Greek language and culture

Greek

After the death of Alexander the Great Greek colonies appeared in the most remote territories from the Mediterranean: from Iberian peninsula in the West to India in the East. Most of the subdued kingdoms and tribes stood on a lower level of social and technological development than Greeks did. That's why the leading and superior role of Greeks in the further several centuries of Asian history is obvious. Greeks were less numerous of course, but they were military advanced, they had perfect worriers, better weapons and higher economic potential as they could rely on the support of Greek polises in Attic. Alexander the Great had an utopia idea to transform conquered lands according to the Greek model, in order to create equal allies and partners for future. By of course his utopian dream failed as cultural and social barrier between Greeks and non-Greeks was very high and could not be vanished by methods which Greeks used.

Greeks colonies either in Middle Asia, Egypt or on the Black Sea cost were mostly high populated urban centers, founded on interception of important trade routes, so that they took directed participation in trade with native population and foreign merchants. Greek society with its democratic institutions, high level of culture, education and mobility of people was considered to be an alternative model of social development for non-Greeks most of whom especially in Asian countries suffered despotism and tyranny of local rulers. But the main reason of interaction with Greeks was the need of non-Greeks to adapt technological innovations and Greek military strategy in order to resist further invasions. Greek historian Polybius writes about weak Bactrian kingdom the following lines:.".. neither of them would be safe: seeing that great hords of Nomads were close at hand, who were a danger to both; and that if they admitted them into the country, it would certainly be utterly barbarised." (Polybius, 11.34). Greeks understood that relative prosperity of Asian kingdoms was mainly resulted by geographical isolation from the rest of the world, which wouldn't last forever due the growing danger from nomadic hordes from the northeast: " Bactria (Daxia) and Parthia (Anxi) are large countries, full of rare things, with a population living in fixed abodes and given to occupations somewhat identical with those of the Chinese people, but with weak armies"(Boardman, 211). Greeks made a considerable influence on Egyptian, Persian and Indian art of the late Antique Age: element of Greek characteristic features are met in architecture, sculpture and painting. it's also important to note that Greeks brought metallurgy innovations to the non-Greek world: iron, which dramatically increased strength of metal tools and weapons and cupro-nickel (used in coining). A number of Asian peoples also adapted Greek alphabet and papyrus.

But in many cases influence of Greeks was considerably obvious only in Asian kingdoms, as most of Mediterranean non-Greek cultures stood on the same level of development as Greeks. For such peoples as Jews and Assyrians Greek colonization mainly meant the threat of assimilation and loss of identity. Assyrians and Jews who in their majority were monotheists could not adopt Greek religion of polytheist as it was against their religious traditions. All the attempts of Greeks to convert Jews to polytheism failed. For example the attempt to convert Jewish Temple to Temple of Greek god Zeus under Antiochus IV Epiphanes only led tot he revolt of Jews led by Maccabees, which resulted with creation of independent Jewish kingdom of Hasmonaean (165 BCE to 63 BCE). So the primary reason which prevented Jews from Hellinization and assimilation with Greeks was their religious unity and monotheist religion of Judaism. Unity of Jews with God, fundamentalism and conservatism of their views in some respects isolated them from Hellenistic culture, which was in some respects quite different from Jewish culture.