To put it in another way, it is surprising that the hellenistic kingdoms achieved ANYTHING.

Do you think it was easy for Ptolemaios to find himself in Egypt with less than 5000 soldiers? And yet, his dynasty has lasted for 300 years. Seleukos, as well, has conquered and re-conquered his realm with limited resources.

The Greeks in these "hellenistic" kingdoms have always been a priviledged minority, not always well received by the indigenous population (one needs only to look at some Egyptean papyri to see how often the Greeks and the fellahs collided). And yet, the taxes were being collected, the army waged wars - these kingdoms, in spite of the tremendous centrifugue tendencies, actually held on for quite a long time.

And, most importantly, the artistic and philosophical achievements of the time have been stupendous.

I might sound overly enthousiastic, but to coin the whole period as "pathetic" does seem a bit unfair, does it not?