Greek philosophy has an influential role in the history of thought and global philosophies. It suffices to mention that it is the philosophy of the Near East since the conquests of Alexander, and it has been the philosophy of the West since the Romans took control of Greece in the middle of the second century BC. They recognized the genius of the conquered and took from them the causes of material and mental civilization, including philosophy. Christian thinkers invented this philosophy, then Muslim thinkers synthesized it, and it entered schools in the East and West, forming minds and dominating the development of sciences.