Hi Clarke,
"Hellas" is the Greek term for "Greece" (Graecia is a Latin word). "Hellenic" means simply "Greek".
The term Hellenistic refers to the period after Alexandros, when the Greek culture was the most important culture in the whole mediterranean area, up to the Roman dominance. So it is a period that is immediately subsequent to the Athenian golden age of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. In those times, the Greek (Hellenic) culture *invaded* the whole mediterranean, and actually the main Hellenistic cultural center (Alexandria) was not in Greece, but in Aegypt.
KALH ESPERA
Marco
> Hey Group:
> Was reading a short summary on Socrates and just wondering - What is the
> basis for the term "Hellenistic"? Does it refer to the period of time of the
> pre-Socatics through Aristotle? Is it a "golden age" of Greece? And what is
> the root of the word? I think a portion of the Greek empire was once known
> as "Hellas", but I could be wrong...and are "Hellenic" and "Hellenistic"
> interchangeable? Put your thinking caps on...
>
> Clarke
>
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