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Alexander the Greathttp://www.ancient.eu/Alexander_the_Great/ |
Imagine ruling one of the greatest empires in history but having everything drastically change at age thirty-two. Alexander the Great was around twenty years old when he became king of Macedonia and Greece. His father, Philip II, passed on his legacy to Alexander because he was stabbed and murdered at his daughter's wedding. Alexander conquered land from Greece to some of India, and spread a culture that incorporated the Greek, Persian, Indian, and Egyptian way of life. This left a persisting impact on the world throughout history, influencing the hellenistic culture. The majority of the ancient population believed he was idealistic and gave him the name of "Alexander the Great." He was an unique ruler by leading an extravagant military, developing an unaccustomed culture, and has persuaded generations of societies to believe he was the definition of "great."
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Alexander the Great and his Military Battling Persiahttp://online.factsonfile.com/alexander-the -great/learning-modules/introduction.aspx |
Alexander is known for his military achievements, and was a true leader. He became king around age twenty from the tragic death of his father, Philip II of Macedonia. Despite the difficulties of being young and recovering from a loss in the family, he managed to be successful. He was still able to accomplish many achievements in his life. Most people believe the only reason Alexander was heroic is because his empire never lost a battle, but this is only one of his many of strengths. He built a relentless military by encouraging his soldiers and inspired them with remarkable speeches. At this point, Alexander's men had been marching and fighting for almost ten years. They had given up and begged to turn home. The historian Arrian restated Alexander's speech presented to his military. In the speech he said, "You have made yourselves masters of the lands beyond the Caspian Gates, beyond the Caucasus, beyond the Tanais, of Bactria, Hyrcania, and the Hyrcanian sea. We have driven the Scythians back into the desert; and Indus and Hydaspes, Acesines and Hydraotes flow now through country which is ours. With all that accomplished, why do you hesitate to extend the power of Macedon—your power—to the Hyphasis and the tribes on the other side?" In this quote, Alexander is empowering his men and attempting to push them to the next level. Alexander the Great not only lead a fierce army, but also challenged them with a supporting and tenacious spirit.
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Map of Hellenistic Culture |
Alexander was a great leader because of his military power, but he also concocted a contemporary culture. He combined the Indian, Egyptian, Greek, and Persian civilizations into one after they were conquered. Aspects from each region were blended together and formed the Hellenistic culture. Alexander also was respectful and did not destroy any significant branch of each civilization. While his military was at battle, they unintentionally destroyed monuments, but later attempted to rebuild them. He also banned minor tribal religions, which is one of his flaws. For the most part though, he accepted and treasured the main ideas from each of the areas included in his empire. He also treated those who were not from Macedonia or Greece with kindness. Alexander’s main goal was to kill the Persian king, Darius I, but even when he found him dying, he treated him with respect. Mr. Giotto’s Online Textbook states, “Darius died as Alexander gave him his last drink of water. Darius thanked Alexander for treating his family kindly and said, ‘Who would have thought, that with all the people in the world, I should receive a last act of kindness from you.’” This shows how much affection Alexander showed even towards his enemies. By originating a new culture and respecting the people of that culture, Alexander the Great has proven himself as being truly great.
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Egyptian Coin with Alexander |
The public opinion for the most part has always thought Alexander was great, except for those who constantly focus on his flaws. Some people challenge the fact on how he is viewed as great. They target he was most likely an alcoholic, got injured in a battle, and died young. He could have died from many things, and this could make him look bad for being unhealthy. James Romm states in a History Today article, “It is disturbing to think that blind chance – a drink from the wrong stream or a bite from the wrong mosquito – put the ancient world on a perilous new course. An explanation that keeps the change in human hands may in some ways be reassuring, even though it involves a darker view of Alexander’s relations with his Companions, the inner circle of friends and high-ranking officers that surrounded him in Babylon.” Alexander is believed to be great by millions, but the few who disagree neglect the facts that prove he is indeed great. He has been passed down from generation to generation as great, so most tend to believe he is great.
Alexander the Great invented a culture that has influenced present day, lead an undefeated military, and has gone through history as the definition of a leader. Alexander has proved himself to the world by being one of the first true leaders that are talked about even today. He is an original leader because there is no one who is compared to his level of authority and personality. It is fascinating what he accomplished throughout his short lifetime. Even though he did have flaws, there are many more strong points about him. Alexander is a very important figure to learn about in history today, and is worthy of his fame.
Works Cited:
"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 18 Sept. 2016.
Alexander the Great. Ancient History Encyclopedia, www.ancient.eu/
Alexander_the_Great/. Accessed 29 Sept. 2016.
"Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Age." Mr. Giotto's Online Textbook.
onlinetextbook.cfm?subpage=1653418. Accessed 29 Sept. 2016.
"Alexander the Great. Closing." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, ABC-CLIO, 2016, ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Topics/Display/1185179?cid=140&sid=1877946. Accessed 20 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 20 Sept. 2016.
"Alexander the Great. Introduction." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, ABC-CLIO, 2016, ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Topics/Display/1185179?cid=140&sid=1877941. Accessed 18 Sept. 2016.
"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 18 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 20 Sept. 2016.
Plutarch. "The Parallel Lives." University od Chicago, penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Alexander*/3.html. Accessed 29 Sept. 2016.
Reynolds, Clark G. "Alexander the Great." Great Lives from History: The Ancient World, Prehistory-476 c.e.. Ed. Christina A. Salowey. Hackensack: Salem, 2004. n. pag. Salem Online. Web. 20 Sep. 2016. <http://online.salempress.com>.
Romm, James. "Who Killed Alexander the Great?" History Today, vol. 62, no. 4, Apr. 2012. History Today, www.historytoday.com/james-romm/who-killed-alexander-great. Accessed 29 Sept. 2016.
The Egyptians considered Alexander to be the son of the god Ammon. So he began
to wear a headdress with ram's horns, a sacred symbol of Ammon. This silver
coin showing Alexander's image with horns (ca. 305-281 B.C.E.) comes from
Thrace. Facts on File, online.factsonfile.com/alexander-the-great/
learning-modules/the-beginning-of-alexanders-empire.aspx. Accessed 29 Sept.
2016.
The period after Alexander is called the Hellenistic Age. Alexander had died
without siring a legitimate heir, giving his generals carte blanche to
seize and divide up his vast realm. These so-called diadochoi
("successors") inaugurated three centuries of internecine conflict in the
eastern Mediterranean area. Governed by one of Alexander's generals Ptolemy
and a long line of his descendants, Egypt was the only of these "successor
states" to thrive and enjoy any stability, and indeed a Hellenized
("Greek-ified") Egypt did prosper, becoming a home-away-from-home for many
post-Classical Greek authors. The discovery there of thousands of papyri
(scraps of "paper") with Greek writing on them, dating to the third century
BCE onward, is evidence of the large number of Greek speakers who moved
into Egypt in the Hellenistic Age. Thus, the Greeks' business interests
continued to expand even after the Macedonian conquest, many becoming very
wealthy in the course of their cosmopolitan commercial adventures. Utah
State University, www.usu.edu/markdamen/ClasDram/chapters/051clasgk.htm.
Accessed 29 Sept. 2016.
This 1445 painting shows Alexander battling the Persians. It imagines the
ancient leader wearing medieval armor. Alexander's achievements inspired
kings and military leaders through the ages. 1445. Facts on File,
online.factsonfile.com/alexander-the-great/learning-modules/introduction.aspx.
Accessed 29 Sept. 2016.
"To This Empire There Will Be No Boundaries." Facts on File, online.infobase.com/HRC/Search/PrimarySourceDetails?primarySourceId=6406&q=%22Alexander%20the%20Great%22. Accessed 29 Sept. 2016.
1. Your post was very interesting! I found it interesting because you went into lots of detail about Alexander’s life, specifically his days as a military leader. You used quotes that helped me understand the way that Alexander was very clearly. I also found it interesting that you went into detail about Alexander’s death.
ReplyDelete2. My research showed mostly the same information.
3. I wish that you would have mentioned more about Alexander’s young life and how he grew up. This is one of the most interesting things about him! Other than this, your post is really good!
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ReplyDelete
ReplyDelete1.I found it really interesting that Alexander gave Darius the 2nd his last drink of water before he died, and that you went into detail on his life.
2.The information that I researched didn’t paint him as a kind person, it was really neat to read about the more kind side.
3.I would have liked to see mentioned in a little further detail that Alexander adopted aspects of the different cultures, for example dress and court traditions. Your paper still is really good.
1. I found the supporting evidence, and topics for the claim to be really interesting. The quote especially from Alexander to his military helped support the topic and his intentions a lot.
ReplyDelete2. I had the same argument and found mostly the same information.
3. Like what Ava said, the more information you know about what his childhood was like, you have context of what kind of person he was. Great job!
1. I find the pictures really interesting and diverse from one another. Also, you bring up really good points to talk about in the body paragraphs such as his relationships and connections. Also, you’re quotes fit in perfectly. You told tons of little details that made it interesting
ReplyDelete2. My research doesn’t contradict anything you said.
3. I wish you would’ve mentioned his ambition a little more.
i find it really interesting how you got into so much detail with everything and supported a lot with evidence that he truly was great.
ReplyDeleteWe didn't really have anything that was different information.
i wish you would have mentioned more about his background or as a child but your paper is very good!
The amount of sources is impressive because it really showed me that you looked at many different perspectives and wrote a well-balanced paper. The research matched mine. One thing that you could improve upon to make this even better is provide more facts and analysis and not include such lengthy quotes that make up most of your essay.
ReplyDelete1. I found it really liked the sentence mentioning how he was still successful despite the fact that he was still young, and recovering from a family loss. I was a really good way to put the reader in Alexander’s perspective.
ReplyDelete2. Most of our research was similar, but I thought that Alexander died before being able to rebuild any of the destruction. He might have started it but never completed.
3. I wish you had added a little more facts about the Hellenistic culture, because it was a huge part of why he was great, but even without it, it fit in really well in the introduction and conclusion.