This book presents to the student and the non-specialist reader the main historical developments in politics, society, culture, and religion during two historical periods that have until now been treated separately: the Hellenistic period, which conventionally begins with the reign of Alexander the Great and ends with the death of Cleopatra (336–30 B.C.), and the early imperial period, from the establishment of a monarchical regime by Augustus (27 B.C.) to the death of Hadrian (138 A.D.).

The joint examination of this "long Hellenistic period," for the first time in international literature, contributes to a better understanding of the social and cultural developments that took place during it.

The title Age of Conquests literally refers to the military conquests, which are key turning points in this period, but also metaphorically to the conquests in the field of culture, in the unprecedented expansion of knowledge, technical skills, and intellectual horizons of the Greek and Greek-speaking areas from the time of Alexander and onwards.

The book explains how the "long Hellenistic period" changed the position of the Greeks in the world (the inhabited land), making their history an integral part of the "global" history of antiquity.

The English edition, which has been translated into many languages, has been established internationally as a key textbook of ancient history.