Introduction

Greeks had always faced east and been consumed by its rivalry with persia. There were, of course, greeks who had migrated west to the south of italy and sicily but once their cities were founded they lived in a different world. The only major historical overlap was the athenian invasion of sicily during the peloponnesian war in four ten b c. It has long been a source of speculation how different things would have turned out if alexander turned west and faced the nascent roman empire rather than going east to fight the persians.