The period began when Alexander the Great conquered territory from Greece to India, and lasted for three centuries until Cleopatra died and Egypt, the final Hellenistic kingdom, was subsumed by Rome in 30 BC. Most people were peasant farmers in the countryside, and were not much affected, reports Evans (emeritus: classical, Near Eastern, and religious studies, U. of British Columbia-Vancouver), but the daily life he is concerned with was in the Greek cities. He looks at such features as housing, education, women, eating and drinking, theater, religion, and the persistence of Hellenistic culture. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)