Western Civilization

thepoleisof their homeland. But it was no longer possi-

ble to do so. The new cities were not autonomous enti-

ties and soon found themselves dependent on the

power of the Hellenistic monarchies. Although the

kings did not rule the cities directly, they restricted

freedom in other ways. Cities knew they could not con-

duct an independent foreign policy and did not try to

do so. The kings also demanded tribute, which could be

a heavy burden.

The Greek cities of the Hellenistic era were the chief

agents for the spread of Greek culture in the Near East,

as far, in fact, as modern Afghanistan and India. These

cities were also remarkably vibrant despite their subor-

dination to the Hellenistic monarchies and continued

to be a focal point for the loyalty of their citizens.

Economic Trends in the Hellenistic

World

Agriculture was still of primary importance to both the

native populations and the new Greek cities of the Hel-

lenistic world. The Greek cities continued their old

agrarian patterns. A well-defined citizen body owned

land and worked it with the assistance of slaves. But

these farms were isolated units in a vast area of land

ultimately owned by the king or assigned to large estate

owners and worked by native peasants dwelling in vil-

lages. Overall, then, neither agricultural patterns nor

methods of production underwent significant changes.

Few new products or manufacturing methods were

introduced during the Hellenistic era, but the centers of

Relations Between Greeks and Non-Greeks

The relationship between the Greek conquerors and

the native peoples of the Near East was often a difficult

one. Although a number of the local inhabitants learned

Greek in order to advance economically and politically,

they were often not treated as equals by the dominant

Greek minority. These documents reveal two facets of

the problem. In the first selection, a member of the local

population complains about his treatment by the

Greeks. The second one reveals the dangers Greeks

could experience from local peoples.

Letter to Zenon

To Zenon, greeting. You do well if you are healthy. I

too am well. You know that you left me in Syria with

Krotos and I did everything that was ordered with

respect to the camels and was blameless towards you.

When you sent a order to give me pay, he gave nothing

of what you ordered.... When you sent me again to

Philadelphia to Jason, although I do everything that is

ordered, for nine months now he gives me nothing of

what you ordered me to have, neither oil nor grain....

And I am toiling away both summer and winter. And

he orders me to accept sour wine for my ration. Well,

they have treated me with scorn because I am a

“barbarian.” I beg you therefore, if it seems good to

you, to give them orders that I am to obtain what is

owing and that in future they pay me in full, in order

that I may not perish of hunger because I do not know

how to speak Greek.

Letter to Dionysios

To Dionysios from Ptolemaios.... Being outrageously

wronged and often put in danger of my life by the

below-listed cleaners from the sanctuary, I am

seeking refuge with you thinking that I shall thus

particularly receive justice. For in the 21st year, they

came to the sanctuary, in which I have been for the

aforesaid years, some of them holding stones in their

hands, others sticks, and tried to force their way in,

so that with this opportunity they might plunder the

temple and kill me because I am a Greek, attacking

me in concerted fashion. And when I made it to the

door of the temple before them and shut it with a

great crash, and ordered them to go away quietly,

they did not depart; but they struck Diphilos, one of

the servants, who showed his indignation at the way

they were behaving in the sanctuary, robbing him

outrageously and attacking him violently and beating

him, so that their illegal violence was made obvious

to everybody.

Q What do these documents reveal about the

relationship between the conquerors and the

conquered? What problems did each face?

Source: From Roger S. Bagnall and Peter Derow, editors,The Hellenistic Period(Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2004), pp. 230–231, 232.

84 Chapter 4 The Hellenistic World

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