Requiem For Athens

Home > Mystery > Requiem For Athens > Page 33
Requiem For Athens Page 33

by David Alkek


  Demetrius suggested to Ptolemy Philadelphus about 250BCE to invite some seventy Jewish scholars to come from Judea to Alexandria and translate the Scriptures of their people. These seventy men translated the Hebrew Pentateuch or Torah into Greek. Later, the books of the prophets and other parts of the Hebrew Bible were also translated into Greek. This is known by its Latin name Interpretatio Septuaginata, the interpretation of the seventy, or simply the Septuagint. This was the Bible later used by Paul of Tarsus.

  Ptolemy I wrote a history of Alexander. The original was destroyed, but it was quoted extensively by the historian, Arrian, whose works we still have.

  Although Callisthenes was not alive to chronicle the events after Alexander's death, others did. They did not see Alexander's death as being the end of an age. Rather, they saw this as the start of new times in which Greek culture and science expanded into areas that Alexander had opened. Even though Greek freedom died, Greek civilization was alive and thriving. The vast Empire broke down barriers to communication, trade, and immigration. Greeks moved by the hundreds of thousands into Asia Minor, Palestine, Egypt, and across Asia even to Bactria and India. Greek spirit, energy, and arts spread from southern France and Sicily all across Alexander's Empire. Greek letters and learning had never won such a vast conquest.

  In the closing pages of the chapter, a new power was growing in the West, Rome. She engaged in a death struggle with Carthage, and some of the Greek and Macedonian cities, unwisely supported Carthage. While Rome was occupied by campaigns against Hannibal, the Achaean League revolted against Roman authority. The Romans sent an army and a fleet, which overcame all Greek forces and captured Corinth, the capital of the League. Like Alexander's lesson against Thebes, the Romans decided to show the Greeks a lesson by destroying this rich city of trade. Corinth was burnt to the ground, all its men slaughtered, and its women and children sold into slavery. Works of art by the shipload were sent back to Rome. Greece and Macedonia were made one province under a Roman governor and Greek independence ended.

  Greece never returned to its former character after Alexander's death. It continued to be dominated by Macedon until conquered by Rome. Greek culture was spread more widely, but was adulterated by other cultures. Those alien cultures also entered into the life of the Greek mainland.

  However, Greek civilization did not die; it only migrated to Rome and to Western Europe, as it did throughout the East to India. It lives on today in the great works of Plato and Aristotle, of Hippocrates and Archimedes, of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, and the great Homer. Her gifts of science, mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and of government of laws derived from the people have created the rich tapestry of human civilization. We must overlook its faults and weaknesses -- -- the suicidal wars, inhuman slavery, subjugation of women, loose morals, class conflicts and its tragic failure to unite and promote order and peace.

  Even though the Greece and Athens of Pericles and Socrates are gone, their requiem is sung by the whole of humanity and will never be forgotten.

  Chronology of Events

  All dates are BCE

  386 Foundation of Plato’s Academy

  382 Birth of Phidias

  371 Battle of Leuctra

  378 – 354 Second Athenian Empire

  356 Birth of Alexander

  356 – 346 Second Sacred War

  351 Demosthenes philippics

  347 Plato dies

  342-338 Aristotle tutors Alexander

  338 Battle of Chaeronea

  336 Assassination of Philip

  335 Alexander destroys Thebes

  334 Foundation of Aristotle’s Lyceum

  334 Battle of Granicus

  333 Battle of Issus

  332 Alexander founds Alexandria in Egypt

  331 Battle of Gaugamela

  323 Alexander dies

  322 Aristotle and Demosthenes die

  313 Ptolemy moves capital to Alexandria

  309 Phidias returns to Athens

  307 Phidias dies

  List of Historical Characters in Alphabetical Order.

  All other Characters are Fictional

  Aeschines – Athenian orator and ally of Phocion

  Alexander the Great – Son of Philip of Macedon

  Antigonus – general and successor of Alexander

  Antipater - Philip’s general and ruler of Macedon in Alexander’s absence

  Aristocus – an ally of Demosthenes

  Aristotle – philosopher

  Attalus –general of Philip

  Bessus – general of Darius

  Callisthenes – historian, nephew of Aristotle

  Cassander – son of Antipater and later King of Macedon

  Cleander – general of Alexander

  Cleitus – friend of Alexander

  Cleopatra – daughter of Attalus, wife of Philip

  Craterus – a senior general of Alexander

  Darius – The Great King of the Persian Empire

  Demetrius – Poliocretes – son of Antigonus

  Demosthenes – Athenian orator

  Demetrius Phalerum – ruler of Athens under Cassander

  Dinocrates – architect of Alexandria

  Epaminondas – Theban general and leader

  Hephaestion – Alexander’s closest friend and companion

  Hermeias – Aristotle’s father-in-law

  Hyperiedes – ally of Demosthenes

  Isocrates – philosopher, teacher of rhetoric

  Lysimachus – boyhood friend, general and successor of Alexander

  Olympias – wife of Philip of Macedon, mother of Alexander

  Parmenion – Philip and Alexander’s general

  Pausanias – assassin of Philip

  Perdiccas – successor of Alexander

  Philip – Alexander’s physician

  Philip – King of Macedon

  Philotas – son of Parmenion and commander of the Companions

  Phocion – Athenian political leader and retired general

  Plato – philosopher

  Ptolemy – general of Alexander and King of Egypt

  Pyrrho – cynic philosopher

  Roxana – princess and wife of Alexander

  Seleucus – general and successor of Alexander

  Speusippus – philosopher, successor of Plato

  Theophrastus – Aristotle’s successor at the Lyceum

  Xenocrates – Plato’s successor at the Academy

  One talent equals 6000 drachmas, approximately $60,000 in 2012

  One drachma or ½ drachma equals one day’s wage.

 


‹ Prev