Page 129 - Western Civilization A Brief History, Volume I To 1715 9th - Jackson J. Spielvogel

The Jewish province of Judaea (which embraced the lands of the old Hebrew kingdom of Judah) was ruled by the Ptolemies until it fell under the control of the Seleucids by 200 B.C.E. In the reign of the Seleucid king Antiochus (an-TY-uh-kuss) IV (175–163 B.C.E.), conflict erupted in Judaea. Hellenistic monarchs were generally tolerant of all religions, but problems with Rome prompted Antiochus to try to impose more cultural and religious unity throughout his kingdom. When he sent troops to Jerusalem and seized the Temple, he sparked a Jewish uprising led by Judas Maccabaeus (JOO-dus mak-uh-BEE-uss). The rebels succeeded in recapturing the Temple in 164 B.C.E., a joyous event that has been celebrated every year since in the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah (HAH-nuh-kuh) (Hebrew for “rededication”). Although the conflict in Judaea
continued, the Seleucids ultimately made concessions and allowed the Jews considerable freedom.
But large numbers of Jews no longer lived in Judaea. There was a large Jewish population in Egypt, particu- larly in Alexandria, as well as Jewish settlements throughout the cities of Asia Minor and Syria. In each city, Jews generally set up a synagogue and formed a private association for worship as other foreigners did. But some city authorities also allowed the Jews to form a political corporation that gave them greater rights than other resident aliens. Most important, they gained the privilege to live by their own laws and their own ju- dicial system. The Jews were not really interested in citi- zenship in the cities in which they resided because full citizenship required worship of the city’s gods, which was anathema to Jews, who believed only in Yahweh.
Chapter Summary
While the Greek city-states were pursuing their squabbles, to their north a new and powerful kingdom—Macedonia— emerged. Under King Philip II, the Macedonians undertook mili- tary reforms, defeated a Greek allied army in 338 B.C.E., and then consolidated their control over the Greek peninsula. Although the independent Greek city-states lost their freedom when they were conquered by the Macedonians, Greek culture did not die, and a new age, known as the Hellenistic era, eventu- ally came into being.
That era began with the conquest of the Persian Empire by Alexander the Great, the young successor to his fa- ther, Philip II. Alexander, vowing to avenge the Persian attacks on Greece, crossed into Asia Minor with his army in 334 B.C.E. By 330 B.C.E., the Persian Empire had been defeated, but Alexander, never at rest, moved east- ward into India. But a rebellion by his
exhausted troops forced him to return to Babylon, where he died in 323 B.C.E. Though a great military leader, Alexander was not a good political administrator. He failed to establish any definite structure for the empire he had conquered, and four Hellenistic kingdoms eventually emerged as his successors.
Within those kingdoms, the resulting society is known as Hellenistic, meaning Greek-like or “to imitate Greeks.” The
Greek language became dominant throughout the area as Greek ideas became influential. Greek merchants, artists, phi- losophers, and soldiers found opportunities and rewards throughout the Near East, now a world of kingdoms rather than independent city-states.
The Hellenistic period was, in its own way, a vibrant one. New cities arose and flourished. New philosophical doctrines— such as Epicureanism and Stoicism—captured the minds of many. Sculptors and architects found many opportunities under the patronage of kings and other wealthy individuals. Significant achievements occurred in literature and science, as is evident in the work of Polybius, Euclid, and Archimedes. Greek culture spread throughout
the Near East and made an
impact wherever it was carried.
In some areas of the Hellenistic
world, queens played an active
role in political life, and many
upper-class women found new
avenues for expressing them-
selves. Although the Hellenistic
era achieved a degree of political stability, by the late third century B.C.E., signs of decline were beginning to multiply, and the growing power of Rome eventually endangered the Hellenistic world.
Chapter Summary • 91
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