Hellenistic gold and garnet ring, dated to the 4th to 3rd centuries BCE. The garnet is an intaglio inscribed with the image of a hero. Source: Timeline Auctions.
Declercq, Nico F., and Cindy S. A. Dekeyser. “Acoustic Diffraction Effects at the Hellenistic Amphitheater of Epidaurus: Seat Rows Responsible for the Marvelous Acoustics.” The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America J. Acoust. Soc. Am., 2007, 2011.
This article covers the important topics of Hellenistic architecture, theater, and science. It explains the acoustical phenomenon of the amphitheater of Epidaurus. The massive construction is home to acoustics so good that those sitting at the very back of the amphitheater could hear the actors on stage even when they were speaking softly. In the theatrical world, this allowed for more freedom amongst the actors to use volume levels to add emotion to a scene, as they did not have to worry about being too quiet for the audience to hear them. The article argues that Hellenistic Greeks understood, to a degree, the existence and science of sound waves, giving them the ability to build structures that properly amplified them. An important element of the theater’s acoustics is the material of which the seats were made, according to the article. Limestone, the material used in the making of the amphitheater, is a density that is perfect for a balance of absorption and reflection, allowing sounds to travel far around the amphitheater without becoming to distorted by reverberation. Also important in the construction of this theater, according to the article, was the semi-circular shape and rectangular shaped benches, allowing the sound waves to take on an effective cylindrical shape. Another important detail about this amphitheater specifically was the fact that it is technically a two-piece theater as it has 60 rows of seats rather than 55.
Philips’ article surrounds a major intellectual center during the Hellenistic period, the Library of Alexandria. The article questions weather it truly is a library in the sense of the word today, and dives into deep analysis in an attempt to answer that question. The article describes that the library was founded by Alexander after he was inspired by the library at Ashurbanipal in Nineveh. He translated the many sources he found there into Greek and established the Library of Alexandria afterward, indicating that he wanted his empire to be multi-cultural. The article also describes how it was that the library collected its many sources. Though many sources came with Alexander’s conquests or through fair purchase, the library also partook in what some might call immoral behavior. One story claims that the library borrowed official versions of plays written by Sophocles, Euripides, and Aeschylus from Athens and gave Athens a very large sum of money as a promise that they would return them. However, the library had copies made of the plays and returned the copies to Athens, sacrificing the money. This shows the importance the library held for knowledge, particularly Greek sources of knowledge. Ships coming into the ports of Alexandria were often stripped of books they were carrying and given to the library as well. However, the Library did all of these things for the sake of the people around it. It’s keepers kept Alexander’s vision of a multi-cultural center of information in mind, and benefited greatly the city and community of Alexandria, turning it into a flourishing intellectual center. By collecting all of these sources, regardless of how, to benefit the community, the author decides that the Library of Alexandria was indeed a library by the definition we hold today.
