History of Ancient Athens & Hellenistic Period

    Here is some info on the history of Ancient Athens during the time that Epicurus was alive.

    Wikipedia says Epicurus lived 341-270BC. Diogenes Laertius says 341-271BC.

    The following short section is from Wikipedia:

    Hellenistic Athens

    Further information: Hellenistic Greece, Lamian War, Phocion, Demetrius of Phalerum, Chremonidean War, Second Macedonian War, First Mithridatic War, Lycurgus of Athens, Antigonid dynasty, and Seleucid Empire

    Shortly after the death of Alexander the Great, Antipater and Craterus became joint generals of Greece and Macedonia.[21] Athens joined Aetolia and Thessaly in facing their power, known as the Lamian War.[22] Craterus fell in a battle against Eumenes in 320 BC,[23] leaving Antipater alone to rule for a year, till his death in 319 BC.[24] Athens had a central role in the struggle for his succession, when Antipater's son, Cassander, secured the Piraeus leaving Athens without a source of supplies,[21] to contest Antipeter's successor, Polyperchon. To consolidate power against Cassander, Polyperchon restored Athens's democracy, as it was before the Lamian War. However, after losing the fleet one year prior, Polyperchon had to flee Macedon when in 316 BC Cassander secured control of Athens. Cassander appointed Demetrius of Phalerum as head of the administration of Athens. Demetrius remained in power until 307 BC when Cassander's enemy, Demetrius Poliorcetes captured Athens,[25] and Macedon, ending the short-lived Antipatrid dynasty and installing his own.

    Athens and the rise of the Roman empire

    After the Pyrrhic War (280–275 BC) Rome asserted its hegemony over Magna Grecia and became increasingly involved in Greece and the Balkans peninsula.

    Thank you Kalosyni. This topic came up Wednesday night when we were discussing that there doesn't seem to be a lot of detailed information on our usual core pages about the political situation in Athens during the specific years that Epicurus was alive.

    Knowing what was going on specifically during his life, rather than loosely and generally as we tend to talk about it, would probably be helpful.

    At some point we need some enterprising person to pick up the challenge and write an article about what we know specifically about the years during which Epicurus was "flourishing" (to borrow the standard Aristotelian term). Kalosyni's links give us a start!

    Here is a website article which summarizes the Hellenistic period this way:

    Quote

    The Hellenistic Period, spanning roughly from the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC to the rise of Roman dominance, was an era marked by profound social, political, and cultural upheaval. The collapse of the Greek city-state system and the emergence of vast empires radically altered how individuals understood their place in the world. Traditional civic identities weakened, political participation diminished, and daily life became increasingly unstable and unpredictable. In this context of uncertainty, philosophy shifted its focus from abstract speculation to the practical problem of how to live well amid disorder.

    Philosophical schools such as Stoicism, Epicureanism, Cynicism, and Skepticism emerged as direct responses to these conditions. Stoicism, founded by Zeno of Citium, taught that inner peace could be achieved by aligning one’s will with reason and nature, accepting what lies beyond one’s control, and cultivating virtue as the only true good. Epicureanism, developed by Epicurus, offered a different path, advocating for modest pleasure, freedom from fear, and the cultivation of friendship as defenses against anxiety and political chaos.

    Cynicism pushed this practical orientation to its limits, rejecting social conventions, wealth, and status altogether in favor of radical simplicity and independence. Skepticism, particularly in its Pyrrhonian form, responded to uncertainty by suspending judgment, arguing that tranquility arises when one abandons the futile search for absolute certainty in an unstable world.

    Despite their differences, these schools shared a common goal: securing personal tranquility in an unpredictable environment. Philosophy became a form of therapy, aimed at protecting the individual rather than reforming the state. By shifting attention from external power to inner stability, Hellenistic philosophers provided tools for resilience that remain relevant today. Their work reflects a timeless insight: that when social structures fail to offer security, wisdom must be sought within the self.

    Source:

    Ancient Greek Philosophy Guide: Key Thinkers, Schools, and Ideas | TheCollector
    Here’s an approachable summary of the most important figures of Ancient Greek Philosophy, their thoughts, and theories that stood the test of time.
    www.thecollector.com

  • Kalosyni September 28, 2026 at 9:21 AM

    Changed the title of the thread from “History of Ancient Athens” to “History of Ancient Athens & Hellenistic Period”.