Following the death of Alexander the
Great, in 323 BC, his kingdom was divided among his generals. The Antigonid dynasty
maintained control of mainland Greece. The Seleucids governed the entire Eastern Empire.
And the Ptolemies ruled ancient Egypt.
The Hellenistic period was an
international, cosmopolitan age. Commercial contacts were widespread and peoples
of many ethnic and religious backgrounds merged in populous urban centers.
Fg. 10: The ancient Greek world
around 300 B.C.
Advances were made in various fields
of scientific inquiry, including engineering, physics, astronomy and mathematics. Great
libraries were founded in Alexandria, Athens and the independent kingdom of Pergamum.
Because old beliefs in Olympian gods were infused with foreign elements, especially from
the east, Oriental cults became popular in the Hellenized world.
The 3rd century BC saw the rise of ancient Rome. After securing most of the Italian
peninsula, Rome entered into a protracted conflict with the Carthaginians for control of
Sicily, Spain and the other regions of Punic domination in the Punic Wars. The former
empire of Alexander was taken steadily and methodically into Roman hands. The great city
of Corinth was destroyed (146 BC), Athens captured (86 BC), and Cleopatra and Mark Antony
defeated at the Battle of Actium (31 BC). Their defeat marks the end of the Hellenistic
Age.
Between the 3rd to 1st century BC the Island of Rhodes emerged as the preeminent island in
maritime commerce. Rhodes controlled most of the sea trade in the eastern Mediterranean
until the Romans eventually rose to prominence. The bulk of the cargo discovered by
Nauticos is Koan amphoras from the isle of Kos, which is a tiny island close to Rhodes.
Kos was famous in ancient times for the excellent wine that it produced and exported
throughout the region.
