It was nearly 2,000 years ago that the Greek civilization ended, after Greece became a part of the Roman Empire. Despite this, their influence on philosophy, architecture, politics, art and language can still be felt today.

The Geometric period was a time of transformation in the Greek society. There was a dramatic increase in population and a more urban lifestyle emerged, which brought overcrowding in the cities as well as political tensions. The Greeks were forced to expand and so they moved to new lands both in the east and in west where they establish commercial market places and colonies. Sanctuaries, sacred areas that were devoted to worshiping of deities, were developed. As the worship of the gods became formalized, so the need arose for temples to house the deities´ statues.

The Early Archaic era ushered in the development of the polis, the Greek city-state, which became well developed and flourished. This idyllic society unfortunately did not run as smoothly as intended as tyrannical political leaders took control of many of these city-states in the 6th and 7th centuries. Greek colonies overseas, however, continued to flourish and new settlements were established

After the death of Alexander the Great, his kingdom was divided into three separate nations by his generals. The Antigonid dynasty sustained control of mainland Greece. The Seleucids presided over the entire eastern empire, the biggest portion of the territory, while the Ptolemies controlled the territory of ancient Egypt. The Hellenistic era was a global, cosmopolitan age. Commercial links were prevalent and peoples of many cultural and religious backgrounds converged into the melting pots of popular urban centers. Astounding progress was made in several fields of scientific investigation, including astronomy, mathematics, physics and engineering. Grand libraries were created in Athens, Alexandria and the kingdom of Pergamum. The old beliefs vested in Olympian gods were permeated with foreign elements, particularly from the east; "Oriental" cults, such as those of Isis, Mithras and Cybele become widespread in the Hellenized world. The 3rd century BCE saw the growth of ancient Rome. After acquiring a majority of the Italic territory, Rome entered into a lengthy conflict with the Carthaginians for jurisdiction over Spain, Sicily and the other regions of Punic dominion in the Punic Wars. The previous empire of Alexander was taken incrementally and systematically 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 and the end of the Greek era.

The end of the war between the Persians and the Greeks marked the e

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Approximate Word count = 1071
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)