the spread of greek culture notes 8-4. alexandria during hellenistic era, cultural center...
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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
Theocritus
• Poet
• Short poems about the beauty of nature
Epicurus
• Philosopher
• Epicureanism– Happiness is the goal of life– Everyone should seek out pleasure
Zeno
• Philosopher
• Stoicism– People have the duty to serve their city– Happiness comes from reason, not following
your emotions
Astronomers
• Study stars, planets and other heavenly bodies
Aristarchus
• Astronomer
• Claimed sun was at the center of universe
• Earth circled the sun
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
Euclid
• Most famous mathematician
• Wrote book – Elements
• Plane geometry – points, lines, angles, etc.
Fragment of Euclid’s Elements
Archimedes
• Mathematician
• Solid geometry- spheres, cylinders
• Figured out the value of Pi
• Inventor– Catapults
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