Sunday, October 7, 2012

Alexander the Great (Hellenistic Era)-GRASPEDIT CHART

G- Geography
Awesome Alexander Link!!!

This vast empire since the Persian empire before spanned as far from Macedonia to North India at it's peak.Alexander fulfilled his father's wish by invading the Persian Empire after contuining past Turkey and Macedonia. He burned the city Persepolis to the ground as a way "to get back" at the Persian before conquering them.  He soon was faced with one of the most professional armies and withstood their forces all thorught the Persian ports, conquering as he went. He was known as a god in Egypt and a Persian King throughout the empire. He also founded the city Alexandria in Egypt (which still exists today). It was a thriving city of the classical world. Here's a pictureshowing his route and the vastness of the empire. His emprire would be eventually split up into four or five parts/kingdoms after Alexander's death.












R-Religion, Beliefs, Values
 One of the most significant religions of the Hellenistic Age was the dispersion of the Jews. As a result of Alexander's conquest of Palestine in 332 b.c. and the Roman conquest about three centuries later, thousands of Jews migrated to various sections of the Mediterranean world. It has been estimated that 1,000,000 of them lived in Egypt in the first century a.d. and 200,000 in Asia Minor. They mingled freely with other peoples, adopting the Greek language and no small amount of the Hellenic culture which still survived from earlier days. At the same time they played a major part in the diffusion of Oriental beliefs. Their religion had already taken on a spiritual and messianic character as a result of Persian influence. Their leading philosopher of this time, Philo Judaeus of Alexandria, developed a body of doctrine representing the farthest extreme which mysticism had yet attained. Many of the Hellenistic Jews eventually became converts to Christianity and were largely instrumental in the spread of that religion outside of Palestine.    
There were also several other religions taking place throughout Egypt and the Middle East. Here's a link with more information Hellenistic Era Religion

A-Art
Art and Statues- Hellenistic Era

Greek Art


























S- Social Developments
Alexander believed that people should live together under one empire, which had positives and negatives to it. While Alexander was constantly establishing cities and trading posts, he frequently left his men behind, and even encouraged them to settle, intermarry, and do as they so wished. His dream was to have everyone live under one "polis" or place. To his advantage, he was treated as a god, and everyone worshiped him has one in every place he conquered. However,, this might have led to his demise in the end. His soldiers constatntly disagreed with him about traveling to India, and they never returned to Macedonia to reap the rewards of success.
After Alexander's death, the widespread concept of a cosmopolis where everyone was accepeted, was adopted by the Romans and Persians alike. The heavy influence of Greek culture also affected the spread of this new idea. All majorities and minorities of the day were accepted, and this continued inot the Roman era.
Source: Alexander's influences

P-Politics
When Alexander died, he left no legitamite heir to follow up his legacy and the empire split up. Each was contolled by different generals and soldiers of his. See this link for more detailed information.
Split of an Empire

E-Economics
Alexander had established several cities based upon trade routes and amongst expanding the empire  to the ends of the earth. Alexandria is just one of the many established in all the cities he founded throughout his empire and reign. Some still exist today, including the "Silk routes"
Hellenisitc Era Economics 101

D- Demography
The Hellentisic era consisted of several influences including Greek, Persian, Egyptian, amongst many other groups from Asia Minor and Northern India. Alexander did permit the mass trade and distribution of his troops to wherever he stopped, so the gene pool was widely mixed throught his vast empire.

I-Intellectual Developments
Several facotrs contributed to the multitude of religions being founded during and after Alexander's death, ellabortiong more on the religious factor of the Hellenistic era.

Hellenistic Philosophy

T-Technology



Alexander had several advances in technology especially his expertise with invasion strategies and his perfecting of his cavalry army. He almost reintroduced the idea of attacking on horseback which was only used for message delivery and traveling of course. His soldiers would start to gallop their horses at a group of people, begin to attack them, which confused them while they attacked someone else, causing distortion easily amongst the enemy troops. However, during the Peloponnesian wars, Alexander actually used enginneers to defeat his enemies. When his army lacked a strong, naval fleet, his engineers built and measured out the proper angles for ballistas and catapults, which was a major discovery and unique way of conquering a city.
Invasion Strategies










About Me

Greetings to All! My name is Empress Theodora of the Byzantine Empire. I was born in the early 6th Century B.C.E. My father worked at the Hippodrome as a bear and animal keeper. When he passed away, my mother began to start my acting career. Soon I became a Monophysite while wool-spinning and still working as an actress. Not after long did I come in contact with Justinian, the hier to the throne of Byzantium and the nephew of the emperor Justin.
I soon gained his attention and he repected me completely. In the year 532, when the factions Blues and Greens started to theaten myhusband's rule on the throne, I advised for him to stay home along wiht his officers and generals to crush the rebellion.
Justianian has consulted me for advice on numerous occasions. He wrote a new constitution to help end the rebellions by public officials. I also established many reforms for women throughout the empire. I expanded women's rights for property ownership during divorces, granting guardianships rights over their children, and outlawing the murder of a wife who committed adultery against her husband.
Justianian and I had no children together, but were happily married until my death on June 28, 548 B.C.E. of an unknown illness.