Note 2 at Acts 20:2: In Paul's day, Greece and Achaia (see note 11 at Ac 18:12) referred to the same geographical area.

The history of Greece establishes it as one of the world's ancient civilizations, being mentioned in biblical history under the name Javan in Ge 10:4. However, myth and history are so mixed that definitive statements about Greece from written records can only be made from the time of the first Olympiad in 776 B.C.

From 776 B.C. to 500 B.C., Greece was united by a common language, sports, and literature, but the major cities maintained independence from each other with sometimes bloody rivalry. However, during this period, the Greek culture was developing and would forever change the world.

Different city-states of Greece, as they were called, gained leadership of the whole country and expanded its borders through conquest (see note 1 at Ac 17:15). Philip II of Macedon (see note 1 at Ac 16:9) conquered Greece in 359 B.C., and under Philip's son Alexander the Great, Greece, as part of the Macedonian empire, reached its greatest extent, conquering the Persian Empire and reaching all the way to India.

Greece was brought under Roman influence around 150 B.C., but because of its rebellion, Rome conquered it, making it an official part of the Roman Empire. However, its cultural influence continued to prevail, with Greek being the common language of the New Testament days.