These widespread empires would the middleman in trade between empires in Europe and East Asia for almost 2 millennia, profiting off the increased prices that they imposed upon the Europeans. This empire was a conquestorial rival to the Greeks but was eventually conquered alongside the Greeks by Alexander the Great, causing major diffusion of culture, science, beliefs, and architecture. After this period, this empire and its successors would be the protectorates and fostering grounds for Islam.