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Chapter 3 begins with a discussion of the art, literature, and thought produced by Greek civilization at its peak. These habits of thought, together with a mass of learning and speculation drawn from the most diverse sources, were the Greek legacy to Western society.
The chapter continues by describing how Philip II of Macedon took advantage of Greek disunity to lay the foundations of a Macedonian empire, and how his son Alexander the Great expanded that empire to the borders of India. The conquests of Alexander spread Greek culture and values to the limits of the known world. The process, however, was one of diffusion rather than imposition. The peoples of the Middle East retained their own identities while adopting Greek ideas, and the Greeks changed through contacts with ancient civilizations whose cultural norms differed radically from their own. The chapter concludes with a description of the three great Hellenistic kingdoms that were created after Alexander’s death and of the vibrant culture they produced. |
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