Greek culture soon "Hellenized" the world with its philosophy, art, and architecture. The Parthenon (447 BCE) stands on top of the Acropolis--an example for others to copy centuries later (as in King Ludwig's, Walhalla). The Turks used the Parthenon as a powder magazine when the Venetians sieged the Acropolis in 1687. One of the Venetian bombs fell on the Parthenon and caused an explosion that destroyed a great part of the monument which had been preserved in a good condition until then. In the beginning of the 19th century, the British ambassador in Constantinople, Lord Elgin, took the greatest part of the sculptural decoration of the monument (frieze), transferred them to England, and sold them to the British Museum, where they are still exhibited. Greece has now planned to build a museum near the Acropolis in hopes that Great Britain will give the marble back. I have my doubts.
Corinth , one of the three major powers in Greece during the 5th c. BCE, took part in all the battles against the Persians. The city was totally destruction by the Romans in 146 BCE, and later resettled by Julius Caesar in 44 BCE.
Thessaloniki was first established in 316 BCE by Cassander and named after his wife, Thessaloniki, sister of Alexander the Great. In 168 BCE, it was taken by the Romans (Dan. 2:36-44), retaining its Hellenistic character.