The Hellenistic Legacy

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Alexander slashing the Gordian Knot

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Alexander’s Empire after his death

Ironically, not political, but cultural

Alexander’s Legacy

Hellenistic Contributions

Artistic, Philosophical & Scientific Accomplishment

Philosophy…EpicuriansCynicsStoics

Science…• Aristarchus of Samos -called the

"Hellenistic Copernicus." • Euclid -geometry.-synthesis of the

discoveries of others• Galen, the first to practice human

dissection• Archimedes, Give me a place to stand

on, and I will move the Earth

Why? …Such Success in Cultural Achievements

1.Alexander as patron ($)2.Intellectual inquiry - the fusion of Chaldean

(Mesopotamia) and Egyptian science with the learning of the Greeks.

3.New interest in luxury and the demand for practical knowledge

Ironically, not political, but cultural

Hellenistic Synthesis: Golden Age

Alexander’s Legacy