Have you never heard of Homer or Plato? Written Greek literature started being developed at least four to five HUNDRED years B.C.!
The Hellenistic period or Hellenistic civilization is the period of ancient Greek history between the death of Macedonian king Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of ancient Rome. During this time, Greek cultural influence and power was at its zenith in Europe and Asia, experiencing prosperity and progress in the arts, exploration, literature, theatre, architecture, music, mathematics, philosophy and science. It is often considered a period of transition, sometimes even of decadence or degeneration, compared to the brilliance of the Greek Classical era (Classical Greece was a 200 year period in Greek culture lasting from the 5th through 4th centuries BC.). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellenistic_period
The area of Jerusalem and Bethlehem is not in Europe nor Asia...The Church started here...it was the Headquarters " of judism it is here that the scriptures are...it is here that they begin to spread throughout the area. I agree that there were advanced people elsewhere in the world, but they were not spreading the bible....they didn't have it.