Hellenistic Influence On Greek Culture

The Hellenistic period of Greek art spans from the time of Alexander the Great’s death in 323 to 30 B.C.E. (“Hellenistic Period” 1). However there have been controversies of precisely how long the Hellenistic period lasted. Some argue that from C. 400; to the first century can be classified as “Pre-Hellenistic” (Janson 138-139). “Hellenistic, is a term meant to convey the

In the Hellenistic world, there were a lot of intellectual success in Greek. This was a period when a lot of History writers came to life. Herodotus and Thucydides were well known history writers. These writers wrote about current events such as the Persia and Peloponnesian war. There were many entertainments been done in the city-state to delight the residents such as drama. Aeschy and Sophocles were famous for writing tragedy type of dramas. Aristophane was known for his comedy work. All their dramas were a reflection of the reality of Greek in the Hellenistic world.

The Greek civilization contributed greatly to the development of modern Western culture. Three of the most important contribution that are the foundations of our society are Language, Philosophy, and Government.

Ancient Rome produced a number of literary geniuses, which included Marcus Cicero, Horace, and Virgil. The following excerpt from The Humanistic Tradition describes one of Virgil’s most famous works, “The Aeneid was not the product of an oral tradition, as were the Homeric epics: rather, it is a literary epic . . . No summary of the Aeneid can represent the monumental impact of a work that would become the foundation for the education of the Latin language” (Fiero 146). Ancient Roman works such as The Aeneid have had a profound influence on countless writers, poets, and literary scholars including Shakespeare, James Joyce, and Robert Graves. These ancient civilizations also made a variety of other contributions to western civilization.

The Hellenistic Age caused developments because of Alexander the Great’s desire for a unified empire, instead of many city-states and countries. This age preserved and diffused the Greek language, art and architecture (Grant). Greek architecture is found across the area because of the Hellenistic age in places such as Syria and Egypt (“Hellenistic Age.” Grolier). Also in this time, theatres and libraries multiplied, improving literacy rates and provoking thoughts, and the concept of geometry, the study of shapes, was formed by the mathematician Euclid (Kagan).

With the rise of Alexander the Great and the empires of the Hellenistic period, the Greek world dramatically changed. No longer did the average citizen’s life play a role in the administration and leadership of the state. This shift in the citizen’s importance shines through the sculptures of the Hellenistic period as other facets of the human experience began to dominate the minds of the average Greek. The habitat of man was no longer the polis as Greece was dominated by the empires of the Hellenistic period. Throughout this essay, I will go through different Greek sculptures and discern how they represent a changed Greece

As the Hellenistic society shifted away from the Classical ideals of perfectionism and idolization of the elites and gods in sculpture, artists began to be fixated on illustrating imperfection of a variety of individuals faced with ruthless authenticity of their emotional struggles. Whereas, Classical architecture focused on dedicating massive structures to the gods to emphasize their divinity, but Hellenistic architecture used advanced technology to exemplify Alexander the Great’s magnificence. Thus, differences in architecture can be seen in the sophisticated town of Alexandria with structures such as the lighthouse that show how Alexander the Great influenced town planning that was centralized on the creation of a superior city, likewise, The Altar at Pergamon expresses the loss of focus on the divine through unique sculptural techniques. Change can also be seen in the sculptures of The Boxer and The Old Market Woman as they are depicted to be imperfectly individualistic and in emotional distress.

The Classical Greece period was a period of collaborative efforts of a community. The Polis in city-states gave the notion that personal happiness was correlated to the success and life of the polis. Alongside the polis, Pericles led Athens into expanding democracy which brought upon an assembly where people were able to voice their opinion regardless of class. Eventually, Athens became the leading center of the Greek culture by allowing architecture, art, and philosophy to grow.

Hellenism had a great influence during the time of the early church. The language and culture of the Hellenistic world was Greek. This pagan influence was Hellenistic influence and we can find scripture that shows the early Christian church being persecuted by the Hellenist. Acts 9:29, "And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Hellenists, but they attempted to kill him." Some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, preached to the Hellenists, having the hand of the Lord with them, converting many to

Onto our next subject, we will look at the Greeks and the influence they have had on Architecture in Western Civilization. A simple observation of the Acropolis and you can see familiar designs and influence in western architecture from the columns to the moldings found in buildings today for example, the White House is filled with columns and moldings imitating Greek design. It’s easy to see why we have adopted the strong yet elegant designs of the Greeks, the designs are sturdy

In order to protect the Hellenistic cities not only had powerful fortifications, but were sometimes divided into quarters, with their own defensive walls. Sometimes for the safety of the rural population cities were filled with an additional many kilometer ring of fortress walls. The acropolis was usually located on the hills, providing the possibility of defense, as in Priene. The building materials were used basically the same as in the classical era - marble, limestone, wood, raw bricks, burned brick was used more often. It is important to note that the engineering and construction essence of the structure began to push aside the architectural and artistic image of the monument. The integrity and organic content of the classical works were gradually lost, but the monuments began to influence more emotionally and powerfully on greater number of people. Mostly, the order system was preserved, in which, however, there was a tendency to mix different orders and their elements. The architecture of residential buildings, palaces and villas were getting more

While discovering the Hellenistic Age, I learned about the history in Hellenistic civilization. Hellenism is the term typically to describe the spread of culture from the Greek civilization that developed after the reign of Alexander the Great. How does the Hellenistic Age differ from the Classical Age? The Classical Age, referred to as Hellenic Greek, was founded in 507 B.C.E. and concluded in 323 B.C.E. The Hellenistic Age was founded in 323 B.C.E. and concluded in 31 B.C.E. after the reign of Alexander the Great. The Classical Age was ruled by the Greek civilization in Greek city states and their territories. The Hellenistic Age established a great deal in the culture and Greek language around the places in Mediterranean, Middle East, Central and South Asia. There are three categories in the Hellenistic Age: cultural, religious, and political/military. The three categories will present the history to recognize how the people survived from the time of Hellenistic Age and Classical Age.

Evolution is the process in which there is a gradual development of something, from a simple to a very complex form. No matter how we look at it, the theory of evolution is all around us. The world is constantly evolving around us, strides and discoveries are being made in history, science, and technology every day and will continue to do so long after our time on earth has ended. In order to grow you have to start at a small base. From that base you must learn, adapt, and evolve into what you are to become down the road. The Hellenistic period was a time in history that can be seen as a time of evolution for an entire culture. Ancient architecture made a leap from

Ancient Greece used art for many things in their city-states there were three different kind of art. Stated in text the three such as archaic period, classical period, and Hellenistic. Archaic period, which was around 700 B.C to 480 B.C. it was the beginning of pottery and sculptures. The Classical period is when artist started to make sculptures that are more complex. The time that the classical age started “the golden age” when Alexander the great was alive. Last a final kind of art that ancient Greece did was Hellenistic period was a time after Alexander the great died it was when artist started to sculpt “themes around people and places.” Art is the same way now, there statues of people and places this is how we took something from Greece and use it as are culture now and

The Hellenic and Hellenistic shift was a turning point for Greek culture. The Hellenic are those who lived in ancient Greece before Alexander the Great. The Hellenistics are those who lived in the period after Alexander the Great’s conquest. Alexander the Great was a mighty and strong leader of the Greek people. The people that were under his following respected him greatly. We can tell the drastic changes that occurred after Alexander Great was leader by the art, philosophies, and religion. The Hellenistic Changes that occurred showed us that the Hellenistic priorities transformed drastically from what the Hellenic ways were like.