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The term Hellenistic (derived from Héllēn, the Greeks' traditional self-described ethnic name) was established by the German historian Johann Gustav Droysen to refer to the spreading of Greek culture over the non-Greek people that were conquered by Alexander the Great. According to Droysen, the Hellenistic civilization was a fusion of Greek and Near Eastern cultures. The main cultural centers expanded from mainland Greece, to Pergamon, Rhodes, Antioch and Alexandria.