Santa Barbara AHEPA Chapter 243

Hellenism
Hellenism is a term used to describe the spread of Greek culture. Most typically, it is used to describe the spread of Hellenistic civilization during the Hellenistic period, following the conquest of the east by Alexander the Great of Macedonia who spread Greek language.

Hellenism often refers to the social, political, economic, and cultural/religious influences on Europe and the Near East beginning with the final decades of the fourth century BC. The dominant feature of this era was the culture of Classical Greece, with its architectural forms, philosophy, art, drama, literature, paintings, and the social and cultural milieu of the peoples to the east conquered by Alexander the Great.

Hellenism was the cultural and philosophical perspective which spread from Greece through most of the ancient world from the year 333 BC (the time of Alexander the Great) through 63 BC (when Rome came to dominate).

Because of this, many important elements of Greek culture - names, language, architecture, art, philosophy, etc. - influenced politics and culture throughout the Mediterranean region. Even Rome continued to spread aspects of Hellenism because Rome itself was so heavily influenced by Greece of that time.