Questions tagged [hellenistic-greece]
The Hellenistic period begins in 323 BC, with the death of Alexander the Great, and ends in 146 BC with the Roman conquest of Greece.
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Are there other names of Greek places with the Sta(n)- prefix besides Stalimene and Stanchio in medieval Western Europe?
I don't know what I can add to the question, except that it is ultimately related to the question of why Istanbul is not called "Istinbul" instead. The more examples of other Greek places ...
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What was the extent of free speech under the Hellenistic empires?
I have been doing independent research on censorship during the Hellenistic Period, particularly during the reins of the Seleucid and Ptolemaic Dynasties. So far the only example I can find of ...
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Ancient Greek term rendered incorrectly as numbers and Latin letters, "01KCDÇ". What is it?
In a book I am reading, I've spotted an error and would like to know how to correct it:
In the Athenian 01KCDÇ, for example, the family was based on a system of individual members which moved out, ...
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Why wasn't Akkadian translated into other more common languages?
From what I have gathered I believe there are currently no examples of Akkadian literature, written on cuneiform tablets, being translated into other languages onto papyri outside the Mesopotamian ...
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How did Alexander the Great die?
Plutarch described the last days of Alexander the Great in his book "Life of Alexander" based on records kept by Eumenes, Alexander's general secretary. Alexander had a high temperature for ...
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How did the lighthouse at Pharos work?
Was the ancient Greek pharos light house of ancient Alexandria, Egypt capable of creating light beams like a modern flash light?
Lots of websites which also includes ones from schools, colleges, ...
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What do subjects in Hellenistic and Renaissance art suggest about the average human physique throughout history?
I recently visited the vatican museums and saw Laocoön and His Sons (27 BC to 68 AD), and also have looked up David by Michelangelo and works by Leonardo Da Vinci.
In most male subjects during these ...
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Why were Hoplite shields circular?
why were Hoplite shields circular? Given that humans are much taller than they are wide even taking into account that the shield has to protect the person to their left the horizontal to vertical ...
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Are there any records of javelin throwing techniques from antiquity? For example, ancient Greece, such as peltasts?
I can find plenty of information of contemporary javelin throwing techniques, but I am interested to know if there are surviving records of javelin throwing, particularly from ancient Greece, and ...
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Why didn't the Persians create good infantry units?
The defeat at Marathon, Plataea, march of the 10.000, and the hold up at Thermopylae really suggest the need for some heavy infantry that can fight on par with the Greek Phalanx.
Like how much of ...
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How did the Greeks keep a prytaneum alight in storms?
In ancient Greece, prytaneums were present in every city, village and state. They were lit with fire from the place in which the people settling came from. It was tended to by a leader of the ...
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Why are there multiple royal squadrons of the Companion Cavalry?
The Companion Cavalry was a famous group of horsemen in Ancient Macedonia. They served quite literally as the companions of the Macedonian kings during battle.
Alexander the Great himself rode with ...
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Why did Cretan archers flourish?
This question concerns why Cretan archers were so prolific and well regarded during Antiquity.
As seen in Xenophon's Anabasis Cretan archers often were hired to serve as mercenaries in Greece and ...
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Did all of Egypt, or just the Ptolemies decline?
From mainstream internet sources, I've had difficulty understanding the reasons for the decline of the Ptolemies. Ptolemy's kingdom was the most well position of all the Greek kingdoms, and ...
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Can someone explain the joke that killed Chrysippus of Soli?
There are a number of versions of how Chrysippus died, one of which says he drank some overproof wine while another says that he died of laughter*.
Apparently, he died laughing at his own joke. The ...
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Visit of Greek philosophers to Rome in 155 BCE
In 155 BCE a delegation of three Greek philosophers arrived in Rome on a political mission (to negotiate the settlement of war fines). During their stay they succeeded in raising Greek philosophy to ...
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How was Alexander the Great able to rule so much territory?
Alexander the Great conquered so much territory so quickly that I'm always surprised he was able to maintain control of it as his army pushed further east. What kept territories from reverting to ...
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Did Ancient Egyptians in the 2nd millennium BC practice Astrology?
I'm aware that Ancient Egyptians did chart stars and have a relatively robust understanding of astronomy for the time. However, did they (say, in the 2nd millenium BC) practice astrology, such that ...
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What kind of crew members did ancient artillery teams consist of?
According to what I understand from Pieter's answer to the question "Why didn't the Persians make and use ballistas and other kinds of artillery?", he said that since 2,000 years ago until now, ...
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Were Greek columns hollow?
I remember learning in elementary school that at some point in their history, the Greeks were building hollow columns to support their building, because they thought that hollow columns would provide ...
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Did the Indo-Greeks play a crucial role in promoting Buddhism?
Did Buddhism become a widespread religion primarily due to the political support of the Indo-Greek rulers of India who favored it in opposition to Jainism?
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Was Alexander the Great Greek or Macedonian?
This question has been confusing me for a while. Was Alexander the Great Greek or Macedonian?
He was born in Pella, Macedonia, but is he considered Greek? Did nationality and ethnicity mean different ...
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Orphism's alleged influence on Christianity
I've read in Nils Johan Ringdal's delightful but ill-footnoted Love For Sale: A World History of Prostitution that the apostle Paul was influenced by Orphism when he set out to weaken women's roles in ...
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Did Alexander the Great destroy a city to demonstrate his ability to reign?
I've always been fascinated by the figure of Alexander the Great, due to his achievements even though he was really young at the time.
There is an episode that I've heard about his early life which I ...
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What made Alexander great?
Historians have titled Alexander III of Macedon "the Great". In a very short period of time he conquered one of the largest empires in ancient history and was undefeated in battle.
What I'd like to ...
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How did Alexander III of Macedon get the title "the Great"?
Alexander III of Macedon is referred to as Alexander "the great", but who gave him this title? At what point in history was he acknowledged as such and why is he considered so great?
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