Classical Greek History
The Classical period of Greek History is defined as ending with Philip of Macedon and his son, Alexander the Great. For 50 years prior to Alexander the Greek polis ended in war, then the dominant polies jockeyed for prominence—first Sparta, Thebes, and then Athens (Coffin). Since the Classical period was coming to and end, the Hellenistic era was beginning. At this point, according to our historical findings, the Hellenistic period began, and ran for about three hundred years. Precisely, the Hellenistic period began with the defeat of the Greek city-states by Philip and Alexander in 338 BC, and ended with the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, when Caesar Augustus defeated Marcus Antonius and Queen Cleopatra, the last Ptolemaic ruler of Egypt(Bosworth).
Not a single person would think to believe that the greatest Greek influence would lie ahead. Due to Alexander’s early education from Aristotle, and that he learned his political sense from his Father Philip. Under King Philip, Macedonia came to control the Greek mainland. Then under Alexander the greats rule, a united Greek and Macedonian army extended Greek culture and Greek governance from Egypt to India (Coffin). This was considered a personal empire, Alexander’s Empire, but it could not last. But the cultural empire that was built upon it did. For the next 3 thousand years, a Hellenistic civilization brought the people and disparate lands in this vast region together. This was basis forming for a lasting Roman Empire.
Geographically, “the Hellenistic world” includes Greece and even southern Italy and Sicily, but the term applies especially to those lands that were Hellenized as a consequence of Alexander’s conquests: most of Anatolia, the Levant, Mesopotamia and Egypt. Alexander’s conquests lead to the Hellenistic Age, which lasted 700+ years. The Hellenistic example is what Rome based ALL of its civilization on and thus passed everything on to the Europeans and the Europeans to the rest of the world.
Not a single person would think to believe that the greatest Greek influence would lie ahead. Due to Alexander’s early education from Aristotle, and that he learned his political sense from his Father Philip. Under King Philip, Macedonia came to control the Greek mainland. Then under Alexander the greats rule, a united Greek and Macedonian army extended Greek culture and Greek governance from Egypt to India (Coffin). This was considered a personal empire, Alexander’s Empire, but it could not last. But the cultural empire that was built upon it did. For the next 3 thousand years, a Hellenistic civilization brought the people and disparate lands in this vast region together. This was basis forming for a lasting Roman Empire.
Geographically, “the Hellenistic world” includes Greece and even southern Italy and Sicily, but the term applies especially to those lands that were Hellenized as a consequence of Alexander’s conquests: most of Anatolia, the Levant, Mesopotamia and Egypt. Alexander’s conquests lead to the Hellenistic Age, which lasted 700+ years. The Hellenistic example is what Rome based ALL of its civilization on and thus passed everything on to the Europeans and the Europeans to the rest of the world.