Hellenistic Greek World 400-1 BC
Case 10: The Hellenistic World
Expanding Horizons
The military conquests of Alexander the Great of Macedon, who died in 323 BC, extended Greek political control eastwards as far as India, southwards over Egypt. But long before Alexander, Greeks and Greek culture were already widespread across the Mediterranean world.
Gods and mortals: gods
Greek writers and artists in this period made the details of real life their subject. As for the gods, the most popular were those whose power had the most obvious impact on human beings such as Aphrodite, promoter of love and sensual pleasure, and her son Eros (Love or Desire).
Gods and mortals: mortals
Greek writers and artists in this period made the details of real life their subject. On the stage, comedies based on everyday life situations replaced those of fantasy. In art, sculptors portrayed the ugly as well as the beautiful, the very young and the very old as well as people in the prime of life.
Hellenistic jewellery
Hellenistic pottery
In the Hellenistic period many of the major centres of decorated pottery production were in Italy. The pottery was made using the same basic techniques as earlier Greek pottery (see case 6), but designs and decoration became more elaborate.