The Hellenistic Age was a period when Greek culture dominated not only Greece but also the Near East, or much of what was then the civilized world. It was a period of great achievement in scholarship, science, and the arts.<NP> The Hellenistic Age began after the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C. Alexander had ruled a vast empire that included Greece and extended from Egypt to the Indus River. He helped spread Greek ideas and the Greek way of life into all the lands he conquered. After he died, his empire was divided among his generals, who continued to preserve Greek culture.<NP> The Hellenistic Age lasted until the Romans took control, ending in Greece in 146 B.C. Egypt, the last major stronghold of the Hellenistic world, fell to the Romans in 30 B.C.
