The Late Classical Period: Political and Cultural Change

(Originally written November 9, 2006 in Book 11)

Chapter 8 - The Late Classical Period: Political and Cultural Change

Plato and Aristotle were the zenith of classical thought, but six centuries passed before the cultural revolution of Christianity.

Alexander united Greece and believed in racial homogeneity to create cultural homogeneity. Cultural homogeneity was to lead to political stability.

Despite Alexander's success at unifying a large portion of the world his empire collapsed at his death.

The Rise of Rome

Rome began to conquer the world and introduced a new conception of citizenship. Every conquered people was afforded citizenship of Rome (at first).

Rome moved from Kingship to Aristocracy to Democratically elected officials.

Then the Roman public demanded a written code of laws. They copied it from the Athenians.

Greece became a part of the Roman Empire after the razing of Carthage in 146 B.C.

The expansion and wealth of Rome gradually changed the empire.

The boom of slaves in Rome transformed the empire from rural to urban.

The Birth of the Empire

The rich became richer, the poor became poor and the social degeneration of the lower class caused an exacerbation of a political problem of Rome.

How could a city-state government rule an empire?

Caesar emerged with ultimate power and yet retained the love of the people.

The Hellenization of the world was first donee by Alexander, but Rome furthered it.

The massive size of the Empire caused men's values to inevitably change.

Despite all this change, the influence of Plato and Aristotle remained a heavy one.

Philosophical Schools in the Empire

The Romans took up an interest in Philosophy in the second century B.C.

There were 5 "main" school at this time:
1) The Academics (Platonism)
2) The Peripatetics (Aristotelianism)
3) The Epicureans
4) The Stoics
5) The Skeptics