4th century BC

Arguably the most important series of political events in this period were the conquests of Alexander, bringing about the collapse of the once formidable Persian Empire and spreading Greek culture far into the east.

Alexander dreamt of an east/west union, but when his short life ended in 323 BC, his vast empire was plunged into civil war as his generals each carved out their own separate kingdoms.

Thus began the Hellenistic age, a period characterized by a more absolute approach to rule, with Greek kings taking on royal trappings and setting up hereditary successions.

While a degree of democracy still existed in some of the remaining independent Greek cities, many scholars see this age as marking the end of classical Greece.

In India, the Maurya Empire was founded in 322 BC by Chandragupta Maurya who rapidly expanded his power westwards across central and western India, taking advantage of the disruptions of local powers in the wake of the withdrawal westward by the armies of Alexander.

Alexander the Great of Macedon created one of the largest empires of the ancient world.
Map of the world in 400 BC, the beginning of the fourth century BCE.
Map of the world in 323 BC.
Map of the world in 300 BC, the end of the fourth century BCE.
Philip II
Demosthenes
Xenophon
Plato
Antisthenes
Aristotle
Diogenes
Epicurus
A Han dynasty Chinese crossbow from the 2nd century BCE.