This book, by the leading historian of ancient Greek art in Britain, recounts the influences of Greek communities and their culture through Central Asia, India, and Western China, from the Bronze Age to the rise of Islam. Boardman examines a wealth of art and objects, as well as literary sources, to reveal the remarkable influence of Greek culture on the peoples—Easterners, Levantines, Persians, Asians, Indians, Chinese—whose enduring cultural traditions were much older. The Greeks were not conquerors. They did not seek to dominate or rule. However, they were highly educated and skilled in trade; they broke through a monetary economy across Eurasia. Their religion was easily adaptable to that of others; their art developed a form of storytelling that would dominate for centuries. Their poets and philosophers were widely respected far from their homeland. As Boardman notes, 'It is a strange phenomenon in world history. Through their travels, they left a very distinctive mark on the lives and arts of many distant peoples, and over the centuries, in some cases, up to today.'