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:
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