Hellenic World -- Ancient History Encyclopedia

Definition

The Hellenic world consists of ancient Greece and her colonies comprising the Greek mainland, Crete, the islands of the Greek archipelago, and the coast of Asia Minor primarily (though some mention is made of countries or cities on the interior of Asia Minor). Defined chiefly by Homer in his works Illiad and Odyssey (8th century BCE), the Hellenic World was peopled by powerful gods and goddesses, heroes, nymphs and satyrs. Later historians, such as Herodotus, make mention of people in his day referring to the Hellenic World (though not with that phrase) as the grandeur of Greece’s past (which is ironic in that Hesiod, an 8th century contemporary of Homer, called his own age “wicked, depraved and dissolute” in his writings and hoped the future produced better things for Greece).

Major cities and kingdoms of the Hellenic World were Argos, Athens, Corinth, Knossos on Crete, Delphi, Ithaca, Olympia, Sparta, Thebes, Thrace, Troy and, of course, Mount Olympus, the home of the gods.

Written by Joshua J. Mark, published 02 September 2009.

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