What is the Hellenistic Period?
Definition of the glossary term Hellenstic Period
Definition of the glossary term Hellenstic Period
The Hellenistic Period of Ancient History is generally accepter as the period immediately following the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C., and the defeat of the Ptolemy regime in Egypt at the Battle of Actium in 31 B.C.
The term "Hellenistic" refers to the Greek word "Hellas" for Greece. The period was characterized by the Greek-ifying of the ancient world thanks to the affinity that Alexander the Great had for Greek art, architecture, and intellectual ideas.
When Alexander the Great died, his empire was divided among his generals into 4 geographical areas:
The Antigonids in Central Greece and Macedonia, the Seleucids in Syria and Mesopotamia, the Attalids in Anatolia, and the Ptolemies in Egypt.
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