“Hellenism” as an Early Form of Globalization: Colonial and Postcolonial Approaches to the Material Legacy of Alexander the Great

The Hellenistic period, traditionally dated to 330–30 BCE, is increasingly regarded by scholars as the first major phase of Afro-Eurasian “globalization,” during which regions as distant as India and Iberia became interconnected through shared currencies, comparable urban forms, and a common visual culture. (A minority of researchers argue, with good reason, that these integrative processes had already begun in the preceding Persian period, 550–330 BCE).
The concept of the “Hellenistic”—understood in the nineteenth-century formulation of Hellenismus as a merging of Greek and non-Greek traditions—arguably was the earliest scholarly model for describing intercultural exchange. In recent decades, however, its underlying premise, namely the primacy of Greek material and intellectual culture and its transformative impact on non-Greek societies, has been increasingly challenged by postcolonial critiques.
This lecture examines two case studies that illuminate the complexities of cultural interaction in the Hellenistic world. First, we explore the widespread diffusion of the figure of Herakles (Hercules) and consider the significance of the hero’s global popularity. Second, we turn to the so-called Gandhāran art of ancient northwest India and discuss the problematic thesis that Buddhist art emerged there primarily through Greek influence.

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