Page 125 - Western Civilization A Brief History, Volume I To 1715 9th - Jackson J. Spielvogel

Queen Arsinoe€ II. Arsino€e II, sister and wife of King Ptolemy II, played an active role in Egyptian political affairs. Arsino€e was the first Egyptian queen whose portrait appeared on coins with her husband. This illustration of a gold coin from the kingdom of Egypt in 263 B.C.E. shows the queen’s portrait on the reverse side of the coin. ( Jean Vinchon Numismatist, Paris/Alfredo Dagli Orti/The Art Archive at Art Resource, NY)
“little poems” or idylls dealing with erotic subjects, lov- ers’ complaints, and pastoral themes expressing his love of nature and its beauty.
In the Hellenistic era, Athens remained the theat- rical center of the Greek world. As tragedy withered, writers invented New Comedy, which rejected politi- cal themes and sought only to entertain and amuse. The Athenian playwright Menander (muh-NAN-dur) (ca. 342–291 B.C.E.) was perhaps the best representa- tive of New Comedy. Plots were simple: typically, a hero falls in love with a not-really-so-bad prostitute who turns out eventually to be the long-lost daughter of a rich neighbor. The hero marries her, and they live happily ever after.
The Hellenistic period saw a great outpouring of his- torical and biographical literature. The chief historian of the Hellenistic Age was Polybius (puh-LIB-ee-uss) (ca. 203–ca. 120 B.C.E.), a Greek who lived for some years in Rome. He is regarded as second only to Thucy- dides among Greek historians. His major work con- sisted of forty books narrating the history of the “inhabited Mediterranean world” from 221 to 146 B.C.E. Only the first five books are extant, although long extracts from the other books survive. His history
focuses on the growth of Rome from a city-state to a vast empire. It is apparent that Polybius understood the significance of the Romans’ achievement.
Hellenistic Art
In addition to being patrons of literary talent, the Hellenis- tic monarchs were eager to spend their money to beautify and adorn the cities in their states. The founding of new cities and the rebuilding of old ones provided numerous opportunities for Greek architects and sculptors. The struc- tures of the Greek homeland—gymnasia, baths, theaters, and, of course, temples—lined the streets of these cities.
Both Hellenistic kings and rich citizens commissioned sculptures. Thousands of statues, many paid for by the people honored, were erected in towns and cities all over the Hellenistic world. While maintaining the technical
Drunken Old Woman. Hellenistic sculptors no longer tried to capture ideal beauty in their work, a quest that characterized Greek classicism, but moved toward a more emotional and realistic art. This statue of a drunken old woman is typical of this new trend in art. Old and haggard, mired in poverty, she struggles just to go on living. (Musei Capitolini, Rome//a Araldo de Luca/Corbis)
Culture in the Hellenistic World 87
Copyright 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.