ABSTRACT
The period following the death of Alexander is called the Hellenistic era in contrast to the Hellenic era, during which Greece was independent. It is called Hellenistic because Greek culture continued to dominate the fine arts and matters intellectual. The cultural influence of Greece is part of the legacy of Alexander. The successors to Alexander were not able to bring political unity to the world until Rome finally created one political world. The Romans also adopted Hellenistic culture, and the world became a 'melting pot' of various ethnic and cultural groups. The Hellenistic era is called the Silver Age, in contrast to the Golden Age of Athenian greatness. The implication is that the fine arts of the Hellenistic age are inferior to those of the earlier period. Philosophy as a quest for knowledge for its own sake could no longer meet the needs of people adrift in a world too large and too strange, and philosophies became quests for salvation.
