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14 results for: Hellenism

Dictionary Entries (3 more entries. View all »)
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)Cite This Source
Hel·len·ism    Audio Help   [hel-uh-niz-uhm] Pronunciation Key
–noun
1.ancient Greek culture or ideals.
2.the imitation or adoption of ancient Greek language, thought, customs, art, etc.: the Hellenism of Alexandrian Jews.
3.the characteristics of Greek culture, esp. after the time of Alexander the Great; civilization of the Hellenistic period.
[Origin: 1600–10; < Gk Hellénismós an imitation of or similarity to the Greeks. See Hellene, -ism]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopedia Articles (9 more entries. View all »)
Columbia Electronic EncyclopediaCite This Source


Hellenism, the culture, ideals, and pattern of life of ancient Greece in classical times. It usually means primarily the culture of Athens and the related cities during the Age of Pericles. The term is also applied to the ideals of later writers and thinkers who draw their inspiration from ancient Greece. Frequently it is contrasted with Hebraism—Hellenism then meaning pagan joy, freedom, and love of life as contrasted with the austere morality and monotheism of the Old Testament. The Hellenic period came to an end with the conquest of Alexander the Great in the 4th cent. B.C. It was succeeded by the Hellenistic civilization. See Greece; Greek architecture; Greek art; Greek literature, ancient; Greek religion.

See R. Warner, Eternal Greece (rev. ed. 1962); D. Garman, tr., A Literary History of Greece (1964); J. Ferguson, The Heritage of Hellenism (1973).

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 2004, Columbia University Press.
Licensed from Columbia University Press




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