From: Britannica
The Hellenistic Age of Greece The Hellenistic Age and Roman Conquest The three centuries that followed the death of Alexander are known as the Hellenistic Age, for their products were no longer pure Greek, but Greek plus the characteristics of the conquered nations. The age was a time of great wealth and splendor. Art, science, and letters flourished and developed. The private citizens no longer lived crudely, but in a beautiful and comfortable house, and many cities adorned themselves with fine public buildings and sculptures. The Hellenistic Age came to an end with another conquest—that of Rome. On the field of Cynoscephalae (“dogs’ heads”), in Thessaly, the Romans defeated Macedonia in 197 BC and gave the Greek cities their freedom as allies. The Greeks caused Rome a great deal of trouble, and in 146 BC Corinth was burned. The Greeks became vassals of Rome. Athens alone was revered and given some freedom. To its schools went many Romans, Cicero among them. When the seat of the Roman Empire was transferred to the east, Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) became the center of culture and learning and Athens sank to the position of an unimportant country town (see Byzantine Empire). In the 4th century ad Greece was devastated by the Visigoths under Alaric; in the 6th century it was overrun by the Slavs; and in the 10th century it was raided by the Bulgars. In 1453 the Turks seized Constantinople, and within a few years practically all Greece was in their hands. Only in the 19th century, after a protracted struggle against their foreign rulers, did the Greeks finally regain their independence. Let’s Review! 1.
What is the Hellenistic Age, and why is it called that?
2.
How did the Hellenistic Age come to an end, and what was the role of Rome in this transition?
3.
What significant event in 197 BC led to the freedom of Greek cities from Macedonian rule?
4. How did Athens fare during the Roman period, and what happened to Greece in the centuries that followed, including the 19th century struggle for independence?
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