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Ancient Philosophy

Hellenistic and Roman Philosophy

The philosophical world after Alexander the Great, when the self-sufficient Greek polis gave way to vast, multicultural empires and philosophy turned to address the individual as a citizen of the cosmos rather than of any one city.

Wikimedia Commons · Jastrow · Public domain

60-Second Review

Express review

A condensed, point-by-point summary of the module, for reviewing right before a test or exam.

  1. From the Polis to Alexander's World-Empire. Macedonia's conquest of Persia replaced the self-governing polis with a single, unprecedented world-empire.
  2. The Successor Kingdoms and the New Hellenistic World. Alexander's generals carved his empire into three great rival kingdoms, each building its own cosmopolitan cities.
  3. Cosmopolitanism, the Inward Turn, and Hellenistic Science. Losing civic autonomy, Hellenistic thinkers turned inward, developing cosmopolitanism and Alexandrian science.
  4. Religion, Education, and Rome's Absorption of Hellenism. Hellenistic religion, education, and philosophy passed intact into Roman hands as Rome absorbed the Greek world.

This module continues after "Classical Greek Philosophy: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle" in the syllabus. If you haven't reviewed it yet, it may help set the context.

Key points

Visual module map

1From the Polis to Alexander's World-Empire
2The Successor Kingdoms and the New Hellenistic World
3Cosmopolitanism, the Inward Turn, and Hellenistic Science
4Religion, Education, and Rome's Absorption of Hellenism

Alternative visual view: a simplified sequence of the module's key points, in their order within the syllabus.

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Final test

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Review Flashcards

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Memory

Match each concept with its definition in as few attempts as possible.

Time Attack

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Chronological Order

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Further reading

Bibliography and cited sources used to create this module.

  • Green, P. (1990). Alexander to Actium: The Historical Evolution of the Hellenistic Age. Berkeley: University of California Press.
  • Walbank, F. W. (1981). The Hellenistic World. London: Fontana Press.
  • Long, A. A. (1986). Hellenistic Philosophy: Stoics, Epicureans, Sceptics (2nd ed.). Berkeley: University of California Press.
  • Long, A. A. and Sedley, D. N. (1987). The Hellenistic Philosophers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Hadot, P. (1995). Philosophy as a Way of Life: Spiritual Exercises from Socrates to Foucault. Oxford: Blackwell.
  • Diogenes Laertius. Lives of Eminent Philosophers (trans. R. D. Hicks). Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.