Azerbaijan in antiquity covers the history of the territory of today's Azerbaijan in the period in which Greek and Roman society flourished and wielded great influence throughout much of Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia, as well as the Caucasus. The antique period in the territory of Azerbaijan was observed during the existence of Caucasian Albania in the north starting from the fourth century BC. This state emerged in this region after the death of the Alexander the Great and the collapse of his empire in the East in 323 BC.