Hellenistic age

Introduction
Political developments
- Alexander’s successors
- The mid-3rd century
- The coming of Rome (225–133)
- The Greek world under the Roman Empire
Hellenistic civilization
- Institutions and administrative developments
  - The great cities
  - The administration of Ptolemaic Egypt
  - Military developments
  - Civic structures
- Economic developments
- Cultural developments
  - Architecture
  - The arts
  - Literature
- Science and medicine
- Philosophy

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

Map of the Hellenistic world around 188 BCE, showing the territories of the Ptolemaic, Seleucid, and Antigonid kingdoms, as well as independent Greek states, Hellenized non-Greek kingdoms, and independent territories. The map covers the eastern Mediterranean, North Africa, the Near East, and parts of Central Asia, with major cities and regions labeled.

Marble sculpture Dying Gaul depicts a wounded man reclining with head bowed, surrounded by other classical statues in a museum setting.

At a Glance

Hellenistic Age summary

Quizzes

Marble bust of Alexander the Great, in the British Museum, London, England. Hellenistic Greek, 2nd-1st century BC. Said to be from Alexandria, Egypt. Height: 37 cm.

Ancient Greece

Related Questions

How did Alexander the Great’s conquests create the Hellenistic world?
How did Alexandrian scholars preserve texts by earlier Greek authors?
How did Antigonus I Monophthalmus become a leading rival among Alexander’s successors?
How did Antiochus IV’s policy of Hellenization contribute to the Maccabean uprising?
How did Cassander gain control of Macedonia and much of Greece?
How did Greek education help preserve Hellenic culture in distant settlements?
How did Hellenistic art differ from earlier Classical Greek art?
How did Petra and Palmyra prosper from caravan trade?
How did Ptolemy I establish an independent kingdom in Egypt?
How did Seleucus I Nicator build the Seleucid Empire?
How did common gold and silver standards reduce the need for money-changing?
How did the Battle of Actium and Cleopatra VII’s defeat bring Egypt under Roman rule?
How did the Nile support agriculture and trade in Hellenistic Egypt?
What happened at the Battle of Ipsus in 301 BCE?
When did the Hellenistic Age begin and end?
Where were the Macedonian, Seleucid, and Ptolemaic kingdoms located?
Which Roman conquest marked the traditional end of the Hellenistic Age in 30 BCE?
Which event marked the beginning of the Hellenistic Age in 323 BCE?
Which goods were exchanged along the Silk Road between China and the Hellenistic world?
Which three major kingdoms emerged from Alexander the Great’s empire?
Who was Ptolemy II Philadelphus, and how did he succeed Ptolemy I?
Who were the Diadochoi, or successors of Alexander the Great?
Why did Alexander the Great’s empire break apart after his death?
Why did Koine Greek become the common language of the Hellenistic world?
Why did private patrons become more important to Hellenistic artists and writers?
Why was Egypt wealthy under the Ptolemaic dynasty?
Why was Seleucia on the Tigris important to Seleucid trade?
Why was Seleucus I assassinated by Ptolemy Ceraunus?
Why were Berenice and Coptos important in Egyptian trade with India?
What is the Iron Age?
How did the Iron Age change human life?
When did the use of bronze increase?
What occurred during the Neolithic Period?
When did the Neolithic Period begin?
How did Neolithic technologies spread outward from the Fertile Crescent?
How long did it take other cultures to reach the Neolithic stage of development?
What is the Paleolithic Period?
When did the Paleolithic Period begin?
When did the Paleolithic Period end?

History The Ancient World

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External Websites

McGill University - Department of History and Classical Studies - The Evolution of the Study of the Hellenistic Period
World History Encyclopedia - Hellenistic Period
Atlantic Canada Pressbooks Network - Western Civilization - The Hellenistic Age
Ancient-Greece.org - History of Greece: Hellenistic
Jewish Virtual Library - Ancient Jewish History: Hellenism
University of Colorado Boulder - Department of Classics - The Hellenistic Period-Cultural & Historical Overview
The Met - Art of the Hellenistic Age and the Hellenistic Tradition

Hellenistic age

ancient Greek history

Written by

John Ferguson

President, Selly Oak Colleges, Birmingham, England, 1979–86. Professor, Dean, and Director of Studies in Arts, The Open University, Milton Keynes, England, 1969–79. Author of The Heritage of Hellenism...

John Ferguson

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 23, 2026 •History

Hellenistic age, in the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, the period between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 bce and the conquest of Egypt by Rome in 30 bce. For some purposes the period is extended for a further three and a half centuries, to the move by Constantine the Great of his capital to Constantinople (Byzantium) in 330 ce. From the breakup of Alexander’s empire there arose numerous realms, including the Macedonian,...

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