287 - 212 BCE- Archimedes is one of the most famous scientists of all time. Archimedes was a native of Syracuse. He is renowned for many inventions and contributions. His contributions include work on the geometry of spheres and cylinders, a value for the constant pi, the concept of specific gravity …

310- 230 BCE - A Greek astronomer who is known to have developed a heliocentric view of the universe. Aristarchus of Samos believed that the Sun and stars were 'fixed' in the heavens, while the Earth rotated around the Sun in a circular orbit. Aristarchus also believed that the Earth revolved …

203- 120 BCE - Polybius was the central historian of the Hellenistic period. Polybius was Greek, however he lived in Rome for a time. He wrote a detailed history of the "inhabited Mediterranean world" from 221 to 146 BCE.

His history focuses on the growth of Rome and the achievements of …

315 - 250 BCE

Theocritus was a native of Sicily who wrote short poems known as idylls. The themes of Theocritus' poetry usually centered around eroticism, "lovers' complaints," and nature. Theocritus' contemporaries believed that Homer's epic's could never be out done and thus writers should limit the length of their work …

400 BCE

Hippocrates was a philosopher who lived in the time of Socrates. His contribution to medical science is notable, since he is regarded to have been the first philosopher to acknowledge a distinction between medicine and philosophy. Hippocrates focused on natural explanations and cures for disease rather than philosophical …

164 BCE

When Seleucid king Antiochus IV, 175- 163 BCE, lead troops into Jerusalem, Judas Maccabaeus lead a revolt in which the Jews were able to capture the Temple of Jerusalem. The holiday of Hanukkah is celebrated each year by Jewish people in remembrance of this event.