The Rise and Decline of the Hellenistic Age

The Hellenistic Age, stretching from the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE to the conquest of the Greek world by Rome in 31 BCE, was a period of profound transformation in political, philosophical, and religious life. It marked a shift from the unified city-states of Classical Greece to a fragmented world dominated by massive kingdoms that embraced a diversity of cultures and religious practices. With the military conquests of Alexander, Greek ideas and institutions spread far beyond the Mediterranean into Asia, Egypt, and parts of India, laying the groundwork for a new kind of world order that was both cosmopolitan and, at times, fragmented. This book provides an overview of the Hellenistic period, offering insights into its historical events, key figures, and the intellectual shifts that marked this age of change.