Hellenistic Age

Hellenistic Age (4^th -1st century BC), period between the conquest of the Persian Empire by Alexander the Great and the establishment of Roman supremacy, in which Greek culture and learning were preeminent in the Mediterranean and the Middle East. It is called Hellenistic (Greek Hellas, “Greece”) to distinguish it from the Hellenic culture of classical Greece.

The Hellenistic world was dominated by three great monarchies founded by the successors of Alexander: Egypt under the Ptolemies; Syria, ruled by the Seleucids; and Macedonia under the Antigonid dynasty. The urban elite in these kingdoms spoke koine (common) Greek, which became the new international language, and their religion, art, and literature were a cosmopolitan blend of Greek and native elements. Many new cities were founded, most important of which was Alexandria in Egypt. Under the Ptolemies, who used their wealth to attract poets, scholars, artists, and scientists, the city became a great economic, cultural, and religious center. Systematic scholarship was encouraged at new institutes of learning, such as the famous Alexandrian Library, where studies in philology, grammar, prosody, lexicography, and literary criticism were pursued. Poetry, too, was marked by scholarship rather than inspiration, generally following models evolved in the more innovative Classical Age. Many advances were made in such sciences as empirical medicine, astronomy, and mathematics; it was the time of Euclid, Apollonius of Perga, Eratosthenes, Aristarchus of Sámos, Hipparchus, Hero of Alexandria, and Archimedes.

The basic views of Hellenistic thinkers were not seriously challenged until the 16th century. Two of the main philosophical schools of the age were Stoicism and Epicureanism. The Stoics taught that one should live according to nature, which is the reason (Logos) that permeates all things. The sage who follows this advice will achieve apatheia, or freedom from suffering. The Epicureans held that all things are composed of atoms and the void and that a simple life is preferable to empty wealth and fame. Their goal was ataraxia, or tranquillity.

The religion of the Hellenistic Age combined the Greek gods with Eastern deities; a process known as syncretism, or the mixing of religions. The Hebrew bible was translated into Greek at Alexandria, and the language of the later New Testament was koine.

As the Hellenistic monarchies declined in the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, the Romans gradually extended their control over Greece and the Middle East. The Roman civilization that subsequently became dominant was in many ways a continuation of Hellenistic culture.

Contributed by Jay Bregman (PhD), Associate Professor of History, University of Maine.

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