Hellenism And The Rise Of Rome

In this revisionist study of Roman imperialism in the Greek world, Gruen considers the Hellenistic context within which Roman expansion took place. The evidence discloses a preponderance of Greek rather than Roman ideas: a noteworthy readiness on the part of Roman policymakers to adjust to Hellenistic practices rather than to impose a system of their own.

This is the first comprehensive sourcebook in English concentrating entirely on the Hellenistic age.

Explores the rise of nationalism among the Greeks at the time of the Roman Empire, and their claims to cultural superiority over the Romans. This work offers a reassessment of the traditional picture of Roman political and cultural domination.

The alienation of the people from the government and society itself can be seen as a result of the Hellenistic transformation. It can also be seen within the art of the period. Scholars, artists, and philosophers began rejecting the collective ideals, and instead, they focused on the cult of the individual.

The vast empire that Alexander the Great left at his death in 323 BC has few parallels. For the next three hundred years the Greeks controlled a complex of monarchies and city-states that stretched from the Adriatic Sea to India. F. W. Walbank's lucid and authoritative history of that Hellenistic world examines political events, describes the different social systems and mores of the people under Greek rule, traces important developments in literature and science, and discusses the new religious movements.