Chapter 3 - 3

03 History

Alexander the Great, the famous warrior king of Macedonia, had conquered much of Europe and Asia by the time of his death in 323 BCE.

A During his twelve-year reign as king, he spread Greek culture throughout the lands he conquered-an influence that, in fact, far outlived the life of the great king.

Historians generally mark the year of his death as the starting point of the Hellenistic Age (323-31 BCE), an era marked by the spread and integration of Greek culture into the conquered lands beyond Greece.

A number of major scientific breakthroughs occurred during the Hellenistic Age.

The Egyptian city of Alexandria attracted prominent Greek scholars because of its research library and museum.

The museum housed a small observatory where astronomers could study the heavens.

It was here, through his careful examination of the cosmos, that the Greek astronomer Aristarchus developed two significant astronomical theories.

Opposite to the prevailing theory of the day, Aristarchus boldly determined that the Earth was smaller than the sun.

He further concluded that the planets revolved around the sun, and not the other way around, as most people then believed.

In addition to Aristarchus’s discoveries, Eratosthnes, another Greek scholar, correctly determined that the circumference of the Earth is roughly 25,000 miles.

As the director of Alexandria’s library, Eratosthnes researched different theories about geometry to help him determine Earth’s size.

He used a text written by the famous mathematician Euclid that included significant concepts in geometry.

With the help of Euclid’s book, other scholars were also able to build formulas and concepts concerning the size of certain objects.

The arts flourished as well during the Hellenistic Age.

Sculptures were created during this period that honored Greek gods and heroes and portrayed people in everyday situations, some of which were enormous in scale.

The Colossus of Rhodes was the largest known statue during the Hellenistic period.

The 105-foot bronze statue was on the island of Rhodes, and historians believe that this gigantic statue might have served as a lighthouse for the island.

In 1863, archaeologists discovered another Hellenistic statue named the Winged Victory of Samothrace.

According to historians, the statue honored a naval victory by the Greeks against enemies who threatened the Greeks’ freedom.

Yet the crowning achievement of Hellenistic art must be those works found within the city of Alexandria.

The city teamed with beautiful palaces and often imposing structures.

One of Alexandria’s most famous structures was the Pharos.

At a height of 400 feet, the Pharos was an enormous lighthouse at Alexandria’s harbor.

The lighthouse had a bronze mirror, which reflected light from a burning fire.

Greek power and influence certainly did not go unnoticed. In fact, a new battle for the domination of the world had begun years before in the third century BCE.

Little by little, Roman armies conquered many areas previously controlled by Greece.

Then, in 31 BCE, the Hellenistic Age came to an abrupt end when the Roman navy conquered Greek forces in the battle of Actium.

The Hellenistic Age was over, but its influence continued as the Romans adopted and adapted many Greek contributions.