By the time of Jesus, it is often observed, Galilee's encounter with Hellenism was centuries old. Greek culture had made its way to Palestine even in the Persian period, and it had been spread further by Alexander the Great and his successors, the Ptolemies and Seleucids. In some respects, the Maccabees and Hasmoneans embraced it. The fact that all of the foregoing statements are true does not change another fact: our actual evidence for Hellenistic culture in Galilee in the last few centuries before the Common Era is strikingly limited. The poor preservation of Hellenistic-era strata is partly to blame for that circumstance, but not solely. The evidence that has survived suggests that while Hellenistic culture was present in Galilee, it was not as widespread as might be thought. Overall, in fact, its inroads were quite modest. In this chapter, I will provide a chronological overview of Galilee's early encounter with Hellenism, as well as that of the rest of Palestine.

BEFORE ALEXANDER

Palestine's contacts with Greek culture did indeed predate the arrival of Alexander. Some cities had imported Greek goods as early as the eleventh century BCE, and by the sixth century, Aegean pottery and Athenian black- and red-glazed wares had made their way there. Persian rule of Palestine did not prevent the growth of Greek cultural influence. The importing of Greek pottery continued and coins minted by distant Greek cities circulated.