The publication of the Plates Volume to accompany the Cambridge Ancient History Volume III and that for Volume VII Part 1 inaugurates a new style and format for these books. The illustrations are now presented with a descriptive text and commentary, so that each chapter is a self-contained account of matters of archaeological and art-historical interest, relevant to the history of a period and place. The order of illustration is not always that of the chapters in the text volumes, but is determined by the material illustrated and the principal subjects it suggests. The intention is thus both to complement the text volumes and to provide an independent commentary on the material evidence of antiquity. The plates for Volume VII Part 1 covers the history and culture of the Hellenistic period from 323 to the first century B.C. Individual chapters deal with particular areas of the Hellenistic world - Ptolematic Egypt, the Seleucid kingdom, Bactria and India, Asia Minor, Macedonia, Greece and the Cyclades, Sicily and Magna Graecia. Other chapters cover aspects of life and society such as warfare, religion, trade, sport and education. The narrative draws on the evidence of topography, excavation and art-history to provide a well-rounded and coherent survey of the period, illustrating the positive contributions of the Hellenistic world to the story of Greek civilization and thus, through the medium of the Romans, to the modern world.