Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Period

Alexander the Great builds a great empire. After conquering Greece, Alexander the Great of Macedonia set out on an eastern expedition. He brought down Egypt and Persia and advanced to the banks of the Indus River until he was able to establish a great empire that extended to Europe, Asia, and Africa in just ten years. However, after he died, the empire was split into Macedonia, Syria, and Egypt by his successors. The period that spans about 300 years beginning with the expedition of Alexander the Great to the occupation of Egypt by the Roman Empire is called the Hellenistic period. What policy did Alexander the Great carry out? Alexander the Great had a policy of embracing the conquered people. In Persia, he wore a Persian crown and robe, and he married the daughter of a Persian king. In Egypt, he called himself pharaoh and embraced the eastern monarchy. Although Alexander the Great is considered a great tactician and hero, he was evaluated as a cruel conqueror because he slaughtered residents of the conquered area and destroyed Persepolis. This is a mosaic mural depicting Alexander the Great fighting Darius III of Persia. Hellenistic culture brings the East and the West together. After establishing a vast empire, Alexander the Great moved the Greeks to occupy territories and spread the Greek culture. During this process, the Hellenistic culture that represented a fusion of the ancient Greek world with that of East Asia was born. As the sense of community weakened, an individualistic tendency also appeared. Individualism also influenced philosophy. For the sake of true happiness, the Stoic school, which emphasized abstinence according to reason, and the Epicurean school, which emphasized mental pleasure, appeared. Founded upon the Greek arts, the Hellenistic culture was characterized by realistic and lively representation. Some of its well-known artworks include the Venus de Milo, the Nike of Samothrace, and Laocoon and His Sons. Hellenistic art also influenced the Gandharan arts of India, as well as the arts of China and Korea. What are the characteristics of the Hellenistic culture? This is a statue of Venus, the goddess of love. It was named Venus de Milo because it was buried on Milo Island in the Aegean Sea. This statue has a face and body very similar to a human, and the upper and lower bodies are expressed in the golden ratio of 1 to 1.618. The statue of Nike was found on the island of Samothrace, Greece. The body and the folds of drapery were very realistic. Nike of Samothrace was the motif used for the pose taken by the heroine in the movie Titanic, and it is said that the Nike brand logo was also devised from the shape of this statue's wings. Laocoon was a priest at the Temple of Apollo. During the Trojan War, he opposed bringing the Trojan horse into the city, and he, along with his two sons, were bitten by a large snake due to God's anger. This sculpture vividly depicts the human face in pain. Is the image of the Buddha Western or Asian? The Gandhara region today refers to northern Pakistan and southern Afghanistan. Early Buddhists expressed the Buddha in the form of feet, lotuses, etc. Although Buddhist art was developed, it was considered irreverent to make the image of a Buddha into a statue. So instead of revealing the figures of Buddha in detail, trees and the soles of feet were carved to symbolize enlightenment or sacredness. However after Alexander the Great's invasion of Gandhara, it was influenced by the Hellenistic culture and expressed the Buddha in human form. The Buddha statues created at this time are characterized by a slim body, curly hair, and a straight nose. They are expressed through the appearance of Westerners, and the clothes are also in the Greek style. Then the body gradually changed into a large and round shape we know today. This appearance had an influence on three kingdoms in Korea through China, and the influence continued through to Unified Silla.