Hellenistic period

The Hellenistic period was a time in history after the end of Classical Greece and before the rise of the Roman Empire. It started in 323 BC when Alexander the Great died and ended in 30 BC with the death of Cleopatra VII. During this time, the world was greatly influenced by Greek leaders, culture, and language because of Alexander’s conquests.

After Alexander’s death, his empire split into several new kingdoms across West Asia, Northeast Africa, and South Asia. Greek culture spread far and wide, mixing with local traditions in these areas. This mixing created a new common Greek language called Koine Greek, which became widely used.

The Hellenistic period was a time of great achievements in the arts, literature, theatre, architecture, music, mathematics, philosophy, and science. Famous thinkers like Euclid and Archimedes made important discoveries. Sculptures from this time showed strong emotions and movement, and new religious ideas also developed. This period ended when the Roman Empire took control of these lands, especially after the Battle of Actium in 31 BC.

Etymology

See also: Names of the Greeks

The word comes from an ancient word in Greek, Ἑλληνιστής (Hellēnistḗs), meaning "one who uses the Greek language." It is based on the word Ἑλλάς (Hellás), which means "Greece."

The idea of calling this time the "Hellenistic period" started in the 1800s. It was created by a German historian named Johann Gustav Droysen. He used the word Hellenistic to describe the time when Greek culture spread to places outside of Greece after the conquests of Alexander the Great. Since then, words like Hellenistic and Hellenism have been used in many ways. For example, a writer named Matthew Arnold used Hellenism to compare it with Hebraism.

One problem with the word Hellenistic is that it makes it sound like Greek culture spread everywhere evenly. But that was not true. Some places were more influenced by Greek culture than others. Also, in many areas where Greeks settled, there were actually more local people than Greeks. The Greeks brought their own culture with them, but they did not always mix much with the local people.