The oriental context for the end of Greek rule in the Hellenistic Age
A connected account of the decline of Greek power in the Hellenistic East can be justified nowadays by noting the relative antiquity of available works on the subject when archaeological and numismatic work has continued and has rendered dated such works as those by Bevan and Bouche-Leclerq although still valuable. The excavation of Ai Khanum and Shahr-i-Qumis alone should provoke a reassessment of Seleucid objectives and so of Seleucid history. We are grateful to Getzel Cohen for a recent coherent study of the process of the colonisation movement in these Eastern parts. Recent events in Afghanistan and Iran should encourage historians of the central Asian land mass to study pressures which in the past affected these countries from the north, and in particular to pay attention to the cultural dimension of such contacts. There has been a tendency to omit the Seleucid enterprise from thorough study, and to give Livy the benefit of the doubt in his comment that 'no power was despised so much by the Romans'. Such omissions and this attitude could be seen as a current emphasis on Hellenism as a Western and not an Eastern phenomenon, thus leaving - quite wrongly in my view - Bactrian and Indian history in the Hellenistic
Gordon-Kerr, F. A.
Archaeology
The oriental context for the end of Greek rule in the Hellenistic Age. A connected account of the decline of Greek power in the Hellenistic East can be justified nowadays by noting the relative antiquity of available works on the subject when archaeological and numismatic work has continued and has rendered dated such works as those by Bevan and Bouche-Leclerq although still valuable. The excavation of Ai Khanum and Shahr-i-Qumis alone should provoke a reassessment of Seleucid objectives and so of Seleucid history. We are grateful to Getzel Cohen for a recent coherent study of the process of the colonisation movement in these Eastern parts. Recent events in Afghanistan and Iran should encourage historians of the central Asian land mass to study pressures which in the past affected these countries from the north, and in particular to pay attention to the cultural dimension of such contacts. There has been a tendency to omit the Seleucid enterprise from thorough study, and to give Livy the benefit of the doubt in his comment that 'no power was despised so much by the Romans'. Such omissions and this attitude could be seen as a current emphasis on Hellenism as a Western and not an Eastern phenomenon, thus leaving - quite wrongly in my view - Bactrian and Indian history in the Hellenistic
oriental context end greek rule hellenistic age connect account decline greek power hellenistic east justify nowadays note relative antiquity available work subject archaeological numismatic work continue render dated work although still valuable excavation alone provoke reassessment seleucid objective seleucid history recent coherent study process colonisation movement eastern part recent event iran encourage historians central_asian land mass study pressure past affected country north particular pay_attention cultural dimension contact tendency omit seleucid enterprise thorough_study give livy benefit doubt comment power much romans omission attitude could_see current emphasis hellenism western_eastern phenomenon thus leave quite wrongly view indian history hellenistic