Alexander The Great Influence

Pagden elaborates on Alexander’s greatness by describing how Alexander’s extremely powerful empire was a threat to others and how his success in his short lived life contributed to his defining empire, stating that, “his life became a tale of the elision of knowledge and understanding with power, of the merging of science and exploration with domination and settlement” (Pagden 14). The “merging of science and exploration with domination and settlement” is particularly significant in Alexander’s success, because it was put into his head that he modeled the hero Achilles, and Alexander impersonated him. Also, he was tutored by Aristotle and was convinced by Aristotle that the Greeks were the most advanced people compared to other cultures. Once Alexander conquered the Persians, he adopted many Persian customs and his ideas changed. Aside from his success on the battlefield, he also merged the customs of other lands he conquered with the Greek culture.

In document C it states “In the end, however, the causeway was completed and Alexander’s army smashed into the city.”, this is saying that even if the fight was 7 months he would never quit (Doc C). While on the move back to Greece Alexander’s followers wanted to quit and didn’t want to go on, so some stayed behind while he went on and “conquered the world” (Doc F). “At the time, Persia was probably the most powerful kingdom in the world. This mattered little to Alexander. Using his disciplined cavalry and infantry in both ways, Alexander fought his way through lands controlled by Persia - across Asia Minor, down the Mediterranean coast, into Egypt, and then to Mesopotamia. There he defeated a huge Persian army at Gaugamela.” (BGE). This quote is saying that even though Persia may be strong and powerful Alexander would still get his way wherever he went. This evidence helps explain why Alexander was great because when going through the difficult parts of his battles he would always stay strong and brave through it all despite the hard

He took a arrow to the shoulder in the process. He had his men dig holes in the foundation of the walls to weaken them. He brought battering rams to knock down the gates. Finally they breached the walls and Alexander and his men overtook the city. He showed no mercy to the citizens of the city.

Great men have lived on the face of the earth and left marks of their prowess and legacy that men of the present and even the future find it hard to emulate; a good example of such men is Alexander the Great. This paper seeks to explain further Alexander’s military genius and its positive impact on military impact over the past centuries. The paper also gives a well thought analysis why Alexander was so much successful in his wars and conquests. His big empire spread all the way from Gibraltar to the Punjab and in his leadership made Greek the lingua franca of his new World (Cary, M, 1932).

Alexander The Great was born in Macedonia in the year 356 B.C., several hundred years before Christ and even before the rise of Rome. Despite this fact he is still a topic of discussion and study more than two millennium later for a plethora of reasons. His insight and ability on the field of battle has made him a shining example of how to conduct the art of war. He has been studied for centuries by both military journals and colleges. He has also kept the scholars of this world as busy as well. His choices to build cities and centers for learning and the preservation of knowledge such as the library at Alexandria have been able to provide work for generations of archaeologists and other scholars. His image over the years has been one

When you think of Greek culture you think Spartans and the battle of 300 or Athens and the Parthenon, but one huge part of Greek history is the conquests of Alexander the Great. You may be wondering why is Alexander so important? Well if it wasn’t for Alexander Greek culture would not have spread as far and grown as powerful as it was in the small city states. Every story has a start, a beginning and an end Alexander’s just so happened to make the world a Greek one and not one of barbarians and smaller powers, he united all of the known world under his rule and made Greek culture grow further than anyone had ever predicted it would.

In the ancient world warfare consisted of hand to hand combat, until Philip the King of Macedon introduced cavalry into battle. Using this to his advantage, his son Alexander The Great, set out to conquer the Persian Empire. With great success Alexander’s empire stretched from Turkey to Pakistan. The conquered cities within the empire were greatly impacted by Alexander’s values. As a result, the conquered cities were forced the adjust to Greek and Macedonian culture.

The achievements and conquests of Alexander the Great both changed and shaped the world. To many considered the greatest general in history, Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.) revolutionized Greek warfare and conquered the greatest amount of territory in history. As a result, Dr. David J. Lonsdale of the University of Hull, sought to discover what made him a military genius. In this book, Lonsdale provides a military perspective of Alexander’s life and conquests. As stated by Lonsdale, his purpose in writing this book was to “increase our understanding of Alexander’s military prowess.” As well as aiming “to avoid any moral judgements about Alexander’s action. Sadly, such judgements do appear in some of this historical works on this subject.

Alexander the Great embarked from Greece in 334 BC never to return to his homeland. He established an empire which not only spanned Europe and Asia but also united them. The extent to which Alexander’s life agrees with the statement is dependent on the definitions of a ‘Greek Crusader’ and ‘Persian King’. The Greeks (except Sparta) had abolished their kingdoms and replaced them with the democratic city states. Consequently, the concept of ‘kings’ and what it meant to be ‘Greek’ had become estranged with the result that Alexander may not have been able to embody this Greek culture as the King of Macedon. The definition of ‘Crusader’ poses an issue; in hindsight its medieval connotations do not appear to be appropriate but the role ‘Greek Crusader’ can be defined in this context as a pursuer of vengeance against the Persian sacrilege or as an advocator of Greek culture and religion through the use of force. The term ‘Persian King’ could not only be interpreted to resemble their style of rule but also their customs and the favouring of the Asiatic peoples. The evolution of these roles in both the way they were viewed and the way they developed is essential in understanding how accurate the statement is.

Alexander III of Macedon is well known as Alexander the Great throughout the world. According to the standards and beliefs of the ancient historians, numerous elements contribute to recognize him as the “great.” Michael Wood’s Alexander the Great, encompasses narratives by Alexander’s biographers: Arrian, Plutarch, and Quintus Curtis Rufus. Arrian’s The Campaigns of Alexander, Plutarch’s Alexander, and Quintus Curtius Rufus’ The History of Alexander reveal brilliant episodes of the third century history and tale of adventures, defeats, and establishments by Alexander. Throughout the reading, some of the components that structure

Many people fail to realize that Alexander has had a definite affect on us today, although not as great as he would have had on people of the past. In most parts the world today, Alexander The Great is considered a legend; however, in some places, Alexander is considered a god. One of the most notable people in history, Alexander has reached an iconic status in our world today. He possibly may have even been referred to in the Quran (Surah 18:89-98). There are still many stories told about him including folktales, and movies. In modern Iran, Alexander is still known as an evil king who nearly destroyed the ancient Persian culture and religion. Although the effect of “Alexander Mania” has died down since the time of his reign, you can still see the mark that he has left on today’s world.

Alexander the Great is without doubt one of the greatest military leaders of history. Not only did Alexander of Macedon conquer enormous areas of the known world but also he demonstrated dynamic leadership and masterful strategy on a large scale and tactics on the battlefield. During his life, he ruled the largest empire the world had ever seen, which stretched from ancient Greece to India. The son of King Phillip II of Macedon, Alexander was educated by the philosopher Aristotle and first led Macedonian troops at age 18. Many times Alexander was worshipped as a god in some of the countries he ruled. He had a huge impact on world history spreading the seeds of western culture and philosophy across the world and has legends and stories about him in over 80 languages. He was head strong, violent, extremely brave, politically cunning, loved by his men, and a gifted leader. Few individuals have had the sort of impact on history that Alexander did. With his death, what was called the Hellenic Age becomes the Hellenistic. No longer was Greece a minor collection of city states, but a mighty empire. The western world, for better and for worse, became almost a single place, united by a common culture that left its mark on language, literature, and politics.

Alexander III of Macedon, widely known as Alexander the Great, is opinioned by some people to have been a ruthless man who only had a thirst for conquest , but according to others he was a man of intellect and “statesmanlike vision” (Hammond Preface). In N.G.L. Hammond’s book The Genius of Alexander the Great, as stated in the preface, he tries to refrain from writing based on his own opinion of Alexander, and instead analyzes the few surviving narratives on Alexander’s achievements in an unbiased manner. He portrays the conquests, struggles, and greatest achievements of Alexander’s career, such as the building of his empire that stretched from the eastern Mediterranean coast through Asia Minor and the

Alexander the Great, also known as Alexander III of Macedon (356–323 B.C.), is conceivably the most successful military mastermind of the ancient world. The warrior-king dominated territories that included Egypt, Greece and the present-day Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey. Alexander spent his 13-year reign working to bring together the East and the West using military strength and cultural exchange. He combined battleground victories with kingdom-building tactics to extend his territories. Alexander’s character grew so rapidly that by the time of his demise at the age thirty-two, people thought he possessed godlike qualities. It is not always easy to separate facts and fiction from the tales narrated about Alexander. However, there are eight great highlights from Alexander’s life . Alexander the Great conquered more territories within a short time because he was brave, a military strategist, and utilized the mistakes of his enemies to make them afraid of his martial power.

William Shakespeare once wrote that some men are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them. Some historians believe that Alexander III of Macedon fall into some of these categories, while others do not. This highly regarded ruler is often referred as ‘Alexander the Great’, however, the acknowledgement given by historians to Alexander’s father, Philip II of Macedon, does not sufficiently recognise Philip’s achievements as being a major qualifying factor of Alexander’s accomplishments. Conflict wise, Alexander is quite notable for many military achievements within his short rulership of twelve years, 335 to 323 BC. It is many of these achievements that derived from and were a major influence from Philip himself.