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2.5. Alexander the Great and Hellenistic World
1. The Alexander Mosaic This painting is called Alexander Mosaic, originally from Pompeii. The Roman floor mosaic copy of a Greek painting. It measures 2.72 by 5.13 meters, made of 1.5 million stones. This mosaic depicts a battle between the armies of Alexander the Great and Darius III of Persia at the Battle of Issus in 333 BC.
Look at the painting, Alexander is rushing forward with bravery and violence; his spear cut through a Persian soldier’s body. And this is Darius, the king of Persia. And he is stretching his right hand helplessly. The Persian army was frightened and retreating. This mosaic showed the superiority of the Greek army led by their great king, Alexander the Great.
Last time we talked Philip II was assassinated in 336 BC, before his death the majority of Greece cities were under Macedonian control. Philip II was succeeded by his 20-year-old son Alexander, the great king who created one of the largest empires of the ancient world by the age of thirty.
2. Alexander the Great 356-323 BC is often ranked among the most influential people in history. When he was 13, Philip invited Aristotle to be the tutor of Alexander. Aristotle taught Alexander medicine, philosophy, morals, religion, logic, and art. Alexander developed a passion for Homer’s epics. On his campaigns he always carried a copy of the Iliad given by Aristotle. He thought himself a new Achilles, the great hero of the Trojan War. Alexandria is widely considered one of history's most successful military commanders, never lost in battle. Today all military academies throughout the world still teach his tactics.
3. The Empire of Alexander. In 13years Alexander conquered Persia, middle Asia, Egypt and he crossed Indus River,
4. Until in 324BC his army reached today’s Pakistan. His soldiers refused to go further. The representative of the soldiers told him: “if there is one thing above all others a successful man should know, it is when to stop”. Alexander was very angry but he had no choice but to return. In 323 he died in Babylon. Alexander's legacy extended beyond his successful military conquests, he built many cities on the Greek model, and the most famous one is Alexandria in Egypt. His campaigns increased contacts and trade between East and West. He tried to combine the Greek culture and local culture, he encouraged his officers marry the daughters of local elites. He had brought and spread the Greek civilization to the areas he conquered. He actually started a new age.
5. The Hellenistic world. This is the Hellenistic world. It started from the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC. Scholars are divided about what event signals the end of the Hellenistic era. Someone chose the Battle of Corinth in 146 BC, which marked the conquest of Greek mainland by the Roman Republic; some chose the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, the final War of the Roman Republic, Octavian defeated the combined forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra, this battle marked the emergence of the Roman Empire. If you talk about only the Greek mainland, the Battle of Corinth should be your choice; if you talk about the whole area dominated by the Greek culture including Egypt and western Asia the Battle of Actium should be the right answer.
In Greek mythology, Hellen was a king, the progenitor of the Greek people, progenitor means ancestor. According to Thucydides, the author of History of the Peloponnesian War, Hellen’s sons conquered Greece, and thus the people of Greece were called Hellenes, after the name of their ancestor. "Hellenistic" is a modern word created by German historian Johann Gustav Droysen in the mid-19th century to refer to the period between Alexander's conquests and the emergence of the Roman Empire. Droysen’ book history of Alexander the Great was the first work representing a new school of historical thought called the Great Man Theory, this theory was popularized in the 1840s by the Scottish writer Thomas Carlyle, and he stated that "The history of the world is but the biography of great men"
6. After the death of Alexander, the Macedonian Empire was divided by three kingdoms. The most stable one was Empire of Ptolemy in Egypt built by PtolemyⅠ, a general once followed Alexander, the last ruler of this kingdom was queen Cleopatra who was defeated by Roman Octavia in 31BC. The second kingdom was built by another Alexander’s general Seleucus, the Seleucid kingdom which covering a vast area from today’ Turkey to Afghanistan. It was conquered by Roman in 64 BC. The third was kingdom of Macedon and Greece, ruled by Antigonid dynasty, this kingdom was built by the son of another Alexander’s general Antigonus, until it was conquered by the Roman Republic in 168 BC.
7. Hellenistic is an adjective, meaning characteristic of or relating to Greek civilization. In the Hellenistic world, Greek culture dominated not only Greece and Macedonia but also Egypt and west Asia. At this time, Greek cultural influence and power was at its peak, experiencing prosperity and progress in the arts, exploration, literature, theatre, architecture, music, mathematics, philosophy, and science. All big cities have built agora, the marketplace, and temples, theaters, baths, and a gymniasion, used as both sports center and school. Alexandria replaced Athens became the center of Greek culture. "Father of geometry" Euclid, and mathematician Archimedes all worked there, Archimedes was famous for his calculation of the approximate value of pi, also called Archimedes’ constant. Constant means a non-varying value.
8. The Nike and Venus de Milo are the best examples of the Hellenistic art
9. Hellenistic Philosophy During the Hellenistic period, many different schools of thought developed. Three of them are very influential.
Cynic is someone practicing Cynicism. For the Cynics, the purpose of life is to live in virtue, in agreement with nature. People could achieve freedom by rejecting all conventional desires for wealth, power, sex, and fame. And live a simple life free from all possessions. The first cynic was Antisthenes, a pupil of Socrates; he was followed by Diogenes, who lived in a tub on the streets of Athens. Cynic in Greek means dog, people called them dogs because they lived on the streets like dogs. There was a story, Alexander the Great visited Diogenes on the street, asked “if there was anything I can do for you” "Yes, stand out of my sunlight”. Diogenes replied, Alexander then declared, "If I were not Alexander, then I should wish to be Diogenes." Cynicism spread with the rise of the Roman Empire in the 1st century, throughout the cities of the empire Cynics could be found begging and preaching on the street. Cynicism gradually declined and finally disappeared in the late 5th century.
10. This is Diogenes lived on the street like a dog. Today If we say someone cynical about something, we mean someone doesn’t not believe that it can be successful or that the people involved are selfish not honest. We call someone has this attitude a cynic.
11. Epicureans
Epicureanism was founded by Epicurus 341-270BC. Epicureans believed pleasure was the chief good in life. We should pursue the greatest amount of pleasure possible during one's lifetime. The purpose of life was to enjoy happy and tranquil life, peace and freedom from fear. Pleasure was to be pursued moderately and rationally because today’s pleasure could be tomorrow’s suffering. To pursue pleasure we should focus on friendship and private enjoyment, and retreat from politics, and public competition. Epicurus believed death is the end of both the body and the soul and therefore should not be feared. He also taught the universe is infinite and eternal; what happened in the natural world is the result of atoms moving and interacting in empty space.
Stoics
Stoicism was founded by Zeno of Citium c.334-c.262 BC in Athens in the early 3rd century BC. Zeno taught “all mem should regard themselves as members of one city and people, having one life and order”. Cynics and Epicureans rejected public life but Stoics emphasized people should participate in it. They also taught "virtue is the only good" for human beings. Stoicism flourished throughout the Roman and Greek world until the 3rd century AD, the famous Stoic in Roman Empire was Emperor Marcus Aurelius.
12. Key words: Alexander the Great, the Hellenistic world, The Nike and Venus de Milo, Cynics and Diogenes, Stoics and Zeno
13. Questions: 1.What caused the Peloponnesian War? How to avoid the Thucydides Trap? 2. What are the main principles of the philosophies of Socrates and Plato? 3. What are the achievements of Alexander the Great?
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Hi guys This is the last part of chapter 2
Alexander the Great
and the Hellenistic World
This painting is called Alexander Mosaic
originally from Pompeii
a Roman floor mosaic
is a copy of a Greek painting
It measures 2.72 by 5.13 meters
made of 15 million stones
This mosaic depicts a battle
between the armies of Alexander
the Great and Darius III of Persia
at the Battle of Issus in 333 BC
Look at the painting
Alexander is rushing forward
with a great violence
His spear cut through
a Persian soldier’s body
And this is Darius the king of Persia
And he is stretching
his right hand helplessly
The Persian army was frightened
and retreating
This mosaic showed the superiority
of the Greek army
led by their great king Alexander the Great
Last time we talked Philip II was
assassinated in 336 BC
Before his death the majority of Greek cities
were under Macedonian control
Philip II was succeeded by his
20 year old son Alexander
the great king who created one
of the largest empires
of the ancient world by the age of thirty
Alexander the Great is often ranked
among the most influential people in history
When he was 13
Philip invited Aristotle to be
the tutor of Alexander
Aristotle taught Alexander
medicine philosophy
morals religion logic and art
Alexander developed a passion
for Homer’s epics
On his campaigns he always
carried a copy of the Iliad
given by Aristotle
He thought himself a new Achilles
the great hero of the Trojan War
Alexandria is widely considered
one of history’s most successful
military Commanders
never lost in battle
Today all military academies
throughout the world
still teach his tactics
This is the Empire of Alexander
In 13 years Alexander conquered Persia
middle Asia Egypt
and he crossed Indus River
Until in 324BC his army reached today’s Pakistan
His soldiers refused to go further
The representative of the soldiers told him
If there is one thing above all things
a successful man should know
It is when to stop
Alexander was very angry
but he had no choice but to return
In 323 he died in Babylon
Alexander’s legacy extended beyond
his successful military conquests
He built many cities on the Greek model
and the most famous one
is Alexandria in Egypt
His campaigns increased contacts
and trade between East and West
He tried to combine the Greek culture
and local culture
He encouraged his officers marry the daughters
of local elites
He had brought and spread the Greek civilization
to the areas he conquered
He actually started a new age
This is the Hellenistic world
It started from the death of
Alexander the Great in 323 BC
Scholars are divided about what event
signals the end of the Hellenistic era
Someone chose the Battle of
Corinth in 146 BC
which marked the conquest
of Greek mainland by the Roman Republic
Some chose the Battle of Actium in 31 BC
the final War of the Roman Republic
Octavian defeated the combined forces
of Mark Antony and Cleopatra
This battle marked the emergence
of the Roman Empire
If you talk about only the Greek mainland
the Battle of Corinth should be your choice
If you talk about the whole area dominated
by the Greek culture including Egypt
and western Asia
the Battle of Actium should be the right answer
In Greek mythology Hellen was a king
the progenitor of the Greek people
Progenitor means ancestor
According to Thucydides
the author of History of the Peloponnesian War
Hellen’s sons conquered Greece
and thus the people of Greece were
called Hellenes
after the name of their ancestor
Hellenistic is a modern word created by
German historian Johann Gustav Droysen
in the mid-19th century to refer to the period
between Alexander’s conquests
and the emergence of the Roman Empire
Droysen’s book history of Alexander the Great
was the first work representing a new school
of historical thought
called the Great Man Theory
This theory was popularized in the 1840s
by the Scottish writer Thomas Carlyle
by the Scottish writer Thomas Carlyle
and he stated that the history of the world
is but the biography of great men
After the death of Alexander
the Macedonian Empire was divided
by three kingdoms
The most stable one was the Empire
of Ptolemy in Egypt
built by Ptolemy I a general once
followed Alexander
the last ruler of this kingdom
was queen Cleopatra
who was defeated by Roman Octavia in 31BC
The second kingdom was built
by another Alexander’s general Seleucus
the Seleucid kingdom
which covering a vast area
from today’s Turkey to Afghanistan
It was conquered by Romans in 64 BC
The third was kingdom of
Macedon and Greece
ruled by Antigonid dynasty
this kingdom was built
by the son of another Alexander’s
general Antigonus
until it was conquered by
Roman Republic in 168 BC
Hellenistic is an adjective
meaning characteristic of or
relating to Greek civilization
In the Hellenistic world Greek
culture dominated
not only Greece and Macedonia
but also Egypt and west Asia
but also Egypt and west Asia
At this time Greek cultural influence
and power was at its peak experiencing
prosperity and progress
in the arts exploration
literature theatre architecture
music mathematics philosophy and science
All big cities have built agora the marketplace
and temples theaters baths and a gymniasion
used as both sports center and school
Alexandria replaced Athens became the center
of Greek culture
Father of geometry Euclid
and mathematician Archimedes all worked there
Archimedes was famous for his calculation
of the approximate value of Pi
also called Archimedes s constant
Constant means a non-varying value
The Nike and Venus de Milo are
the best examples
of the Hellenistic art
Hellenistic Philosophy
During the Hellenistic period
many different schools of
thought developed
Three of them are very famous
Cynic is someone practicing Cynicism
For the Cynics the purpose of
life is to live in virtue
in agreement with nature
People could achieve freedom
by rejecting all conventional desires for
wealth power sex and fame
And live a simple life free from all possessions
The first cynic was Antisthenes
a pupil of Socrates
He was followed by Diogenes
who lived in a tub on the streets of Athens
Cynic in Greek means dog
people called them dogs
because they lived on the streets like dogs
There was a story
Alexander the Great visited
Diogenes on the street
He asked if there was anything I can do for you
Yes stand out of my sunlight
Diogenes replied
Alexander then declared
If I were not Alexander
then I should wish to be Diogenes
Cynicism spread with the rise of
the Roman Empire in the 1st century
Throughout the cities of the empire
Cynics could be found begging
and preaching on the street
Cynicism gradually declined
and finally disappeared
in the late 5th century
This is the painting of Diogenes lived
on the street like a dog
Today if we say someone cynical
about something
we mean someone does not
believe that it can be successful
or that the people involved are selfish not honest
We call someone has this attitude a cynic
Epicureans
Epicureanism was founded by Epicurus
Epicureans believed pleasure should be
the chief good in life
We should pursue the greatest amount of pleasure
possible during one's lifetime
The purpose of life was to enjoy happy
and tranquil life
peace and freedom from fear
Pleasure was to be pursued
moderately and rationally
because today’s pleasure could be
tomorrow’s suffering
To pursue pleasure we should
focus on friendship
and private enjoyment
and retreat from politics
and public competition
Epicurus believed death is the end of
both the body and the soul
and therefore should not be feared
He also taught the universe
is infinite and eternal
what happened in the natural world
is the result of atoms moving
and interacting in empty space
Stoics
Stoicism was founded by Zeno of Citium
in Athens in the early 3rd century BC
Zeno taught all mem should regard themselves
as members of one city and people
Having one life and order
Cynics and Epicureans rejected public life
but Stoics emphasized people
should participate in it
They also taught virtue is the only
good for human beings
Stoicism flourished throughout
the Roman and Greek world
until the 3rd century AD
the famous Stoic in Roman Empire
was Emperor Marcus Aurelius
The key words
Alexander the Great
The Hellenistic world
The Nike and Venus de Milo
Cynics and Diogenes
Stoics and Zeno
We have three questions for this chapter
first one What caused the Peloponnesian War
How to avoid the Thucydides Trap
Second What are the main principles
of the philosophies of Socrates and Plato
Third What are achievements
of Alexander the Great
Ok guys we finished the chapter two
And now see you the next time thank you
-1.0 Introduction
--1.0.3 Exercises
-1.1 Greek Bronze Age and Dark Age
--1.1.3 Exercises
-1.2 Greek Gods
--1.2.3 Exercises
-1.3 Archaic Greece
--1.3.3 Exercises
-1.4 Athens and the Persian Wars
--1.4.3 Exercises
-1.5 Discussion
-2.1 War and politics in the fifth century BC
--2.1.3 Exercises
-2.2 Greece in the fourth century BC
--2.2.3 Exercises
-2.3 Classical Greek Philosophy
--2.3.3 Exercises
-2.4 Athenian Drama
--2.4.3 Exercises
-2.5 Alexander the Great and Hellenistic World
--2.5.3 Exercises
-2.6 Discussion
-3.1 Roman Kingdom
--3.1.3 Exercises
-3.2 Early Republic
--3.2.3 Exercises
-3.3 Mid-Republic
--3.3.3 Exercises
-3.4 Late-Republic
--3.4.3 Exercises
-3.5 End of the Republic
--3.5.3 Exercises
-3.6 Discussion
-4.1 Pax Romana 1
--4.1.3 Excecises
-4.2 Pax Romana 2
--4.2.3 Excecises
-4.3 Crisis of the Third Century and Constantine
--4.3.3 Excecises
-4.4 The Victory of Christianity
--4.4.3 Exercises
-4.5 The Fall of the Roman Empire
--4.5.3 Exercises
-4.6 Discussion
-5.1 Early Middle Ages
--5.1.3 Excecises
-5.2 Carolingian Dynasty
--5.2.3 Excecises
-5.3 High Middle Ages
--5.3.3 Excecises
-5.4 Late Middle Ages 1
--5.4.1 Excecises
-5.5 Late Middle Ages 2
--5.5.3 Excecises
-5.6 Discussion
-6.1 The Renaissance
--6.1.3 Exercises
-6.2 Protestant Reformation
--6.2.3 Exercises
-6.3 Italian Wars and Rise of Russia
--6.3.3 Exercises
-6.4 Age of Discovery
--6.4.3 Exercises
-6.5 French War of Religion and Russia’s Time of Trouble
--6.5.3 Exercises
-6.6 Discussion
-7.1 The Thirty Years War
--7.1.3 Exercises
-7.2 English Revolution
--7.2.3 Exercises
-7.3 Three Absolute Monarchs
--7.3.3 Exercises
-7.4 Dutch Golden Age
--7.4.3 Exercises
-7.5 Science and Culture in the 17th Century
--7.5 Text
--7.5.3 Exercises
-7.6 Discussion
-8.1 The United Kingdom
--8.1.3 Exercises
-8.2 The American Revolution
--8.2.3 Exercises
-8.3 The French Revolution
--8.3.3 Exercises
-8.4 Age of Enlightenment
--8.4.3 Exercises
-8.5 West after the 18th century
--8.5.3 Exercises
-8.6 Discussion