From Alexander to Cleopatra
Now on show on the second floor of the museum
In the fourth century BC the conquests of the Greek general Alexander the Great carry Greek culture as far as India. This process of cultural influencing, also termed ‘Hellenization’, is a prime illustration of the connections between all corners of the ancient world. Conversely, Greek culture is influenced by ideas, techniques and concepts from the cultures of the East and Egypt.
The power of Greece reaches its zenith in this period, but after the death of Alexander de Great in 323 BC the Greek empire gradually falls apart. Moreover, around this time the city of Carthage begins to flourish, and Rome emerges as an extremely ambitious power in the West. With help from the Roman emperor, Queen Cleopatra gains control of the eastern Mediterranean.
