The Hellenistic Age
A timeline of the Hellenistic world from Alexander's death to Rome's conquest — successor kingdoms, cosmopolitan culture, and scientific breakthroughs.
Wars of the Diadochi
Alexander's generals fight for decades over his empire, eventually creating three major successor kingdoms.
Ptolemy I establishes Ptolemaic Egypt
Ptolemy claims Egypt and founds a dynasty that will rule for nearly three centuries, creating Alexandria as an intellectual capital.
Library of Alexandria founded
The Ptolemies create the ancient world's greatest center of learning, aiming to collect all human knowledge in a single institution.
Euclid writes the Elements
Working in Alexandria, Euclid systematizes geometry into the foundational text that will be studied for over two millennia.
Archimedes' discoveries
Archimedes of Syracuse makes groundbreaking discoveries in mathematics, physics, and engineering — including the principle of buoyancy.
Eratosthenes calculates Earth's circumference
The Alexandrian scholar calculates the Earth's circumference to within a few percent of the correct value using shadows and geometry.
Rome conquers Macedon
Roman victory at Pydna ends Macedonian independence and begins Rome's domination of the Greek world.
Rome destroys Corinth
The destruction of Corinth completes Rome's subjugation of Greece, though Greek culture will conquer its Roman conquerors.
Battle of Actium — end of the Hellenistic world
Octavian defeats Antony and Cleopatra, making Egypt a Roman province and ending the last major Hellenistic kingdom.