The Hellenistic World: Greek Power After Alexander — Fexingo History cover art

The Hellenistic World: Greek Power After Alexander — Fexingo History

The Hellenistic World: Greek Power After Alexander — Fexingo History

By: Fexingo
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Alexander the Great's death in 323 BCE left a power vacuum that spawned three centuries of Greek-speaking empires stretching from the Aegean to the Indus. This show, hosted by Lucas and Luna, follows the Diadochi — Ptolemy, Seleucus, Antigonus, and their successors — as they carved up Alexander's conquests into Ptolemaic Egypt, Seleucid Asia, and Antigonid Macedon. We dissect the Battle of Ipsus (301 BCE), the rise of the Mauryan Empire under Chandragupta, and the cultural synthesis known as Hellenism: Alexandria's Library, the Rosetta Stone, and the fusion of Greek and Buddhist art in Gandhara. We explore the Seleucid–Mauryan war and the peace treaty sealed by Seleucus Nicator's daughter marrying Chandragupta. We examine the Ptolemaic queens like Arsinoe II and Cleopatra VII, the Maccabean Revolt, and the slow decline as Rome's shadow grew. The show grapples with how Hellenistic kingdoms managed multicultural populations, Greek city-states under kings, and the philosophical schools of Stoicism and Epicureanism. This is not a postscript to Alexander but a vibrant, turbulent era that shaped the Mediterranean and Asia for centuries. Join Lucas and Luna as they untangle the wars, marriages, and ideas that defined the Hellenistic age. #HellenisticWorld #AlexanderTheGreat #Diadochi #PtolemaicEgypt #SeleucidEmpire #AntigonidDynasty #MauryanEmpire #ChandraguptaMaurya #BattleOfIpsus #AlexandriaLibrary #RosettaStone #GandharaArt #CleopatraVII #MaccabeanRevolt #Stoicism #Epicureanism #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo© 2026 Fexingo. All rights reserved. Social Sciences World
Episodes
  • Ai Khanoum: A Greek City on the Oxus

    Ai Khanoum: A Greek City on the Oxus
    Jun 9 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the remarkable Greco-Bactrian city of Ai Khanoum, founded in the 4th century BCE on the banks of the Oxus River in modern-day Afghanistan. They discuss its discovery by French archaeologists in the 1960s, its Hellenistic architecture including a gymnasium, theater, and temples, and the blend of Greek and Eastern cultures evident in its art and inscriptions. The city's fate under the Yuezhi invasions and its eventual abandonment around 140 BCE are examined, along with the legacy of its most famous ruler, Euthydemus I. The conversation also touches on the city's unique artifacts, such as the 'Sun God' mosaic and the inscription of Delphic maxims, revealing how Greek colonists maintained their identity far from the Mediterranean. Listeners gain insight into one of the easternmost outposts of Hellenistic civilization, a testament to the reach and resilience of Greek culture after Alexander. #AiKhanoum #GrecoBactrian #Euthydemus #Oxus #Hellenistic #Bactria #Afghanistan #Yuezhi #Archaeology #HellenisticWorld #GreekCulture #CentralAsia #Alexander #Seleucid #History #FexingoHistory #AncientCities #HellenisticKingdoms Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    7 mins
  • Pergamon’s Rise: How a Small City Became a Hellenistic Power

    Pergamon’s Rise: How a Small City Became a Hellenistic Power
    Jun 8 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the remarkable rise of Pergamon from a minor fortress to a major Hellenistic kingdom under the Attalid dynasty. They discuss how Philetaerus, a eunuch trusted by Lysimachus, defected to Seleucus I and founded a dynasty. The conversation covers Pergamon's strategic diplomacy, its cultural rivalry with Alexandria leading to the creation of parchment, and the construction of the Great Altar of Zeus. Key figures include Eumenes I, Attalus I, and Eumenes II. The episode touches on the Gauls' invasion of Asia Minor and Attalus I's victory at the Battle of the Caecus River. Listeners will learn about Pergamon's library, its patronage of the arts, and its eventual bequest to Rome, shaping the transition from Hellenistic to Roman power. #Pergamon #AttalidDynasty #Philetaerus #EumenesI #AttalusI #EumenesII #GreatAltarOfZeus #Parchment #HellenisticWorld #Gauls #BattleOfTheCaecus #Lysimachus #Seleucid #Rome #Anatolia #History #FexingoHistory #AncientGreece Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 mins
  • The Hellenistic Silver Standard: Coinage and Economic Power

    The Hellenistic Silver Standard: Coinage and Economic Power
    Jun 8 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how Hellenistic kings used coinage to project power, unify economies, and fund their armies. They discuss the Attic standard adopted by Alexander the Great and his successors, the shift to the Rhodian standard in the Aegean, and the Ptolemaic closed currency system in Egypt. Key figures include Alexander, Ptolemy I, Lysimachus, Euthydemus I, and the Greco-Bactrian kings who produced some of the most beautiful coins of antiquity. The episode covers the New Style coinage of Athens, the cistophori of Pergamon, and the economic warfare between Seleucids and Ptolemies. Listeners will learn about tetradrachms, drachmas, mints at Alexandria and Pergamon, and how coin hoards help historians reconstruct ancient trade routes. #Hellenistic #Coinage #AlexanderTheGreat #Ptolemaic #Seleucid #GrecoBactrian #Tetradrachm #AtticStandard #RhodianStandard #Cistophorus #Lysimachus #Euthydemus #NewStyleAthens #PtolemyI #AncientEconomy #Numismatics #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    7 mins
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