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From the other side, urbanization also led to the weakening centralization.
But in a general scope one the hand with military and economical advantages urbanization also led to cultural Hellenization, which is considered to be its main political achievement. it's important to note that a number of kingdoms in Asia Minor and Middle East adopted Greek law and Greek civil norms. Such changes had a very progressive effect on social life, as it led to the reduction of slavery and guaranteed protection of property rights to citizens in former despotic societies.
Cultural interaction of Greek polises with natives led to the penetration of local customs and cultural traits to the life of Greeks. Greek culture of polises experienced deep interaction with Persian and Indian achievements, as well as Chinese, which penetrated to Hellenistic world from India. Greeks enriched their mythological beliefs by religious beliefs of native peoples who in majority were polytheist (with exception of Jews and Zoroastrians). Polises founded by Greeks were populated by different peoples, it's enough to note that for example Jews formed 20% of Alexandria's population. As polis guaranteed freedoms and protection to its citizens, cities often turned into shelters for runaway peasants and slaves. Such interaction created favorable conditions for the...
Need in luxury goods forced Hellenistic Greek to establish trade relations with Indians, Arabs and African states. Permanent trade and goods exchange led to the establishment of monetary system. Money were used even by barbarian peoples: Arab tribes, Parthyans, Celts, Frakians. Historians note that even in outdated agricultural provinces of Egypt money started to replace traditional barter relations. In the late Hellenistic epoch there were attempts to organize universal monetary system in Mediterranean, as coinage led to the reduction of gold and silver stocks in kingdoms.
Making a conclusion it's important to say that Hellenistic world created by Alexander the Great was a prototype of Roman empire. Saving native traditions of subdued peoples, Greek rulers substituted classical Greek democracy by Eastern tyranny. Hellenistic traditions in conquered kingdoms preserved mainly in cultural legacy rather than in politics and administration.
References
Boardman, J. Griffin, J. Murray, O. The Oxford Illustrated History of Greece and the Hellenistic World Oxford University Press, 2001
Tarn, W.W. The Greeks in Bactria and India Cambridge University Press, 1997
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