How did Greek ideas and traditions spread?

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The Great Altar of PergamumA new Hellenistic city needed splendid art and architecture to prove its worth in Greek eyes. In the first half of the second century B.C.E., the king of Pergamum ordered the construction of this huge monumental altar, which is now in a museum in Berlin. The scenes of wildly contorted figures depict the mythical victory of the Greek Olympian gods over the Titans, a race of giants. The altar honors the gods and celebrates Pergamum’s military victories, although scholars dispute exactly which victory led to its building. (Bildarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz/Art Resource, NY)

AAlexander’s most important legacy was clearly not political unity. Instead it was the spread of Greek ideas and traditions across a wide area, a process scholars later called Hellenization. To maintain contact with the Greek world as he moved farther eastward, he founded new cities and military colonies and expanded existing cities, settling Greek and Macedonian troops and veterans in them. Besides keeping the road back to Greece open, these settlements helped secure the countryside around them. This practice continued after his death, with more than 250 new cities founded in North Africa, West and Central Asia, and southeastern Europe. These cities and colonies became powerful instruments in the spread of Hellenism and in the blending of Greek and other cultures.