Jack Schamban

Throughout history, religion has impacted society through architecture. Two religions that have manipulated architecture are Islam and Christianity in the Byzantine empire. Both created edifices which shaped the history of architecture, the Byzantines created the Hagia Sophia, meaning Holy Wisdom (Nancy L. Stockdale, Hagia Sophia) and the Muslims created the Al-Masjid, meaning Holy Mosque (Britannica School, Great Mosque). It is clear, religion has molded architecture.
Built in 532, the Hagia Sophia, located in modern day Istanbul was the most complex architectural structure of its time (M. Joseph Costello Potter, “Hagia Sophia”). This church was built with a combination of two techniques, Central plan and rectangular basilica (M. Joseph Costello Potter, “Hagia Sophia”). The Hagia Sophia, meaning “Holy Wisdom”, is remembered for its arches, domes, and columns (Nancy L. Stockdale, Hagia Sophia). The Hagia Sophia has a dome, which rests on a crown. The crown was then placed upon four arches, which in turn was placed on four curved triangle-like structures. The weight on the north and south sides was absorbed by many arches, while the weight on the east and west sides was absorbed by semi domes (M. Joseph Costello Potter, “Hagia Sophia”). The first room, believers entered in was a 200 foot wide hall, after proceeding past the hall an oval with a width of 225 feet appeared. The oval was 107 feet in length and had a shallow dome, above which was 160 feet above the oval (M. Joseph Costello Potter, “Hagia Sophia”). The Hagia Sophia had many openings within the ceiling to light it during the day, with the additional 40 windows in the ceiling (M. Joseph Costello Potter, “Hagia Sophia”). During night the Hagia Sophia was lit with lamps, which illuminated the gold, silver, bronze, and mosaics. With greek-like pillars, and mortar and stone, the Hagia Sophia’s structure has been imitated, by the Europeans and Muslims, but was never the same (Nancy L. Stockdale, Hagia Sophia).
Located in Mecca, the Al-Masjid surrounds the Ka’bah, the holiest of shrines (Britannica School, Great Mosque). The Al-Masjid consists of a courtyard with multiple covered prayer sites, which are visited to complete the Hajj (Britannica School, Great Mosque). These areas are covered by domes (Britannica School, Great Mosque). The four sites are, station of Abraham, the Hijr which is where Ishmael and Hagar are buried, the Zamzam spring, and the Ka’bah (Juan E. Campo, Kaaba). The section of Abraham, has a stone with Qur’an scripture about rebuilding the Ka’bah Ishmael and Zamzam. The Zamzam spring is located between two hills within the courtyard (Britannica School, Great Mosque). The Hijr is a semicircle wall (Juan E. Campo, Kaaba). The Ka’bah is 50 feet high, 40 feet long, and 30 feet deep. Covering this shrine, is black cloth engraved with Qur’an scripture in gold and silver thread (Juan E. Campo, Kaaba). Lit by lamps, the inside of the Ka’bah is filled with scripture from the Qur’an. To enter the Ka’bah worshippers pass through large, decorated doors (Juan E. Campo, Kaaba). The Al-Masjid  is one of the ancient, architectural treasures of the planet.
The Al-Masjid and Hagia Sophia have similar and different parts to it. Both are similar and different. Each structure has domes, and opening allowing light in. The Al-Masjid has a small portion covered for praying with the vast majority of the courtyard unenclosed. On the other side of the spectrum the Hagia Sophia contains many apertures and windows allowing light to penetrate the building. The style of artwork within the Hagia Sophia is much different than the Al-Masjid. The Hagia Sophia has many mosaics and rooms, while the Al-Masjid contains different praying sites which are in an open area. However, both cultures use precious metals in their structures. The Hagia Sophia using gold, silver, and bronze in its mosaics and artwork, is similar to the Al-Masjid which had gold sings woven into the Ka’bah. However, the main difference between the Hagia Sophia and the Al-Masjid is how each is laid out; the Al-Masjid consist of four main components: the Ka’bah, Zamzam spring, Hijr, and the section of Abraham, while the Hagia Sophia has two main rooms. The Hagia Sophia consists of one main corridor and the epicenter of the building. Both structures are similar, yet different both are unique in their own way.
Each structure has religious and historical value to the world. Even though they are 1,732 miles apart each has affected and molded architecture in the subsequent years. Whether one is the pilgrimage site for muslims or it’s an edifice which was the apex of its time, both are unequaled. Religion created the inspiration for these buildings, and in turn both have molded architecture. The Hagia Sophia and the Al-Masjid are architecturally fascinating structures, which were and still are the pinnacle of human genius.

Works Cited

Campo, Juan E. “Kaaba.” Encyclopedia of Islam, Facts On File, 2009, Ancient and Medieval History: Pre-1500, online.infobase.com/HRC/Search/Details/218486?q=Kaaba.

"Great Mosque of Mecca." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 21 Mar. 2012. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/544233. Accessed 12 Dec. 2016.

Potter, M. Joseph Costelloe and Dickenson, Edmund. "Building of Hagia Sophia." Great Events from History: The Middle Ages, 477-1453. Ed. Brian A. Pavlac. Hackensack: Salem, 2004. n. pag. Salem Online. Web. 12 Dec. 2016. <http://online.salempress.com>.

Stockdale, Nancy L. "Hagia Sophia." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, ABC-CLIO, 2016, ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1037449. Accessed 12 Dec. 2016.

Reed's Alexander post

Alexander the Great was the noble and courageous ruler. He conquered much of the common known world today such as Egypt, Afghanistan, and India. However as soon as he died almost all this land was lost. Even though this happened Alexander the Great’s adventure was worth it.

        One of the first Conquests Alexander made was the conquest of Egypt in 332 BC. After conquering Persia's naval bases all along the coastline of Asia and Syria, Alexander marched into Egypt where he remained for some six months. When Alexander entered Egypt they addressed him as a God. The called him the Master of the Universe and son of the deity of Amun at the Oracle of Siwa Oasis in the Libyan desert. Because of this Alexander would call Zeus as his real father and the currency that showed adorned with ram horns as a symbol of his divinity. While Alexander was in Egypt he founded Alexandria. Alexandria became the most prosperous capital of the Ptolemaic Kingdom after he died. Alexander left Egypt in the spring of 331 BC. Although he would never return alive to see the city he had founded, it became where his final resting place would be when his body was returned to their ten years later. Alexander’s conquest of Egypt was very important for his story. If Alexander had never conquered, or freed, Egypt of Persian rule he would have never made Alexandria which had grown to be one of the most productive cities in all of Egypt. After Egypt Alexander moved on to conquer Persepolis. Alexander Reached Persepolis in January. Alexander describes Persepolis as, “His worst enemy among the cities of Asia.”  Once he conquered Persepolis he had his soldiers raid and loot the city.  During this raid a fire broke out in the temple of Xerxes, destroying everything.

         However Alexander did not get to kill Darius as he had wanted to. Instead one of Darius’ generals, Bessus, betrayed Darius and killed him. Alexander was furious, he took his massive army and the Persians who left Darius to chase down Bessus into modern Afghanistan. Alexander perused Besus into Afghanistan until eventually one of Besus’ generals, Spitamenes, In 329 BC. Spitamenes handed over Bessus to Ptolemy, one of Alexander’s most trusted companions. Alexander’s presence in Afghanistan was very prosperous to the Afghani people. At the time Afghanistan was a very small country. It consisted of mostly farmers without any writing skills. After Alexander’s presence there was art and sculptors and he established a new form of Government. Alexander really helped Afghanistan.

Alexander was an amazing ruler and leader to his people. He conquered most of the Middle East and some of North Africa. Even though after his death most of the land was lost he is still known as one of the greatest generals ever.

Works Cited

 "Alexander the Great: the Destruction of Persepolis." Livius. Articles on Ancient History.

Web.8 Nov. 2016. <http://www.livius.org/aj-al/alexander/alexander_t12.html>.

Fiddles, Alan M. "Alexander the Great in Egypt." Arab World Books Your Cultural Club, Arabic Bookstore and Arab Authors' Home Promoting Cultural Dialogue. Web.

8 Nov. 2016. <http://www.arabworldbooks.com/new/alexander.html>.

Marshall, H. E. "Alexander the Great Invades India." About Hinduism - What You Need to Know About Hinduism. Web. 10 Mar. 2011. <http://hinduism.about.com/od/history/a/alexander.htm>.

Momad, Wahid. "Afghanland.com Afghanistan and Alexander the Great." Afghanland.com. Web.

8 Nov. 2016. <http://www.afghanland.com/history/alexander.html>.

Reed's Alexander post

Alexander the Great was the noble and courageous ruler. He conquered much of the common known world today such as Egypt, Afghanistan, and India. However as soon as he died almost all this land was lost. Even though this happened Alexander the Great’s adventure was worth it.

        One of the first Conquests Alexander made was the conquest of Egypt in 332 BC. After conquering Persia's naval bases all along the coastline of Asia and Syria, Alexander marched into Egypt where he remained for some six months. When Alexander entered Egypt they addressed him as a God. The called him the Master of the Universe and son of the deity of Amun at the Oracle of Siwa Oasis in the Libyan desert. Because of this Alexander would call Zeus as his real father and the currency that showed adorned with ram horns as a symbol of his divinity. While Alexander was in Egypt he founded Alexandria. Alexandria became the most prosperous capital of the Ptolemaic Kingdom after he died. Alexander left Egypt in the spring of 331 BC. Although he would never return alive to see the city he had founded, it became where his final resting place would be when his body was returned to their ten years later. Alexander’s conquest of Egypt was very important for his story. If Alexander had never conquered, or freed, Egypt of Persian rule he would have never made Alexandria which had grown to be one of the most productive cities in all of Egypt. After Egypt Alexander moved on to conquer Persepolis. Alexander Reached Persepolis in January. Alexander describes Persepolis as, “His worst enemy among the cities of Asia.”  Once he conquered Persepolis he had his soldiers raid and loot the city.  During this raid a fire broke out in the temple of Xerxes, destroying everything.

         However Alexander did not get to kill Darius as he had wanted to. Instead one of Darius’ generals, Bessus, betrayed Darius and killed him. Alexander was furious, he took his massive army and the Persians who left Darius to chase down Bessus into modern Afghanistan. Alexander perused Besus into Afghanistan until eventually one of Besus’ generals, Spitamenes, In 329 BC. Spitamenes handed over Bessus to Ptolemy, one of Alexander’s most trusted companions. Alexander’s presence in Afghanistan was very prosperous to the Afghani people. At the time Afghanistan was a very small country. It consisted of mostly farmers without any writing skills. After Alexander’s presence there was art and sculptors and he established a new form of Government. Alexander really helped Afghanistan.

Alexander was an amazing ruler and leader to his people. He conquered most of the Middle East and some of North Africa. Even though after his death most of the land was lost he is still known as one of the greatest generals ever.

Alexander the Great was the noble and courageous ruler. He conquered much of the common known world today such as Egypt, Afghanistan, and India. However as soon as he died almost all this land was lost. Even though this happened Alexander the Great’s adventure was worth it.

        One of the first Conquests Alexander made was the conquest of Egypt in 332 BC. After conquering Persia's naval bases all along the coastline of Asia and Syria, Alexander marched into Egypt where he remained for some six months. When Alexander entered Egypt they addressed him as a God. The called him the Master of the Universe and son of the deity of Amun at the Oracle of Siwa Oasis in the Libyan desert. Because of this Alexander would call Zeus as his real father and the currency that showed adorned with ram horns as a symbol of his divinity. While Alexander was in Egypt he founded Alexandria. Alexandria became the most prosperous capital of the Ptolemaic Kingdom after he died. Alexander left Egypt in the spring of 331 BC. Although he would never return alive to see the city he had founded, it became where his final resting place would be when his body was returned to their ten years later. Alexander’s conquest of Egypt was very important for his story. If Alexander had never conquered, or freed, Egypt of Persian rule he would have never made Alexandria which had grown to be one of the most productive cities in all of Egypt. After Egypt Alexander moved on to conquer Persepolis. Alexander Reached Persepolis in January. Alexander describes Persepolis as, “His worst enemy among the cities of Asia.”  Once he conquered Persepolis he had his soldiers raid and loot the city.  During this raid a fire broke out in the temple of Xerxes, destroying everything.

         However Alexander did not get to kill Darius as he had wanted to. Instead one of Darius’ generals, Bessus, betrayed Darius and killed him. Alexander was furious, he took his massive army and the Persians who left Darius to chase down Bessus into modern Afghanistan. Alexander perused Besus into Afghanistan until eventually one of Besus’ generals, Spitamenes, In 329 BC. Spitamenes handed over Bessus to Ptolemy, one of Alexander’s most trusted companions. Alexander’s presence in Afghanistan was very prosperous to the Afghani people. At the time Afghanistan was a very small country. It consisted of mostly farmers without any writing skills. After Alexander’s presence there was art and sculptors and he established a new form of Government. Alexander really helped Afghanistan.

Alexander was an amazing ruler and leader to his people. He conquered most of the Middle East and some of North Africa. Even though after his death most of the land was lost he is still known as one of the greatest generals ever.

Alexander: Great but not Perfect

John Richardson

Alexander the Great is a name well known by many people. It’s undeniable that Alexander wasn’t just a “nobody” that had little impact on ancient Greece. They don’t just start calling people “Great” because they sit around and do literally all day, but did Alexander really live up to that title? While the question about whether Alexander the Great was actually “great” is controversial, there are more signs pointing to the side that says he is in fact great.

Alexander was born in July 356 bce at Pella, the Macedonian Capital. His father was King Philip II and his mother was Queen Olympia. Alexander was thought to actually have come from Gods such as Zeus and Hercules.“He said, namely, it was no wonder that the temple of Artemis was burned down, since the goddess was busy bringing Alexander into the world.” (Plutarch). This is an example of how important people thought Alexander was looking back on his life. This quote explains how Plutarch believed that the goddess Artemis brought Alexander into the world. While this can be interpreted as him exaggerating or making a joke of some kind, he is still talking very highly of Alexander. If people truly thought of Alexander as a demigod, in turn, he comes off as “great”.

Alexander was inarguably a great general and commander. “Thus it was that at the age of twenty years Alexander received the kingdom, which was exposed to great jealousies, dire hatreds, and dangers on every hand.” (Plutarch). Because he started at a young age,  his knowledge of battle battle strategy and ability to improvise in war made him successful in every single battle. Alexander never lost a battle, and he fought a good number of times. However, while Alexander never lost, he didn’t exactly take care of the land that he took over. He never looked back to rebuild upon his empire. Even though his skills of rebuilding are lackluster, his empire stretched from The Adriatic Sea to The Indus River. That’s 3,000 miles, which was impressive in the ancient world, and perhaps even now.

Alexander achieved something that Athens and Sparta never could, and that was defeating the Persian Empire. “When the tough, hard-drinking Philip fell to an assassin's knife in 336 BCE, he himself was preparing to invade Persian territory.” (Encyclopedia of the Ancient Greek World, Third Edition.) Philip was already going to invade Persia so Alexander carried the plans out. The defeat of the Persian Empire allowed for geek culture to expand eastward. When the greek culture clashed with other cultures, they formed new cultures, and Alexander was responsible for this. Athens and Sparta had been trying to defeat Persia for awhile, but Alexander did it in the short time he was in charge of the army. He commanded his first battle at around the age of 16. When his father died he moved up the ranks and handled the responsibility not perfectly, but to a “great” standard.

Alexander the Great lived up to the title of “Great.” The argument against that stems from the fact that he could have done more with the land that he conquered. But remember, it’s not Alexander the Perfect. While he did have some problems, the good outweigh the bad. He took over an abundance of land to create an  Empire that stretched over 3,000 miles. He also did this in a short amount time, considering he did only live until the age of about 32. Alexander defeated Persia, which Athens and Sparta could never do. Many people in the ancient world aspired to be like Alexander the great. This is why Alexander has earned the title of greatness.

Sources:

Briant, Pierre, and AMÉLIE KUHRT. "Introduction: Alexander before the Expedition to Asia Minor               (356–334)." Alexander the Great and His Empire: A Short Introduction.      http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt7t64q?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=Alexander&searchTe   xt=the&searchText=Great&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DAlexander%2Bthe%2B  Great%26amp%3Bacc%3Doff%26amp%3Bwc%3Don%26amp%3Bfc%3Doff%26amp%3Bgroup%3Dnone Princeton UP, 2010. 1-6. Web.

Dell, Pamela, and Debra I. Skelton. Society in Alexander's Empire. Chelsea

    House, 2009. Ancient and Medieval History Online, online.infobase.com/hrc/

    learningcenter/details/7?articleid=397264. Accessed Sept. 2016.

Dell, Pamela, and Debra L. Skelton. Legacy of Alexander the Great. Chelsea

    House, 2009. Ancient and Medieval History Online, online.infobase.com/HRC/

    LearningCenter/Details/7?articleId=397267. Accessed Sept. 2016.

History.com Staff. "Alexander the Great." History.com, A+E Networks, 2009,

    www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/alexander-the-great. Accessed Oct.

    2016.

Plutarch. "The Parallel Lives by Plutarch." Penelope.uchicago.edu,

    penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Alexander*/3.html.

Sacks, David. "Encyclopedia of the Ancient Greek World." Encyclopedia of the

    Ancient Greek World. Ancient and Medieval History Online,

    online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=180518&itemid=WE49&articleId=224479.

    Originally published in Encyclopedia of the Ancient Greek World, Facts on

    File, 2015. Accessed Sept. 2016.

Images:

http://mrspencer.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/alexander-the-greats-empire-map.gif

http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/53ebaa5b6bb3f72036056f58-960/alexander-the-great.jpg

Jackson Rogers - Alexander Post

Alexander the Great deserves to be called great because he had many great accomplishments and also was a very good leader. Even though he was an alcoholic, he was still a great leader in the military and government. “Alexander III the Great, the King of Macedonia and conqueror of the Persian Empire is considered one of the greatest military geniuses of all times.” (www.historyofmacedonia.org) Alexander never stayed in the back of his army and watched, he would always lead from the front and fight. Because he did this, his troops had more confidence and it made him look strong and fearless.

Many people believe that Alexander’s father created the powerful army and government and Alexander just took over and didn’t do anything. That may be true but Alexander still conquered so much land and his army just got better and better. “Perhaps the greatest military genius of the ancient world, the warrior-king Alexander III of Macedon (356–323 B.C.) conquered territories stretching from Greece to Egypt and through present-day Turkey, Iran and Pakistan.”(Nate Barksdale) He used a special battle tactic called the Phalanx which was a group of men and they would use sixteen foot long spears and it proved to be unbeatable. In one battle, the battle of Issus in 333 BCE, Alexander and his troops were outnumbered and he still defeated them. That was the second time Alexander defeated Persia, the first was the battle of Granicus in 334 BCE. Alexander kept attacking Persia and in one battle, the battle of Gaugamela in 331 BCE, he defeated the Persian army once again and captured the Persian treasury. After the battle of Gaugamela, Darius III was killed by one of his generals and Alexander was furious because he thought that it took away his ability to say that he had defeated him. After that, Alexander became the ruler of Persia.

Alexander was a great leader in Persia and had great intentions for his new empire but he died at age 32 so he couldn’t fulfill those intentions. Today, we still do not know how Alexander died but many people think it was from malaria. There are a lot more conspiracies to how he died but we still have no clue which is the actual way he died. Alexander intended for Persia to become a Greek empire and to have a unified culture. After he defeated Darius III, Alexander captured Darius’ mother and daughters but didn’t harm them and then later he married one of the daughters.

Alexander has had so many accomplishments in his life which makes him deserve to be called great. When he was a boy, there was a horse that no one could tame called Bucephalus. At age 11 or 12, Alexander tamed him and rode with him all over the ancient world. “Greek culture undoubtedly penetrated into western Asia as the result of his conquests, and western Asia, up to the Mesopotamian frontier, became for the first time a part of the Greek world. This is Alexander’s most certain, though unintended, historical achievement.” (History.com Staff) Alexander conquered so much land and created over 70 cities which he named most of them after himself and one after Bucephalus. A lot of people think that naming over 70 cities after yourself is very egotistical which may be true.

In the end, Alexander deserves to be called great because of his accomplishments and his leadership skills military and government wise. He created a huge empire and had an unbeatable army. Even though Alexander had some flaws, he was a great leader and will be remembered through all of time.

Works Cited

“Alexander the Great. Philip II and Rise of Alexander.” World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, ABC-CLIO, 2016, ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Topics/Display/1185179?cid=140&sid=1877942. Accessed 29 Sept. 2016.

“Alexander the Great. Alexander’s Career and Conquests.” World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, ABC-CLIO,2016, ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Topics/Display/1185179?cid=140&sid=1877943. Accessed 29 Sept. 2016.

“Alexander the Great. Spread of Greek Culture.” World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, ABC-CLIO, 2016, ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Topics/Display/1185179?cid=140&sid=1877944. Accessed 29 Sept. 2016.

“Alexander the Great. Division of Alexander’s Empire.” World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, ABC-CLIO, 2016, ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Topics/Display/1185179?cid=140&sid=1877945. Accessed 29 Sept. 2016.

“Alexander the Great.” Changing Minds, changingminds.org/disciplines/warfare/commanders/alexander_great.htm. Accessed 29 Sept. 2016.

“Alexander the Great Alexander of Macedon Biography.” Alexander the Great, www.historyofmacedonia.org/AncientMacedonia/AlexandertheGreat.html. Accessed 29 Sept. 2016.

Barksdale, Nate. “8 Surprising Facts about Alexander the Great.” History.com, A+E Networks, 2014, www.history.com/news/history-lists/eight-surprising-facts-about-alexander-the-great. Accessed 29 Sept. 2016.

History.com Staff. “Alexander the Great.” History.com, A+E Networks, 2009, www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/alexander-the-great. Accessed 29 Sept. 2016.

Plutarch. “Plutarch, the Parallel Lives.” penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Alexander*/3.html. Accessed 29 Sept. 2016.

Watts, Tim J. “The Hellenistic Age.” World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, ABC-CLIO, 2016, ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Topics/Display/15. Accessed 29 Sept. 2016.