HISTORY V101
Section 002
Dr. Powers
Fall, 2008
COURSE OUTLINE
IV THE HELLENISTIC AGE
A.
The Rise of
1.
2.
Philip II
a.
Strengthens
b.
Demosthenes and the Philippics
c.
Isocrates
d.
e.
Hegemony over
f.
The planned invasion of
3.
The assassination of Philip and the accession of
Alexander
B.
Alexander the Great
1.
Conquest of the Empire [See Online Reading #7]
a.
b.
c.
Gaugamela (
d.
2.
Unifying framework from
3.
Effects
4.
The question of Alexander’s ideals
C.
Hellenistic Monarchies
1.
The Successor States
a.
Ptolemies
b.
Seleucids
c.
Attalids
d.
Antigonids
2.
Government
a.
Strong, often divine, monarchs
b.
Polis structure,
but no authority
c.
A Greek ruling class everywhere
3.
Frequent wars among the Successor States
D.
Economic Trends
1.
Larger agricultural and manufacturing operations
2.
Government ownership of larger enterprises
3.
Great expansion in commerce
a.
Ties the Hellenistic world together
b.
Connects Hellenistic cultures to others
4.
Base in a large slave population
E.
Hellenistic Society
1.
Greater role for women
2.
Individual migrations and resettlements all over
3.
A Unifying layer of Greek-like culture & language
4.
Strains between the Hellenized upper classes and the
native majority in each country
5.
The importance of education and the gymnasium
F.
Science and Medicine
1.
Aristarchus of
2.
Eratosthenes
3.
The Museum and Library at
4.
5.
Archimedes
6.
Alexandrian medicine
G.
Hellenistic Culture
1.
The importance of royal patronage
2.
Koine Greek
3.
Literature
a.
Menander and the "New Comedy"
b.
Theocritus and idylls
c.
Polybius and history
4.
Sculpture more naturalistic and representational
5.
Philosophy [See “The
Hellenistic Age” Power Point outline]
a.
The emphasis on personal happiness
1)
Overcoming aporia
2)
Dealing with Tyche
3)
Achieving ataraxia
b.
Epicurus and Epicurianism
c.
Zeno and Stoicism
d.
Diogenes and Cynicism
e.
Pyrrhus and Skepticism
6.
Religion [See “The
Hellenistic Age” Power Point outline]
a.
Traditional religions
b.
Olympian gods and goddesses
c.
"Hearth and Home" cults
d.
Emperor worship
e.
Syncretism
f.
The Mystery Cults
g.
Tyche as
divinity
h.
The Jews
1)
Much autonomy in
a)
The
b)
The Priesthood
c)
The Sanhedrin
2)
The Disapora
a)
The ambiguous position of a monotheistic people in a
polytheistic world
b)
The problems of an exclusionist and universalist faith
in a tolerant culture
c)
The tensions of an exclusionist faith in a culture with
a conflicting civil religion
d)
The Politeuma
e)
The Synagogue
f)
Hellenized Jews and the Septuagint
g)
The issue of assimilation
3)
Hellenization and resistance
a)
Cultural unity at one level
b)
Continued peculiarism at other
levels
c)
Occasional resistances to Hellenization
d)
The Jews and Judas Maccabaeus