teach those subjects in Rome. It was, thus, necessary for the Romans to come to terms with Greek culture
and for the Greeks to come to terms with Roman authority. This process of accommodation gives Greek
civilization during the Roman period its own particular flavor and makes it a fascinating subject of study.
The term “Greek” was now, however, coming to have more a cultural than a geographical or genealogical
significance. Greek culture during the time of the Roman Empire was becoming a “heritage,” rather like
what it has become today: a possession to be appropriated by Greeks and non-Greeks alike. This
broadening out of Greek culture to embrace people who were not Greek by birth had begun with
Alexander's conquests and the founding by him and his successors of Greek cities in Egypt and throughout
Asia. This process continued during the Hellenistic Period, when Greek culture became a mark of
prestige and power in the Macedonian kingdoms. When those kingdoms were absorbed into the Roman
Empire, the appeal of Greek culture spread over a still greater geographical range, including even the
westernmost parts of the empire. This meant that those who thought of themselves as “Greeks” in the
stricter sense felt an even greater responsibility as, in a sense, the caretakers of this increasingly
venerable heritage. That responsibility was felt most strongly in connection with literary expression,
which depends, naturally, upon a secure command of the Greek language and a refined sense of style and
idiom.
Figure 82 Royal ordinance on papyrus, dated February 23, 33 BC, granting tax privileges to a Roman
citizen and bearing the handwritten approval of Cleopatra VII at the bottom right: “So be it.” Berlin,
Aegyptisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Inv. P25239. Source: Photo: Margarete Buesing. ©
- Photo Scala, Florence / bpk, Bildagentur für Kunst, Kultur und Geschichte, Berlin.