the Hellenistic World (c. 330-30 BC) Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in the Hellenistic World (c. 330-30 BC) Deck (50)
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1
Q

Alexander the Great

A

Macedonian king (Philip’s son), who conquered the entire Persian Empire. Became king in 336 BC. first, he took control of the Greek poleis in mainland Greece and Asia Minor and after that he moved on to the Phoenician cities, Egypt and further East towards Guagamela and Indian areas. established many cities (a lot of Alexandrias too) but aims to make Babylon the center of the empire. Marries a Persian princess Roxanne in the Bactra region.

2
Q

Darius III

A

r. 336-330 BC. he is alexander’s opponent in the wars. Darius is captured shortly after the battle of Gaugamela by a general who then assumes the Persian throne. He kills Darius. Alexander, however, kills the general later on.

3
Q

battle of Issus

A

takes place in 333 BC. Alexander wins. first time when Darius and Alexander meet on the battlefield. Darius had a tactical advantage, but he took bad advice and lost it. He had to run off. The Greek mercenaries showed even more fierce resistance, most likely because of what happened in the battle of Granicus.

4
Q

battle of Granicus

A

takes place in 334 BC. Alexander wins. the Greek mercenaries that fight with the Persians are all slaughtered and made an example. the Greek-born Persian general Memnon survives this encounter.

5
Q

taking Egypt

A

Alexander marched there in 332 BC. no resistance was put up, as Egypt had just come out of a revolt. Alexander went to the oracle in Siwah. He also set the foundations to a future cultural center Alexandria.

6
Q

Gaugamela

A

in 331 BC, Alexander marched to the heartlands of the Persian Empire. his military tactic is to confuse and frighten the Persian army. Here he wins, and takes possession over the gold and silver of Persians to pay his troops. Darius flees again, but his wife and daughter are left behind and Alexander takes them under his wing.

7
Q

taking Babylon and Nineveh

A

almost no resistance. Alexander settles himself in Babylon and makes it a capital. He initiates the reconstruction of the famous temple. here he takes a break for himself and his troops and later continues to Susa and Persepolis.

8
Q

battle of Hydaspes

A

last major battles against an Indian ruler. Alexander wins and because of his troops unwillingness to advance further he turns back after this.

9
Q

Alexander as a Persian Emperor

A

alexander saw himself as the legitimate successor to the Persian kings. He tried to adopt the Persian court ceremonials but due to the resistance from the Greeks and Macedonians that was unsuccessful. however, he did adapt to local traditions. taxes were left to be collected like before his time and he even allowed several Persian satraps to retain their authority. he made sure his officers married Persian women. Macedonia was seen as the border area of the empire and Babylon was made the center.

10
Q

Philip Arrhidaeus

A

Alexander’s brother who was appointed to the throne after the death of his brother as Alexander had no successors (his child was still unborn). he was killed in 317 BC.

11
Q

Alexander IV

A

Alexander the Great’s son, who was recognized as the king in 317 BC, after Alexander’s brother died. however, the power actually rested upon generals of Macedonia. Killed in 310 BC.

12
Q

Antigonus the One Eyed

A

assumed power in Asia. he got a title of the strategos of Asia. His main rivals were Seleucus and Ptolemy. Demetrius’ father. forced to give up his territories east of Euphrates after struggles between 311-308 BC. He was also defeated in Ipsus in 301 BC.

13
Q

Seleucus

A

satrap of Babylonia who was forced to flee to Egypt and allied himself with Ptolemy. Moved back to Babylonia after the battle of Gaza in 311 BC and he proclaimed himself the strategos of Asia. founded Seleucia-on-Tigris and Antioch-on-the-Orontes.

14
Q

Ptolemy

A

satrap of Egypt who allied with Seleucus.

15
Q

Demetrius

A

Antigonus’ son. also fought against his father’s rivals. in 312 BC, he was defeated at the battle of Gaza.

16
Q

wars of the diadochoi

A

wars of the successors. these were the conflicts after Alexander the Great’s death to see who would assume the throne. These wars also resulted in the dissolution of the empire that Alexander had built.

17
Q

Ptolemaic kingdom

A

Egypt. founded by Ptolemy I (satrap from 323 BC and king in 305-283 BC). also controlled Cyrene, Cyprus, Palestine (until 200 BC) and some Greek Islands. flourished under Ptolemy I and II (282-246 BC). Home to a new cultural center of Alexandria. under the fist rulers the kingdom was well-organized and built on the pharaonic institutions. a lot of papyri survive from that period. empire weakened by dynastic struggles, the loss of Palestine and some enclaves in Syria (200 BC) and also by the growing unrest of the Egyptian population. In 30 BC, Egypt lost its independence to Romans.

18
Q

Seleucid kingdom

A

Asia. founded by Seleucus I (satrap of Babylonia in 321-316 BC, strategos of Asia in 311-305 BC, king 305-281 BC.) After 200 BC took control over Palestine and had influence over northern and eastern parts of Asia Minor. largest of the Hellenistic kingdoms. it was a continuation of the Persian Empire under a Macedonian dynasty. division into satraps remained. Babylonia was the heartland. fragmentation was a constant issue as it was very big and diverse. it had an efficiently organized government and a powerful army. kingdom inevitably weakened when Mesopotamia fell in 141 BC to Parthians. in 64 BC became a province of Syria under Romans.

19
Q

Antigonid kingdom

A

Macedonia. from 276 onwards ruled by Antigonus Gonatas (277/’76-239 BC). threatened by the Galatinas (celts) from the North, but most importantly, Romans

20
Q

Pergamum kingdom

A

ruled by the Attalids in Asia Minor from early third century onwards.

21
Q

Bactria

A

governed by Greek colonists in the north-eastern part of the former Seleucid kingdom

22
Q

Parthia

A

ruled by Indo-Iranian invaders. became very powerful and seize the power from the Maccabean Judeans’ kingdom. (south-)west of Bactria.

23
Q

Antigonus Gonatas

A

Antigonus One Eyed’s grandson. in 277/’76 BC established a dynasty that strived for a 100 years. this was a dynasty that was native to Macedonia and could rely on that fact.

24
Q

four Macedonian wars

A

respectively in 215-201 BC, 200-196 BC, 171-168 BC, 149-146 BC. the Romans curtailed the Greek and Macedonian power. in 196 BC, Greek cities were announced free and autonomos. in 168 BC defeated the last Antigonid king, Macedonia was divided into four republics. in 148 BC reduced Macedonia to a Roman province. in 146 BC Greeks were subjected to Roman rule.

25
Q

Lamian War

A

323-322 BC. uprising provoked by the Athenian orator Demosthenes. The Macedonians held strong in the fortified city of Lamia and in the end won. this war resulted in Macedonians building a garrison in Athens and changing of the city’s constitution (321 BC marked the end of the Athenian democracy in the original form)

26
Q

King Agis IV and King Cleomenes III

A

respectively r. 244-241 BC and 236-222 BC. Spartan kings who tried to raise the number of Spartiates. they also redivided the land to quell the revolts that rose from such trials, but that only prompted other people to demand the same.

27
Q

Antigonus III Doson

A

Macedonian king. defeated king Cleomenes in 222 BC in Sellesia and, thus, smothered the Spartan power.

28
Q

the Aetolian and Achaean Leagues

A

more successful in maintaining their independence. they differed from other leagues in that they were not led by a single polis. they were seen as federations (citizens enjoyed double-citizen rights). however, they were unable to prevent the great powers from intervening in their affairs. they actually even invited the powers to get involved in internal quarrels.

29
Q

Antiochus III the Great

A

222-187 BC. A Seleucid ruler. he successfully reinforced the kingdom in Asia but moved too far when he intervened in Greece, which resulted in a conflict with Rome (191-188 BC). This conflict forced him to surrender his territories in Asia Minor to Pergamum (Rome’s ally).

30
Q

Antiochus IV Epiphanes

A

175-164 BC. a Seleucid ruler. conquered Egypt for a year (169-168) but the threat of Romans forced him to let Egyptian territories go. quelled the revolt of the Judeans. after his death the kingdom rapidly weakened.

31
Q

Alexandria

A

a large and wealthy city in Egypt, cultural and scientific center.

32
Q

Cleopatra VII

A

last queen of the Ptolemaic dynasty committed suicide when Egypt was captured fully by Romans. (Octavian, later emperor Augustus).

33
Q

typical governing style in the Hellenistic period and new political developments

A

Monarchies mostly settled where such a system had been in place for centuries already. Greek remained a state of city states but their importance was heavily reduced and autonomy disrupted. city states were overshadowed by the leagues. new greek cities were established all over the Near East.

34
Q

Greek cities in the Near East

A

some evolved from the colonies of soldiers and veterans. some were just colonized with Greek citizens. Greek cities enjoyed a certain special position in the kingdoms. they were allowed to govern themselves with their own chosen magistrates, councils and assemblies. every city had it’s own territory and arable land. some cities also didn’t have to pay taxes. only Greeks and Macedonians were granted citizen rights. the natives in those areas still enjoyed freedoms in their own ethnic organizations; the degree to which they experienced Greek influences differed by location.

35
Q

Ancient Near Eastern cities.

A

the kings allowed the cities to retain both local autonomy and many of their local customs. they were also allowed to rebuild and embellish their temples and they could own land. however, they were no longer able to claim a significant place in the political and economical life. they also contained a fair amount of Greek communities. some cities were renames after the dynasty and gymnasia, theatres, temples based on Greek models were built. however, this did not mean that the cities fully transformed into that of Greek ones; most often a Greek community with its own institutions was established and the native institutions exited alongside those new ones.

36
Q

governments of the large monarchies

A

kingship assumed an increasingly absolute characters. In Macedonia the king was the first among his noble peers and appointed by an army assembly. in Asia and Egypt the biggest change was the fact that the ruler was not a native anymore. Hellenistic kings did, however, become dependent on the native soldiers. in the Near East, the most prominent change was in the Upper layers but not no much in the lower social layers.

37
Q

economy and society in Greece

A

the prosperity of most cities continued to decline in the Hellenistic era. the gulf between rich and poor widened. the oligarchic governments were overthrown in bloody revolts and rich were targets for robbery as social conflicts flared. the uprising were, however, shot-lived and not successful in the long run. the Roman rulers supported the Greek ruling elite. Poor people continued to hire themselves as mercenaries. populations in the Greek cities was continuously in the decline.

38
Q

economy and society in the Near East

A

not many changes as the new empires were built on the old systems. in Greek cities, the traditions of the city state local autonomy were respected. temples continued to own land and private property still existed. land was granted to royal favourites and governors for their services. systems were, however, bureaucratized to increase tax income. taxes were increasingly paid in coin; a monetization of the economy. coinage was introduced in a large scale (weight still remained relevant). bronze and silver coins were practically used while gold ones showed prestige. money was payed to armies or invested. most work was done by the native population or by tenant farmers. slavery was not very noticeable in the Near East. Greek was introduced as the main administrative language. the many wars that were waged effected the economy; grain prices soared, inflation occurred.

39
Q

culture

A

Greek culture was spread through the Greek cities and communities. wealthy citizens could afford education for their children. Physical education was also incorporated. the nobles and elites heavily adopted Greek language and customs but the original culture lived on. temples continued to be built in the original native styles, native authors continued to write. Culture did not really merge that much.

40
Q

Greek religion

A

many Greeks increasingly begun to lose faith in the Greek Gods. many either chose only one as a patron god or switched to a new belief. Gods acquired a universal character. worship of abstractions such as Fate and Fortune surfaced. the Near East influenced the Greek religion a lot; new gods were added to their pantheon. there was a trend towards henotheism. ruler cult also emerged (rulers seen as gods). People also turned to mystery religions. another influence was the Babylonian astrology that was adopted and the trend to name plants after deities.

41
Q

Near Eastern religions.

A

oriental deities continued to be worshipped and not a lot of influence from Greece has been noted. Asia Minor saw the most influences. native languages were increasingly supplemented by Greek. Deities did get Greek names, but essentially still remained Near-Eastern.

42
Q

philosophy

A

man was regarded as a world citizen rather than as a polis citizen. also focus more on the individual than as a member of the citizen body. principle schools were Stoics, Epicureans and Cynics.

43
Q

Stoics

A

named after the Stoa. School established by Zeno (335-263 BC). believed that the cosmos was governed by a rational divine power, which permeated every aspect of the cosmos. said that man had to accept whatever happened and lice according to nature. he had to free himself of strong emotions, be self-sufficient and allow himself to be governed by reason. Stoic school of philosophy was established in Babylon in 140s BC.

44
Q

Epicureans

A

named after Epicurus (341-270 BC). he saw pleasure as the highest ideal. he believed that one had to free themselves from passions and fears. condemned magic, superstition and fear of gods. stated that everything consisted of atoms but the movement was by chance.

45
Q

Cynics

A

founded by Diogenes of Sinope (c.412/403-324/321 BC). reacted against the contemporary conventional way of life. maintained that man must be entirely self-sufficient. saw little to no point in intellectual education.

46
Q

historiography

A

number of history writers grew in the Hellenistic period. often passages of their works have been quoted or summarized by later authors and that is how we have access to many of the originals. such copying authors were Diodorus of Sicily (first century BC) and Plutarch (c. AD 100) and Arrian (2nd century AD). historians of the time wrote about their own time as well as chronicles of their native cities. King Ptolemy I also wrote things like that. many works also had biographical aspects. Ethnographies also became popular’ there were also many indigenous authors.

47
Q

Timaeus of Tauromenium

A

c. 350-260 BC. kept the tradition of historiography in Greek alive. wrote some biographical works himself.

48
Q

Polybius of Megalopolis

A

c. 200-120 BC. wrote a world history. later his work was used by a roman historian Livy.

49
Q

science

A

the distinction between philosophy and science was made in the Hellenistic period. Ptolemy I founded the Museum in Alexandria (the main center of science). some well-known scientists were Aristarchus of Samos, Erathostenes of Cyrene, Hippocrates. Astronomy was also important at the time.

50
Q

the Judeans

A

Judah developed into a small temple state in the Persian empire times. around 200 BC, it was incorporated into the Seleucide kingdom. many Judeans lived outside Judah. they were also influenced by the Greek religion and culture. a Greek translation of the Hebrew bible was made. Jerusalem also changed under Greek influence and many citizens adopted Greek customs. however, nobody tried to covert the Jews. after the revolt in 168 BC, Jewish customs were banned, and pigs were to be the sacrificial animals. this led to Judas Maccabaeus revolt which was successful. Judah was exempted from taxation and de facto independence. Judah expanded under Johannes Hyrcanus.

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