Hellenistic Institutions
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The conquests of Alexander the Great, changed the Greek world immensely, and had the effect of spreading Greek culture across Western Asia. He transformed the Greek world from a number of small city-states into a sprawling empire that stretched from Macedonia and Greece to Egypt in the South and India in the east. His goal was to create an empire that would unify the entire world. He created a number of Greek-style poleis along his campaign route to attain his goal. By doing this he helped to turn Greek culture into a world culture. When his army traveled, they frequently set up camps and colonies, from which towns and cities eventually grew. Because of Alexander, many people from Greece and Macedonia settled in the Near East. These people spoke Greek, and brought their whole Greek culture along with them, which lasted well after Alexander's death (Wallenfels 26). The three kingdoms, Ptolemaic Egypt, Seleucid Asia, and Antigonid Macedonia, that came after Alexander's death provided for further development and intermingling of Greek and Near Eastern cultures. The blend of Greek and local cultures resulted in the Hellenistic culture...