Chapter 4

• Hellenistic Age


  The years between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC, and the death of Cleopatra, the last Greek queen of Egypt, in 30 BC
• Alexander's successors (diadochi)


  • Perdikkas
  • Eumenes
  • Antipater
  • Krateros
  • Lysimachos
  • Ptolemy
  • Antigonos Monophthalmos
  • Seleukos
  • Demetrios
  • Kassander
• Decisions made by Alexander's successors

  1. Elect Philip Arridaios as king

  2. Elect Alexander IV as king

  3. Assign territories to each successor
• Perdikkas as regent


  Tried to hold the empire together for Macedonia
• Antipater, Krateros, Ptolemy, Antigonos


  Rejected Perdikkas' authority and battled against him
• Ptolemy diverted Alexander's funeral cortège to Egypt
• Perdikkas marched to confront Ptolemy in Egypt


  Ptolemy's officers assassinated Perdikkas
• Antipater died, appointed Polyperchon as regent


  Embittered Kassander who plotted against Polyperchon
• Olympias arrived with Epirote army


  Took over rule of Macedonia, executed Philip III and Eurydike
• Kassander defeated Olympias' forces


  Took over rule of Macedonia and most of Greece
• Antigonos defeated Eumenes


  Took over Eumenes' territories
• Ptolemy, Kassander, Seleukos, Lysimachos


  Fought against Antigonos and his son Demetrios
• Demetrios defeated Ptolemy's navy


  Took over Cyprus
• Antigonos and Demetrios declared themselves joint kings


  Ptolemy, Kassander, Lysimachos, Seleukos also declared themselves kings
• Lysimachos, Kassander, Seleukos joined forces


  Defeated Antigonos at the Battle of Ipsos
• Demetrios recovered territories in Greece


  Declared himself king of Macedonia
• Lysimachos, Seleukos, Epirote king


  Ousted Demetrios from Macedonia
• Seleukos defeated Lysimachos


  Became king of Alexander's entire empire except Egypt
• Ptolemy Keraunos


  Had Seleukos murdered as he crossed the Hellespont
• Lysimachos


  King of part of Alexander's empire, killed in Asia Minor at age 74
• Seleukos


  King of all of Alexander's empire except Ptolemy's Egypt, occupied Lysimachos' territories of Thrace and Macedonia
• Ptolemy Keraunos


  Eldest son of Ptolemy I, passed over for succession, later killed Seleukos and took the Macedonian throne but was killed by Gauls a year later
• The heirs of Seleukos I continued to reign to 65 BC, but their territories gradually shrank due to the rise of the Parthian empire and loss of other areas
• Ptolemy I


  Ruled Egypt, died peacefully in 283 BC at age 84, picked his son Ptolemy II Philadelphos as heir
• The Ptolemaic dynasty went through a number of ruling sons and daughters, ending with Cleopatra VII who committed suicide in 30 BC
• Hellenization begun by Alexander's conquests had a profound influence for 18 centuries, through Byzantine times, affecting the history of Europe
• Many Greek city-states had grown prominent by the time of Alexander's conquests
• The successor kingdoms lasted up to 3 centuries, covering a vast area from Macedonia to Egypt and the Persian Gulf
• New Greek cities were established, and Greek language and culture were widely used
• Some settlements preserved their own cultures, which were a mixture of Hittite, Babylonian, and Persian heritages
• Greek arts, medicine, military science, architecture, philosophy, poetry, literature, and religion were widely appreciated
• Greek became a common language, or lingua franca, among native Middle Eastern peoples
• Hellenism became so widespread and entrenched that it was never replaced by the Latin culture of the Roman Empire
• Aristotle was invited by Philip II to tutor Alexander, and established the Peripatetic Lyceum in Athens as a research center
• The Library and Museum founded in Alexandria by Ptolemy I and expanded by Ptolemy II became the greatest centers of study and learning in the Hellenistic Age
• The Library of Alexandria may have been partially burned during Caesar's visit, but was not completely destroyed
• The library and museum at Pergamos, supported by the Attalid rulers, was second only to Alexandria as a center of learning
• Scholars like Euclid, Archimedes, and Aristarchus made major advances in mathematics, astronomy, and mechanics during the Hellenistic period
• Twelve sculptured figures at the direction of Attalus I to celebrate his victory over the Gauls
• An impressive marble copy may be seen at the Capitolino Museum in Rome