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,Epiroteking
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'sEgypt, 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