Daily Life in the Hellenistic Age: From Alexander to Cleopatra (Daily Life Through History Series)

by James Allan Evans

Overview

The Hellenistic world, ushered into existence in 323 b.c.e. through the conquests of Alexander the Great, stretched from India in the east to Sicily in the west. Within this vast region, society was multicultural, but the dominant culture was that of the Greeks (who called themselves Hellenes). The Hellenistic Age carried on the legacy of classical Greece in the visual arts, literature, science, technology, religion, and urban daily life.

In Daily Life in the Hellenistic Age, James Allan Evans guides the reader through the vast conquered lands of the shortlived Hellenistic empire and its successor kingdoms. In lively narrative chapters, Evans explores such topics as marriage customs; women in Hellenistic societies; festivals, sports, and spectacles; symposia (drinking parties); the agricultural and commercial components of the polis (city-state); food and drink; education; science and technology; and the legacy of the Hellenistic age in the modern world. This revised and updated paperback edition includes two maps.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780806142555
Publisher:	University of Oklahoma Press
Publication date:	04/06/2012
Series:	Greenwood Press Daily Life Through History Series
Pages:	252
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.57(d)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

James Allan Evans, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Classical, Near Eastern, and Religious Studies, University of British Columbia, is the author or editor of numerous articles and books, including The Power Game in Byzantium: Antonina and
the Empress Theodora and Arts and Humanities through the Eras: Ancient Greece and Rome, 1200 b.c.e.–476 c.e.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Conquests of Alexander     vii
Chronology: The March of History in the Hellenistic Age     xxxi
The Landscape of the Hellenistic World: The Geographical Background     1
The Features of the Hellenistic City-State     11
Dwelling Houses     23
Clothing and Fashion     31
Education     35
Social Life     43
City and Country Living     51
Hellenistic Women     65
Making a Living     75
Eating and Drinking     91
Sport and Spectacle     105
The Theater     113
Hellenistic Kingdoms     125
Religion     145
Science, Technology, and Medicine     169
The Persistence of Hellenistic Culture     179
The Reigns of the Hellenistic Kings     183
Glossary     185
Bibliography     189
Index     195

Editorial Reviews

For high school and college students who must research daily life during the Hellenistic Age, this will be a very useful resource. Thus, it should be purchased by most high school, college, university, and larger public libraries. Since this period is also of great interest to students of Christianity and Judaism, it will also be a good acquisition for seminary libraries.” —ARBA

From the Publisher