What is the Hellenistic period?

The Hellenistic Period is the time span between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE until 31 BCE, when the Romans took control of the lands conquered by Alexander the Great.  It succeeded the Classical Era of Greece and preceded the Roman Era.

The Hellenistic Period refers to the spread of Greek Culture outside of Greece to surrounding regions, including Macedonia, Egypt, Syria, Anatolia (Turkey) and the Greek colonies in Italy and on...

The Hellenistic Period is the time span between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE until 31 BCE, when the Romans took control of the lands conquered by Alexander the Great.  It succeeded the Classical Era of Greece and preceded the Roman Era.

The Hellenistic Period refers to the spread of Greek Culture outside of Greece to surrounding regions, including Macedonia, Egypt, Syria, Anatolia (Turkey) and the Greek colonies in Italy and on the island of Sicily.  Before the conquests of Alexander the Great, Greek (also known as Hellenic) culture was limited to Greece and its colonies, which had begun to spread throughout the Mediterranean region centuries before.  While locals had adopted some of Greek culture from the colonists, the Hellenistic period brought a much more thorough adoption of Greek cultural norms in surrounding areas.

The areas affected by the spread of Hellenic (Greek) culture were split in to several areas, ruled by successors to Alexander the Great.  Each of these areas adopted Hellenic culture and fell under the umbrella of Hellenic culture during this period.

Since this question was asked under the category "the arts," here are some artistic developments specific to the Hellenistic Era:

• Greater emphasis on realism.  The classical era focused more on ideal body forms, but in the Hellenistic era, we started to see more people depicted as they really are, not as idealized forms.  One example is sculptures of the elderly—this would have been unheard of in Classical Greece (unless the figure was intended to be grotesque, such as satyrs).  However, there are many figures that still leaned more toward idealism than realism, especially if they were commissioned portraits.


• Sculptures became more common. Sculptures were part of the realism revolution, and the figures became more flexible and less rigid than in previous eras.  Materials used for sculpture included bronze and marble; most surviving examples are later Roman copies, for the originals were often lost.


• The art of vase painting declines.  The Classical Era is renowned for its vase painting figures, but during the Hellenistic period, vase painting became rare.


• Wall paintings and frescoes rose in popularity—as did mosaics, which are often copies of frescoes.  Coins started to bear ruler portraits instead of animal or abstract figures.

The Hellenistic period in art greatly influenced the Romans, who took over the Hellenistic world by 31 BCE. Hellenistic art continued to be developed after this time since the Romans admired many aspects of Greek culture.