Role of Greek Culture in the Hellenistic World

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Western Civilization
Hellenistic Period
The Hellenistic Period is the period in ancient history that succeeded the classical era and preceded Roman Greece. Soon after the death of King Phillip II of Macedonia, whose reign was between 359 B.C and 336 B.C, his son, Alexander the Great, took over, and his rule spanned across Greek territory and the Kingdom of Macedonia (Champion and O’Sullivan 13). The Greek influence brought about what came to be termed as the Hellenistic period. The Greek culture had a great influence in the Hellenistic period during and after the death of Alexender the Great, influencing agriculture, religion, philosophy, and even art.
The Greek religion mainly featured inanimate things to symbolize god and the forces of nature during the Hellenistic period. The works of the Ancient Greek thinkers such as Plato were linked with the Christian teachings to form the basis of Hellenistic philosophy (Champion and O’Sullivan 21). The Greek culture mainly focused on art rather than science as its identity, and the little science they practiced relied majorly on speculation rather than empirical evidence. The Greek culture worked quite well for the political elite, with slavery as a key element of all economic activities, including agriculture and art. The Hellenistic culture favored the Greek-speaking ethnic groups, and the non-Greeks often felt insecure in the hands of the Hellenistic rulers, forcing them to bow to their pressure (Haldon et al. 16). The peasants, predominantly from the non-Greek ethnic groups, retaliated because of the incompatible religious and cultural beliefs that the Hellenistic kingdoms had imposed on them.
Agustus and the Roman Government
The Roman Republic that took over from the foreign ruler in 500BC had adopted a democratic system that did not quite work well. The adopted governance system exhibited the separation of powers where there was the Senate alongside the Roman Empire imperial executive, described by many historians as chaotic and a constitutional failure. This is primarily because the Senate failed to protect the Roman Republic. The enormous wealth that some individuals had acquired overpowered the constitutional bodies, rendering them powerless in protecting the Roman Republic (Jankowski 220). Upon taking reign from 27BC as the first Roman Emperor, Emperor Augustus took the initiative to turn the Roman Republic into a Monarchy. Although it was seen by many as a deprivation of liberty, it was a move that worked quite well in restoring political stability in Rome.
Other major reforms initiated by Emperor Augustus include financial reforms through the improvement of the Roman coinage, introduction of land and poll taxes as well as the decentralization of the treasury. Although Augustus’ reign was viewed by many as a dictatorship, he returned a significant amount of power to the Senate and the executive magistrates (Cole and Symes 481). Art and religion were at the center of the major reforms by Augustus and his successors, as they made sure that enough buildings and worship places were put in place for the Romans. This caring attitude by Augustus ensured maximum support that resulted in the mo...