The+Spread+of+Hellenistic+Culture

The Spread of Hellenistic Culture

Bold: Hellenistic- A culture with Greek, Egyptians, Persians, and Indian influences. Alexandria- It was the foremost center for commerce and Hellenistic civization. Eulcid- Highly regaurded mathatician, his best known book was //Elements.// Archimedes- A Hellenistic scientist of Syracuse. He acuratly estimated the value of pi, the ratio of the circumfrence of a circle. He explained the law of the lever. Colossus of Rhodes- The largest known Hellenistic statue made of branz more than 100 feet tall.

Key People: Aristarchus Eratosthenes Archimedes

Idea/Events:

HELLENISTIC CULTURE IN ALEXANDRIA:
 * In Hellenistic cities the popular language was Koine.
 * By 3rd century Alexandria had become a international community.
 * A much visited tomb was Alexandria's glass coffin.
 * 350 feet over the harbor was the pharos a lighthouse made of stone.
 * The greatest atrations in Alexandria were it's library and it's museams.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:
 * Hellanistic scholars in Alexandria preserved Greek and Egyptian learning in the sciences.
 * Alexandira museam contained an observatory, where astronomer's looked and studied plantes.
 * Aristarchus reached two major scientific conclusions, he estimated that the sun was 3,000 times the size of the earth, and he estimeted that the earth and other planets revolve around the sun.
 * Eratosthenes tried to measure the earth's true size and siad it was between 28,000 and 29,000 miles, the true earth's size is 24,860 miles.
 * Archimedes invented the screw a device that raises water from the ground, and he invented the compound pully to lift heavy objects.
 * Using the ideas of Archemedes Hellenistic scienctists later built a force pump, pneumatic machine, and even a steam engine.

PHILOSOPHY AND ART:
 * In 3rd century BC philosophers became concered with how people lived life, two major philosophies developed out of this concern: Stoicism, and Epicureaniam.
 * A philosopher named Zeno foundd a school called Stoicism, it proposed that peole should live virtuous lives with the will of god or th natural laws that God uses.
 * Epicurus founded the school of thought called Epicureanism, that taught that gods who had no interest in humans ruled the universe.
 * Epicureans proposed that the main goal of humans was to harmony of teh body and of the mind.
 * Sculptures flourished during the Hellenistic age.
 * One of the seven wonders of the ancient world was the Colosuss of Rhodes.
 * Another huge statue was the Nike of Samothrace made around 203 BC to commemeratet Greek navel victory.
 * Hellenistic sculptures wern't of perfect people, they explored.
 * By 150 BC a new city, Rome was gaining strength while the Hellenistic world was in decline.