Alexander The Great Altar At Pergamons

Pericles and Alexander the Great are known as two Greek Icons who developed Greece into one of the most prestigious empires in history. During their time, Greece was vastly advanced and influenced western civilization today. The first leader to unselfishly use the political system of democracy, Pericles wanted to strengthen Greece influence around the world and pushed for other states to adopt democracy. Pericles allowed even the poorest citizens to hold a seat in office if elected by their peers. Alexander the Great was one of the greatest leaders and emperors of all time earning the name of “the great”. Today Alexander the Great is known as a conquering leader who created one of the largest empires of all time. Both Pericles and Alexander the Great are remembered today as some of the most accomplished and respected leaders in living memory.

In 336 BC, Macedonia had a new king. This new king's name was Alexander the Great. He was the son of King Philip II and decided to take over the throne after his father passed away. Not only was he king, he was also a mighty soldier. Alexander took his role as king very seriously. Once he became king, he quickly made his way to Greece and restored Macedonian rule in Northern Greece. Alexander was determined to take over the Persian Empire for his father in order to expand the Macedonian Empire. During his reign, Alexander trained the best army that Macedonian has every had. Alexander led the Macedonian Army to defeat the Persians. Alexander wasn't only king of Macedonia, he was also king of Persia. He eventually married a Persian Princess. The

And Greek mythology is embodied in a large collection of narratives, and implicitly in Greek representational arts, such as vase-paintings and votive gifts. Greek myth attempts to explain the origins of the

Alexander the Great was the king of Macedonia, conqueror of the Persian Empire, and one of the greatest military geniuses of all times. Even at an early age, Alexander had the promise to become a great leader. Through all his victories and conquests, he has become a great hero and has had a large impact on history. That is why I chose he book Alexander the Great, by J.R. Hamilton for my review. Hamilton does a very good job with the story of Alexander the Great.

“God mixed gold in the composition of those of you who are qualified to govern; in those fitted to be guardians he mixed silver; and in the farmers and artisans he mixed baser metals” (Plato 1). Philosopher and author of The Republic, Plato classified men and women based on three categories. These categories were separated by working classes--workers were in the baser metal category, soldier-guardians were in the silver category, and the elite philosopher-rulers were in the gold category. Also, Plato stated that to be a man of gold, one must possess the traits of wisdom, courage, and self-control. Pericles, a vital factor in Athenian’s success during the beginning of the Peloponnesian War, was placed into said gold category due to his ability to lead and possession of these traits. Furthermore, Plato declared that when a city was under the leadership of one in the baser metal category, the city would decline. Creon, an unsuccessful ruler, would fit into the baser metal category as Thebes of Ancient Greece perished under his command. Plato’s definition of a just leader, one who exhibits the traits of wisdom, courage, and self-control, did wholly apply to Pericles, whereas Creon did not have the traits of wisdom and self-control, although possessing the trait of courage.

History has bared through many conquerors, good and bad, honorable and corrupt, weak and insane, but through all of this came something of superiority. Civilizations rise and fall like the tides of the ocean and conquerors change positions like the phases of the moon. There will always be points when society must suffer through the worst in order to peak at the top and progress over these spans of time. It is the ones who bring these evolutions across the eras that earn the titles of the people, the leaders, who shall be remembered. With each and every one one of these leaders comes something new, an addition, an expansion, an enhancement, to the past, present, and future of this world. The golden age of Alexander the Great brought an extensive amount of influences, improvements, and times of bliss into our history.

Power is an ideal that many strive for, and few achieve, and there is no more obvious a demonstration of power, than besting someone in a battle. The Altar of Zeus from Pergamon, Turkey exemplifies that power. Created around 175 BCE it used to stand on a platform, surrounded by columns which were no doubt as imposing as the scenes of the sculptures. It is a narration of the gods and goddesses defeat over the giants, and victory in battle is nearly synonymous with power.

There are many grand themes throughout the history of Western Civilization and many “hinges” of history that have influenced its development. One important “hinge” was the life of Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great was actually a conduit and a source of influence on the spread of two other important turning points of Western Civilization: the Torah (religion) and Aristotle (philosophy). These turning points have altered Western Civilization’s direction in the world by changing the very base of human nature, our ideologies. None of these three turning points in history can be separated from each other since they interweave with and adapt to each other.

I, Alexander III, was born the son of a great warrior, King Phillip II of Macedonia and Olympias, daughter of King Neoptolemus I of Epirus. I was born on the 20th of July in 356 BC in Pella Greece. I spent most of my childhood in Pella’s royal court. During my time spent there I hardly ever saw my father because he spent most of his time in military campaigns or with one of his many women. On the other hand, mother, was always there for me, even when I did not ask for her presence.

Pericles was born in Athens, Greece in approximately 495 BCE. Because of his family’s wealth and nobility Pericles was able to pursue education. He had access to some of the best teachers. He enjoyed studying, politics, music, philosophy and ethics. He became the leader of Athens in 461 BCE until he died. Pericles died of the plague in 429 BCE in Athens, Greece. His father, Xanthippus, was a politician and a popular general. His mother, Agariste, was a member of the Alcmaeonidae noble family who were known to be very powerful and controversial. Pericles had three sons. His first two were from his first wife, ho he later divorced. They were called Paralus and Xanthippus, however the name of their mother is unknown. His third son was with Aspasia of Miletus. His son was called Pericles the Younger

Being born into one of the most leading families in Athens, Pericles was brought up in a very well off family. His father Xanthippus (meaning yellow horse) was known for his heroism in the Persian War also as a wealthy politician, which would have helped stem Pericles interested in politics from a young age having his father so heavily involved in politics. His mother, Agariste was from a culturally powerful Alcmaeondiae family which was also very wealthy. Due to his family’s wealth they could afford to educate Pericles and feed his growing interest in education, in fields such as Politics and Philosophy and music. Because of his high education he is known as one of the

With Alexander the Great’s dad, Philip of Macedon, assassinated, and having Greece under his siege, Alexander carries out what his dad couldn’t achieve. Young Alexander, brilliant and strategic, prepares for his conquest of Persia. Waiting impatiently, thinking seriously, Alexander waits for dawn to hit so his journey can begin. Finally, Dawn strikes and he happily yells, “We’re off to victory my men!” Behind him, his powerful, veteran army follows in hope of victory as well and are as excited as Alexander

The history of Greek mythology is an extravagant chronicle of tales of heroism, tragedy, and tradition. The Greeks had an extreme talent with fine arts, and these abilities are strongly reflected in their

Laocoon and His Sons is a marble sculpture representing a scene that is a part of the tale of the siege and invasion of Troy. Laocoon was the protagonist in a play by Sophocles that is now lost. He was also written about by Virgil. The statue itself is one of the most famous sculptures of Greek and Roman antiquity, its subject is Laocoön, a Trojan high priest, who, along with his two sons, is – according to legend - attacked and killed by two snakes, or sea serpents. The tale is known as myth, but its content may have symbolic roots in actual

The interpretation of Hercules in Greek mythology is just one small inaccuracy of the movie. The sculptures presented in Walt Disney’s Hercules, are a great example of how accurate the film is compared to ancient Greece by describing the similarities and differences of the art, as well as the depiction of real art pieces shown in the movie.