THE SPLENDOR OF THE HELLENISTIC POLIS AND IDEOLOGICAL CAUSES OF ITS DECLINE

NUGZAR ABRAMISHVILI; DAVID AKHLOURI

NUGZAR ABRAMISHVILI Doctor of Philosophy, Professor of Gori State Universty Gori,Chavchavadze st.,#53,1400,Georgia, http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5858-7906
DAVID AKHLOURI Doctor of History, Associate Professor of Gori State University, Gori, Chavchavadze st., №53, 1400, Georgia, http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1068-4042

Abstract

Such factors as the "Hellenic wonders" of the great Hellenic culture, mentioned by the well-known authors of ancient times, include: a) the exceptional talents of the Hellenes; their profound rationalism and intellectualism, intuitive genius, active vitality, and insatiable curiosity; b) leisure, free time; c) the remarkable mobility of the Greeks; d) the spirit of competition, known as the "agonal soul"; and e) the polis, the polis way of life. A unique feature of the Hellenic soul is also highlighted in this article—an extraordinary aestheticism, which permeated all areas of ancient Greek culture: mythology, philosophy, art, science, education, and even politics (the Hellenes viewed the polis aesthetically and took pleasure in its beauty). Additionally, the Pythagorean factor played a role in rationalizing this characteristic of the Hellenic soul.

Additionally, we consider the education system, which played a crucial role in shaping Hellenic culture, to be both a manifestation of the "Hellenic wonders" and a factor in its creation.

And, of course, the polisan extraordinary cultural phenomenon with its socio-political structures, value system, and way of life. The polis encapsulates the fate of ancient Hellas, explaining both its glory and its eventual downfall.

The Hellenic polis ceased to exist in the 4th century BC. The reasons for its fall were largely political. First came the Peloponnesian War and its consequences—moral decline, the rise of tyranny, and the devastation of the economy. Then, the Macedonian campaigns delivered the fatal blow to the Greek city-states.

However, at the beginning and end of every historical era, religious and philosophical ideas ultimately determine and play a decisive role.

The primary blame for weakening and destabilizing the foundations of the polis is attributed to three intellectual movements: Orphism as a religious-philosophical doctrine, natural philosophy, and the sophistic movement. Orphism challenged the polis by asserting that religion should focus on the salvation of the individual's soul rather than on one's duty to the state. Natural philosophy became dangerous to the polis by concluding that the Homeric gods were mere inventions of human imagination. The sophists further undermined the polis by claiming that laws were not of divine origin, but were created by man and could be easily abolished by human will.

Key words: Mythos; Philosophy; Art; Science; Cosmos; Polis; Aestheticism; Rationalism; Sophism; Orphism; Natural Philosophy.