Greek Empire Chapters 5 & 6

• Study notes for the Greek Empire test cover Chapters 5 and 6, focusing on the Mediterranean world, Alexander the Great, and the Hellenistic period.

Chapter 5: The Mediterranean World

• Political, economic, and social changes fostered organizational innovations in the Mediterranean world.
• Mediterranean societies were patriarchal, with free adult males holding power.
• Violent upheavals and new migrations occurred, freeing many from Assyrian and Persian domination.
• Borderland societies emerged in regions like the Northern Levant, Anatolian coast, and the Aegean/Mediterranean islands.
• Independent city-states like Corinth, Thebes, Sparta, and Athens formed during the restoration of order in the 9th and 8th centuries BCE.
• Plato, a student of Socrates, envisioned the perfect city in The Republic, advocating for enlightened philosopher-kings as ideal rulers.
• Aristotle, Plato’s student, emphasized using facts to achieve a greater understanding of the world.
• Alexander the Great's eastern conquests introduced Buddhism to Greek philosophy.
• Pyrrho of Elis preached that life is full of suffering, advocating for renouncing passion to achieve "ataraxia," a state of calm, which later influenced Epicurean philosophy.
• Epicurean philosophy sought happiness through simple living.

Chapter 6: Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic World

• In the 4th century BCE, Alexander the Great led a violent military campaign to the Indus River Valley.
• This period saw the rise of Mahayana Buddhism in Northern South Asia and the beginning of the Silk Road.
• Hellenism describes the shared Greek culture, encompassing a common language, art style, academic disciplines, entertainment, and politics.
• Phillip II used the sarissa (18-22 ft spear) his companion cavalry, and elite infantry and cavalry like Royal Hypasists in his military campaigns.
• Phillip II defeated Athens and Thebes at the Battle of Chaeronea, gaining control over Greece, before his death in 336 BCE at the hands of the Persians.
• Alexander the Great, son of Olympias and Philip II, took the throne at age 20 and had a Hellenistic hyperfixation.
• Alexander supported intermarriage between Macedonians and foreigners, aiding cultural diffusion.
• Alexander's army refused to advance beyond the Indus River Valley.
• Alexander's relationship with Hephaestion is considered a homosexual one.
• In 330 BCE, Hephaestion was promoted to Chiliarch (commander of 1000 men), second in command to Alexander, and married to Alexander's wife's sister to establish a blood relation.
• Alexander crushed the Theban Rebellion, selling survivors into slavery, and invaded Persia to avenge his father.
• At the Battle of Issus (333 BCE), Alexander defeated Darius III of Persia through strategic maneuvers, forcing Darius to flee.
• In the Battle of Gaugamela (331 BCE), Alexander achieved a decisive victory, employing feigned retreats against the larger Persian army of 250,000 men.
• Alexander gained Persian trust by dressing in traditional Persian style and practicing proskynesis.
• After conquering Persia, Alexander seized wealth from Persian palaces, redistributing it across the Mediterranean and stimulating economic expansion.
• Alexander died in 323 BCE in Babylon; his empire was divided among his military generals, leading to constant warfare.
• Alexander's successors included Seleucus (Seleucid Empire), Antigonus (Antigonid dynasty in Macedonia), and Ptolemy (Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt, including female rulers like Berenice and Cleopatra VII).
• Hellenistic culture saw philosophical and political shifts, secular and academic growth, standardized entertainment, and new social practices.
• Koine Greek became the lingua franca, facilitating commercial and cultural exchange.
• Cultural syncretism is apparent through the blending of gods in Egypt.
• Cosmopolitan cities with multi-ethnic communities emerged, fostering cultural syncretism.
• A new political style emerged, characterized by distant, charismatic, godlike kings.
• New religious beliefs and rituals, such as baptism and salvation, were practiced.
• Philosophies like Cynicism (Diogenes), Epicureanism (Epicurus), and Stoicism (Zeno of Cyprus) reflected people's concerns and ideas, mainly about the individual in the world.
• Outside of Greece, the Cult of Isis was revived with Hellenistic influences, and the Eleusinian Mysteries promised personal salvation and a blessed afterlife through secret rituals.
• Large-scale enslavement, especially in Italy, Sicily, and North Africa, led to plantation systems and the displacement of peasants; revolts by enslaved people were common.
• The creation of coinage facilitated widespread trade and generational wealth, with cities minting coins of gold and precious metals.
• Embracing Hellenism increased economic ability and communication; resistance varied across regions.
• The Ptolemaic Empire in Egypt integrated Greek art, architecture, and scribes, while Jews in Judea resisted Hellenistic culture, leading to the Maccabean Revolt.
• Rome adopted many elements of Hellenistic culture, viewing it as "civilized," and Carthage fused Hellenism with North African culture.

Greek Gods, Titans, Primordial Deities

• Primordial Deities include Gaia, Eros, and Chaos.
• Cronus castrated Uranus, creating the Titans Cronus and Rhea.