When, next, we pass from Greece proper—­that is to say, from the Grecian peninsula and the islands and Asiatic shores of the Aegean Sea—­into Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt, we still find the Roman conqueror annexing peoples more versed in the higher arts of life than himself.  For ages there had existed in these regions various forms of advanced civilisation.  The Assyrian, Babylonian, Phoenician, Hebrew, and Egyptian cultures were old before Rome was born.  Later the Persian subjugated all these peoples.  And then, four hundred years before the time with which we are dealing, had come the Macedonian Greek Alexander the Great, and had conquered every one of those provinces which were subsequently to form the eastern part of the Roman Empire as represented on our map.  The language and culture of Alexander were Greek, and he carried these and settled them with the most determined policy in every available quarter.  After his death his empire broke up into kingdoms, but those kings who succeeded him—­every Antiochus of Syria and every Ptolemy of Egypt—­were Greek.  Their court was Greek, and Hellenism was everywhere the fashion in life, thought, letters, and art.  All round the coasts, in all the great cities, on all the main routes, up all the great river valleys of these eastern kingdoms, this graecizing proceeded.  Alexander had founded the city of Alexandria, and soon that great and opulent city became more the home of Greek science and literature than Athens itself.  His successors founded other great cities, such as Antioch, and there also the civilisation was Greek.

Egyptians, Jews, and Syrians who were possessed of any kind of public, social, or even mercantile ambition therefore naturally spoke Greek, either only, or more often in conjunction with their native tongue.  This is the reason why the Septuagint appeared in Greek; why Greek as well as Hebrew and Latin was written over the Cross; why our New Testament was written in Greek; and why Paul could travel about the eastern half of the Roman world and talk fluently wherever he went.  He could address a Roman governor directly at Paphos because that governor had learned Greek at Rome, either in school or under his nurse or tutor.  He could stand before the Areopagus at Athens and address that distinguished body in its own tongue because it was also one of his own tongues.

Not that one could expect the Greek culture, or even the language, to remain pure when thus spread abroad.  There were blendings of Oriental elements, Egyptian, Jewish, or Syrian; but these elements were themselves derived from advanced and time-honoured civilisations.

It follows, therefore, that all through the Eastern half of its domain Rome could not contrive to romanize.  She did not attempt to suppress Greek ideas; she preferred to utilise them.  So long as the Roman rule was obeyed in its essentials, Rome was satisfied.