and economic hub (library, museum).

Seleucid Asia

Vast Hellenistic realm that blended Greek and Persian traditions, later plagued by fragmentation.

Antigonid Greece

Macedon-centered Hellenistic kingdom; politically weaker but part of the Greek world.

Hellenistic culture

Cosmopolitan blend of Greek art, science, philosophy with local traditions across the Mediterranean and Near East.

Cosmopolis

World-city concept: interconnected, multiethnic urban centers under monarchies rather than polis-style city-states.

Syncretism

Blending of Greek with Egyptian, Persian, and other traditions to legitimize rule and unify culturally diverse populations.

Intermarriage policy

Alexander’s approach of intermarrying with local elites to stabilize and legitimize rule.

Maccabean revolt

Jewish resistance to Hellenization against Seleucid rule; a key example of cultural/religious conflict.

Stoicism

Philosophical school emphasizing rational order, virtue, and endurance of fate.

Epicureanism

Philosophical school prioritizing tranquil pleasure and the absence of pain as the highest good.

Skepticism

Philosophical stance of suspending judgment to pursue intellectual humility and openness.

New Comedy

Hellenistic theatrical genre focusing on private life and social satire rather than politics.

Aristarchus

Astronomer who proposed heliocentrism and early stellar/planetary observations.

Eratosthenes

Geographer who calculated the Earth’s circumference in antiquity.

Euclid

Mathematician known as the father of geometry; foundational figure in mathematics.

Hipparchus

Astronomer and mathematician known for advances in trigonometry and astronomy.

Archimedes

Physicist and engineer famous for levers, screws, and principles of buoyancy and mechanics.

Herophilus

Early anatomist who advanced knowledge of the brain and nervous system.

Erasistratus

Physician who studied the heart as a pump and cardiac physiology in antiquity.

Sacred Band

Elite 300 Theban soldiers who played a pivotal role at Leuctra and in challenging Sparta.

Leuctra (371 BCE)

Battle in which Thebes defeated Sparta, signaling the end of Spartan military dominance.

Epaminondas

Theban general who led Thebes and orchestrated the victory at Leuctra and Theban ascendancy.

Thebes

Greek city-state that challenged Spartan hegemony and briefly dominated Greek politics.

Great Man Thesis

Historian's idea that individuals like Alexander drive major historical change; debated today.

Cosmopolis cities (Alexandria, Pergamon, Antioch, Seleucia)

Hellenistic urban centers that facilitated cross-cultural exchange and learning.

Library of Alexandria

Grand library of the Ptolemies; symbol of universal knowledge and doxography influence.

Pergamon parchment

Parchment invention at Pergamon contributing to the rise of book culture.

Doxography

Systematic cataloging and classification of philosophical ideas and schools.

Bibliomania

Obsessive collecting of original texts, a notable feature of Hellenistic culture.

Maccabees

Jewish resistance group in the Hellenistic period; associated with the Maccabean revolt.

Latin Right

Roman legal privileges used to integrate conquered peoples into the Republic.

Twelve Tables

First written Roman law code establishing key legal rights and procedures.

Patria potestas

Paternal authority in the Roman family, a cornerstone of Roman family law.

mos maiorum

Unwritten ancestral code guiding Roman morals, duties, and tradition.

Lucretia

Roman noblewoman whose suicide sparked Brutus’s rebellion and the founding of the Republic.

Romulus & Remus

Mythical founders of Rome; symbols of freedom, honor, and rejection of tyranny.