The Spread of Hellenistic Culture PDF
The Spread of Hellenistic Culture PDF
The Spread of Hellenistic Culture PDF
Vocabulary light from a blazing fire. Alexandria’s greatest attractions were its famous museum
Museum means and library. The museum was a temple dedicated to the Muses, the Greek god-
“house of the
muses.”
desses of arts and sciences. It contained art galleries, a zoo, botanical gardens, and
even a dining hall. The museum was an institute of advanced study.
The Alexandrian Library stood nearby. Its collection of half a million papyrus
scrolls included many of the masterpieces of ancient literature. As the first true
research library in the world, it helped promote the work of a gifted group of schol-
ars. These scholars greatly respected the earlier works of classical literature and
learning. They produced commentaries that explained these works.
Greek Astronomy
Earth The Sun The Solar System
The Sun is
actually 1.3 million
times the size of
actual circumference—24,860 miles Earth.
Pythagorean Theorem
Geometry students remember Pythagoras for
his theorem on the triangle, but its principles
were known earlier. This formula states that
the square of a right triangle’s hypotenuse
equals the sum of the squared lengths of the
two remaining sides. Chinese mathematicians
knew this theory perhaps as early as 1100 B.C.
Egyptian surveyors put it to practical use Greek, A.D. 800
even earlier.
However, the work of the school that
Pythagoras founded caught the interest of later
mathematicians. Shown are Euclid’s proof in
Greek along with a Chinese and an Arabic
translation. The Arabs who conquered much of
Alexander’s empire spread Greek mathematical
learning to the West. The formula became
known as the Pythagorean theorem throughout
the world. Arabic, A.D. 1250 Chinese, A.D. 1607
PRIMARY SOURCE
Archimedes took a . . . ship . . . which had just been dragged up on land with great
labor and many men; in this he placed her usual complement of men and cargo, and
then sitting at some distance, without any trouble, by gently pulling with his hand the
end of a system of pulleys, he dragged it towards him with as smooth and even a Summarizing
motion as if it were passing over the sea.
What were
PLUTARCH, Parallel Lives: Marcellus some of the main
achievements of
Using Archimedes’ ideas, Hellenistic scientists later built a force pump, pneumatic the scientists of the
machines, and even a steam engine. Hellenistic period?
human desires, power, and wealth were dangerous distractions that should be
checked. Stoicism promoted social unity and encouraged its followers to focus
on what they could control.
Epicurus (EHP •uh•KYUR•uhs) founded the school of thought called
Epicureanism. He taught that gods who had no interest in humans ruled the
universe. Epicurus believed that the only real objects were those that the five
senses perceived. He taught that the greatest good and the highest pleasure came
from virtuous conduct and the absence of pain. Epicureans proposed that the
main goal of humans was to achieve harmony of body and mind. Today, the word
Drawing
epicurean means a person devoted to pursuing human pleasures, especially the
Conclusions enjoyment of good food. However, during his lifetime, Epicurus advocated
What was the moderation in all things.
main concern of Realism in Sculpture Like science, sculpture flourished during the Hellenistic
the Stoic and
Epicurean schools age. Rulers, wealthy merchants, and cities all purchased statues to honor gods,
of philosophy? commemorate heroes, and portray ordinary people in everyday situations. The
largest known Hellenistic statue was created on the island of Rhodes. Known as the
Colossus of Rhodes, this bronze statue stood more than 100 feet high. One of the
seven wonders of the ancient world, this huge sculpture was toppled by an earth-
quake in about 225 B.C. Later, the bronze was sold for scrap. Another magnificent
Hellenistic sculpture found on Rhodes was the Nike (or Winged Victory) of
Samothrace. It was created around 203 B.C. to commemorate a Greek naval victory.
Hellenistic sculpture moved away from the harmonic balance and idealized
forms of the classical age. Instead of the serene face and perfect body of an ide-
alized man or woman, Hellenistic sculptors created more natural works. They felt
free to explore new subjects, carving ordinary people such as an old, wrinkled
peasant woman.
By 150 B.C., the Hellenistic world was in decline. A new city, Rome, was
growing and gaining strength. Through Rome, Greek-style drama, architecture,
sculpture, and philosophy were preserved and eventually became the core of
Western civilization.
SECTION 5 ASSESSMENT
TERMS & NAMES 1. For each term or name, write a sentence explaining its significance.
• Hellenistic • Alexandria • Euclid • Archimedes • Colossus of Rhodes