The movement from parochial Hellenic to cosmopolitan Hellenistic represents the move from a culture controlled by ethnic Greeks to a culture dominated by Greek-speakers of any ethnicity. They went from the political strength of the city-state to that of larger monarchies. Hellenic Greece refers to the people who lived in classical Greece before Alexander the Great's death. Greeks were isolated and their civilization was considered classic because it was not seriously influenced by outside forces. Hellenistic refers to Greeks and others who lived during the period after Alexander's conquests. They differ from Hellenic in territory, culture, and political systems.
Hellenistic cities were very large by Hellenic standards. They did contain the same public features as the polis. The economy produced large operations and more up-to-date financial systems. New crops and agricultural techniques were also introduced into the ruled areas. However, these changes increased difference between the rich and poor. This caused major social conflict. The international language became Koine. Hellenistic cities were also cosmopolitan. The lifestyle became private, compared to the public lifestyle of the polis.
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The library at Alexandria contained over 1 million books, as well as scientific research facilities. Philosophy started to change and was very different as well. Classical philosophy was worried about the Greeks relationship to the polis. The relationship changed drastically with the establishment of the Hellenistic kingdoms. Hellenistic philosophy also tried to deal with the new idea of Epicureanism. Epicureanism taught that happiness could be achieved through the pursuit of pleasure. Epicureanism was overshadowed by Stoicism. Stoicism taught that happiness could be obtained by accepting one’s lot and living in harmony with the well of God, thereby achieving inner
The ancient Greek civilization has left a rich cultural footprint on modern Western civilization. Especially during the ancient Classical and Hellenistic eras of Greece, ancient Greeks have left behind a plethora of ideas and concepts that have played a crucial role in forming the foundations to Western civilization. Although the Classical era was a time of war and conflict, it was the Golden Age of Greece that was the home to many achievements in art, philosophy, architecture, politics, and literature such as the birth of democracy. The Hellenistic era was a period of social and economic prosperity that was defined by the spread of Greek culture across the entire eastern Mediterranean and Southwest Asia. During this era, countless of advancements
Within different civilizations of the Greek City-States and the Hellenistic World, there were different values, power structures, and politics that made the societies powerful and successful. In the Greek City-States there was Sparta and Athens and in the Hellenistic World, there was different views and ideas for the few rulers of the Hellenistic society. Sparta was focused on the strength of the state and on their military readiness and discipline. Athens was a democratic state focused on the rights of individuals. The main differences between Sparta and Athens are their style and system of government, and their societal values. In the Hellenistic world, the most famous ruler, Alexander was focused on unifying the people and giving them a sense religion and morality. Under the rule of Antiochus, who took the kingdom when Seleucid died, they wanted people to focus on the Greek way of life. These
Although the Hellenistic Era started with the death of Alexander the Great in 323BCE it is important to explore its beginnings. Both Greek and Oriental philosophies greatly influenced the formation of the Hellenistic Age. The spread of Hellenistic culture and its substantial scientific contributions produced an impact on civilization that is still evident today. One of the most important aspects of the thought, culture, and religion during the Hellenistic Era was its impact on the Jewish culture and religion.
The Ancient Greeks were nothing if not influential. Ever since it 's formation in the 8th century B.C., Greek civilization has impacted many of the world 's greatest thinkers and shaped the landscape of Western Civilization. Aside from their art and philosophy, the Ancient Greeks were particularly interested in politics and, in the case of Athens, a new system of government known as: democracy! Long before the American founding fathers declared their independence from Britain, Athenian citizens governed their own state and voted to solve political turmoil. However, ancient Athens was no perfect twin to American democracy, and being an upstanding Athenian citizen meant more than simply voting and going about one 's business. A standout Athenian
Classical Athens and Hellenistic Alexandria are both similar but since they’re in two different time periods one is more advanced than the other. Classical Athens surrounded itself in Greek culture such as Greek Gods, Greek Architecture, and Greek Theater while Hellenistic Alexandria opened itself up to new cultures and started blending them such as Greek, African and Asian cultures. Hellenistic Alexandria also had trade routes through Arabia, East Africa, and Central Asia, while Classical Athens barely had any trade routes. Classical Athens was a small town so the population wasn’t large meaning everybody is aware of everything and everyone, but in Hellenistic Alexandria the army alone had 35,000 men. Classical Athens had a military but it
Stoicism was the belief that emotions were only because of an error in judgment and those that were true intellectuals would be able to forgo all emotion. They felt that all things, including God and the soul were material, because they felt that in order to have true pairs, body and soul, God and the world, that both must be the same substance. (Stoicism [The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy]) While Epicureanism was the belief that pleasure is the absence of pain and confusion. To truly follow this line of belief, the believer must seek reas...
Happiness is often viewed as a subjective state of mind in which one may say they are happy when they are on vacation with friends, spending time with their family, or having a cold beer on the weekend while basking in the sun. However, Aristotle and the Stoics define happiness much differently. In Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle describes happiness as “something final and self-sufficient, and is the end of action” (NE 1097b20). In this paper, I will compare and contrast Aristotle and the Stoics’ view on human happiness. Aristotle argues that bodily and external goods are necessary to happiness, while Epictetus argues they are not.
All three societies had some form of belief in higher powers such as gods and other polytheistic beliefs. Ancient Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt had more duties involving their beliefs compared to Greece because both of those societies had ways of taking care of their religious sites such as feeding the gods daily or cleaning the temple area daily whereas there was not a huge emphasis on daily chores for Greece. Each society had originated around an ecologically useful area. Greece had a better advantage when compared to Egypt and Mesopotamia because both were prone to flooding. The Nile in Egypt constantly overflowed or ran dry causing harm to those who lived off of the river. The laws of each society were very male centered. Men were dominant over women in each society, but women in Egypt and Greece had more rights than those of Mesopotamia. Egyptian women could sue and file for divorce while Greek women could get jobs and retain property. The men gained more repercussions in Greece seeing as how rape and adultery would initiate a fine in Athens and not joining the army in Sparta would make you lose citizenship and the right to marry. Each society was also governed in some way making them similar, but the way they were governed makes them different. Mesopotamia was ruled by whoever conquered them, Egypt was ruled by a king, and Greece also had a king or an elected official. Each society did have slaves in some way, along with lower class. Egypt and Greece gave the middle lower class the option to become somewhat of a higher class through education and money. Power was determined mainly by wealth, birth, and income in the societies in some shape or form. Military was more of an important focus in Egypt and Greece than in Mesopotamia. The family structure of each civilization is still male centered and the male typically controls the family. Marriage and divorce is common in all
Greek mythology is thought to be very fascinating to many people; I personally wanted to learn more about it and the Hellenistic period. A new cultural age was led by Alexander the Great when he took over Egypt and the Near East, historians refer to this period as Hellenistic.
The Roman Republic and the Greek City-State had many political, social, and cultural similarities and differences that molded their government and their states. Both had an economical boom and had their culture flourished gaining prosperity and achievements in the beginning. However, Greeks and Romans had different perspective on women in governmental issues, had well-organized political processes and similarity in arts and literature, but different military stabilizations post-war. Both Rome and Greeks traditions and values were based off and inspired by each other. Throughout their time, their differences and similarities of their societal and political values eventually caused the downfall of their government during the Classical Age.
Trade routes helped to bring men from different areas and cultures into Athens. This allowed Athens to become a sort of “melting pot” and allowed for great economic growth. From this sprouted things like the production of dramas, comedies, plays and artists. As stated by Steven Kreis “The Athenian dramatists were the first artists in Western society to ask such basic questions as the rights of the individual, the demands of society upon the individual and the nature of good and evil.” Whilst the Classical era for the Romans took place from 200 BCE-350 CE, during their greatest period of growth....
Many stoic philosophers have taken a different approach to virtue and happiness. Homer and Epicurus for instance argue that happiness through desires and virtue are co-dependent suggesting that men with no desires cannot live happy lives. This slightly counters Seneca’s belief that happiness is a result of virtue.
Each had their own version of political councils that were give specific power and tasks that they were to oversee and uphold. Equally, both city-states defined citizens as being only males who were born from descendants of either Athenian or Spartan born parents. Although very similar in structure, Athens and Sparta had their political differences. The main difference being Sparta’s focus being on war and employing a two king system to oversee the army as well as policy at the same time. Today this could be similar to the president and vice-president dynamic. Athens’ structure was much more complex than that of Sparta which gave more freedom to the people; this was partly due to breaking down regions into 10 separate states that formed the larger entire state of Athens. Below are some of the similarities in there government
Roman vs. Greek Civilization Although both Roman and Greek civilizations shared similarities in the areas of art and literature, their differences were many and prominent. Their contrasting aspects rest mainly upon political systems and engineering progress, but there are also several small discrepancies that distinguish between these two societies. This essay will examine these differences and explain why, ultimately, Rome was the more advanced civilization of the two. Greece, originally ruled by an oligarchy ("rule of the few"), operated under the premise that those selected to rule were selected based not upon birth but instead upon wealth.
Entertainment wise the Greeks and the Romans were well occupied. Rome had Chariot races and Gladiator fights while Greece had the Olympic Games and the Greek dramas. Gladiator fights were very popular. In fact even though most gladiators were