A. The first Greek plays evolved out of religious festivals, especially those held in Athens to honor Dionysus, god of fertility and wine
B. The greatest Athenian playwrights were Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, they all wrote tragedies
C. Other Greek playwrights composed comedies, humorous plays that mocked people or customs
XVIII. The Writing of History
A. Herodotus is often called the �Father of History� in the western world because he went beyond listing rulers or retelling ancient legends
B. Herodotus cast a critical eye on his sources, noting bias and conflicting accounts
C. Thucydides, a few years younger than Herodotus, wrote about the Peloponnesian War, a much less happy subject for the Greeks
XIX. Macedonian Ambitions
A. To the Greeks, the rugged, mountainous kingdom of Macedonia was a backward, half-civilized land
B. As a youth, Philip lived in Thebes and came to admire Greek culture.
C. When Philip gained the Macedonian throne in 359 B.C., he dreamed of conquering the prosperous, warring city-states to the south
XX. A Mighty Conqueror
A. Although Alexander was only 20 years old, he was already an experienced soldier
B. Like his father, Alexander planned to invade Persia
C. With Greece subdued, he began organizing the forces needed to achieve that goal
XXI. The Legacy of Alexander
A. Alexander�s conquests linked a vast area
B. Across his far-flung empire, Alexander founded many new cities
C. At the very heart of the Hellenistic world stood the city of Alexandria
XXII. Hellenistic Civilization
A. The political turmoil of the Hellenistic age contributed to the rise of new schools of philosophy
B. The Hellenistic age saw important advances in the sciences and mathematics
C. About 400 B.C., the Greek physician Hippocrates studied the cause of illnesses and looked for cures
XXIII. Looking Ahead
A. During the Hellenistic period, a powerful new state, Rome, came to dominate the Mediterranean world
B. Greek ideas about law, freedom, justice, and government have influenced political thinking to the present day
C. In the arts and sciences, Greek works became a standard of excellence for later people of Europe