Ancient Greece was also known as ‘Hellas’ and ‘Hellenism’ was the spreading of the Greek way of life to the rest of the world. The spread of Hellenism embraced nearly all forms of life, like politics, art, philosophy, religion, and science.
The Hellenistic Age is the period between the conquest of the Persian Empire by Alexander, and the establishment of Roman supremacy. Alexander’s generals divided the huge empire into three main Macedonian kingdoms- Egypt under the Ptylomies, Syria, ruled by the Seleucids, and Macedonia under the Antigonid dynasty. The rulers used their wealth to attract poets, scholars, and artists. The religion of the Hellenistic Age combined Greek gods with Eastern deities. This was a process known as syncretism.
Impressive scientific innovations were made in Alexandria, where the Greek Eratosthenes computed the circumference of the Earth, Archimedes calculated pi, and Euclid compiled his geometry text.
In literature, new comedy evolved, and the personal biography became popular. The centre of medical research and development was Alexandria. Researchers used dissections to show the distinction between arteries and nerves. They learned to use the pulse for diagnosis, and saw the heart as a pump with valves. They were even able to control bleeding with tourniquets and surgically remove hernias, bladder stones, and haemorrhoids!