Life in Hellenistic Greece & Philosophy PDF

🎆 Life in Hellenistic Greece & Philosophy General Characteristics/Facts 323 BC - 31 BC 323 BC - Alexander the Great’s death During his reign, he conquered many early civilizations → goin...

🎆 Life in Hellenistic Greece & Philosophy General Characteristics/Facts 323 BC - 31 BC 323 BC - Alexander the Great’s death During his reign, he conquered many early civilizations → going to the east Egypt, India, Mesopotamia, etc. When Alexander died, his generals divided his empire. 31 BC - Romans defeated the Greeks Hellenistic - “Greek-ish” Brought in outside influences, particularly Persian and Eastern. Political Developments and Effects on Society Empire replaced Polis Polis - represented “identity” of an individual — a cause/place of belonging Instead, Cosmopolitanism - “global citizen”; someone who refers to the whole world as their home however, this has a derogatory meaning → losing the Polis system means you won’t have a sense of identity Alexandria in Egypt - the most successful/important city in Hellenistic Period particularly successful during the reign of Cleopatra Theocratic Kingship Kings who claimed they have been chosen by their gods to rule Life in Hellenistic Greece & Philosophy 1  replaced democracy Changes in literature and philosophy Because of the loss of polis, many people lose their sense of belonging, and so, they became depressed development of the Philosophy for the depressed Important Artifact: The Rosetta Stone Created in 196 BC; discovered in 1799 by French soldiers in Egypt, during the Hellenistic Period, specifically during the reign of Cleopatra Cleopatra was not an Egyptian, she was a Greek acting to be an Egyptian. A stone containing a message carved in three languages: Hieroglyphics, Demotic and Greeks The Rosetta stone gave way to deciphering the Egyptian Hieroglyphics Cartouches - honorific markers (encircled in the stone) attached to the names of royals Message: A royal cult being granted certain favors including tax exemption; an ancient Egyptian tax paperwork Science practical; people were less ambitious formulas, tools, etc. Euclid Euclidean Geometry → only works on parallels (flat planes) Archimedes Archimedes screw used up until today in factories Law of Buoyancy Life in Hellenistic Greece & Philosophy 2  when an object is immersed in a fluid, it experiences an upward force called buoyancy that is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object Literature - an escape for the depressed people New Comedy bad sitcoms, low-quality plays that are predictable Pastoral Poetry features the countryside people missing the rural areas/homes because of the urbanization during the Hellenistic age Idylls “Little pictures” short dialogues/poems Philosophy General Characteristics The main goal: not perfection/idealism (Classical); achieving happiness because people were depressed during the Hellenistic Age Return of superstition, isolation, and pessimism Schools of Philosophy Cynicism — “dog-like behavior” — cynic → “dog” founder: Diogenes homeless by choice carried a lamp everywhere he went goal of life: Self-sufficiency (Autarky) freedom is achieved by wanting nothing authenticity by being independent Life in Hellenistic Greece & Philosophy 3  rejects materialism, comforts, and social conventions reappeared in Imperial Rome people felt powerless Skepticism founder: Sextus Empiricus goal of life: Self-sufficiency (Autarky) but achieved in a different method Question everything; do not accept anything as true without proof. suspending judgment — waiting to decide until all relevant facts are laid out. Stoicism founder: Zeno of Citium goal of life: governed by the divine force of reason (logos) living in agreement with nature Not all things can be controlled; control what you can, but don’t waste time on the things you can’t. Do your duty Later became popular as well in Imperial Rome Because of Marcus Aurelius (Roman Emperor who was a stoic) Epicureanism founder: Epicurus goal of life: Happiness a type of Hedonism Hedonism - maximizing pleasure to achieve happiness acknowledges that not all pleasures are good, and enduring pain can lead to greater pleasures Balancing pain and pleasure; moderate living/balanced life Life in Hellenistic Greece & Philosophy 4  Simplicity over extravagance Highest form of happiness → a mind free of stress and anxiety, and a body free of physical pain Life in Hellenistic Greece & Philosophy 5