The Spread of Greek Culture

Notes 8-4

Alexandria

• During Hellenistic Era, cultural center– Philosophers– Scientists– Poets– Writers

More than 500,000 scrolls in library

Support

• New cities being founded

• Kings paid good salaries for architecture, statues, etc.

• Kings paid writers (most literature is lost now)

• Athens was the center of Greek theater

Appolonius of Rhodes

• Wrote epic poems

• Wrote Argonautica, about Jason and other heroes

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Building_Argo_BM_TerrD603.jpg

Theocritus

• Poet

• Short poems about the beauty of nature

Epicurus

• Philosopher

• Epicureanism– Happiness is the goal of life– Everyone should seek out pleasure

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/14/Epicurus_bust2.jpg

Zeno

• Philosopher

• Stoicism– People have the duty to serve their city– Happiness comes from reason, not following

your emotions

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d3/Zeno2.jpg

Astronomers

• Study stars, planets and other heavenly bodies

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Crab_Nebula.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/USA.NM.VeryLargeArray.02.jpg

Aristarchus

• Astronomer

• Claimed sun was at the center of universe

• Earth circled the sun

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Aristarchos_Samos.png

Aristarchus

• Aristarchus's 3rd century BC calculations on the relative sizes of the Earth, Sun and Moon, from a 10th century CE Greek copy

Eratosthenes

• Astronomer

• Earth is round

• Measured earth’s circumference using geometry

• 24,675 miles, 185 miles off

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Eratosthenes.jpg

Euclid

• Most famous mathematician

• Wrote book – Elements

• Plane geometry – points, lines, angles, etc.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/Euklid-von-Alexandria_1.jpg

Fragment of Euclid’s Elements

Archimedes

• Mathematician

• Solid geometry- spheres, cylinders

• Figured out the value of Pi

• Inventor– Catapults

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Domenico-Fetti_Archimedes_1620.jpg

Archimedes

• Archimedes is said to have remarked about the lever: "Give me a place to stand on, and I will move the Earth."

Hypatia

• Mathematician

• Studied math, philosophy, astronomy

• WOMAN!

• Her writings and comments have survived

Hipparchus

• Astronomer

• Created system to explain how planets and stars move

Hippocrates

• Scientist

• Wrote medical code of good behavior

• Doctor

Hippocratic Corpus (His Book)

Hippocratic Oath

• Oath taken by doctors – oath to take care of their patients and try not to harm them