The Hellenistic East, a region in ancient and powerful centers, was a place where the Seleucid Kingdom, Judea, and the Aegean thrived. It was a place where the Roman advance was halted by the efforts of the Roman elite to stop the spread of ethnic or political upheaval. The Hellenistic period saw the rise of powerful empires, such as the Roman Empire, the Macedonians, and the Byzantines, which shaped the course of history in the Mediterranean.