Alexander The Great: Not Just a Title Throughout history, many figures have been deemed “great”, especially among the ancient Greeks. What makes a figure worthy of being classified as great depends not only on the actions of the individual and their impact on history, but also the qualities they possessed which allowed them to achieve greatness, not by chance, but by their own power. A prime example of this is Alexander the Great, a man who was worthy of his title. Some historians subscribe to the “Great Man Theory”, which states that history can be explained by the accomplishments and influence of notable individuals, instead of concentrating on events. Specifically, it focuses on the “event-making man” as a great individual, whose individual …show more content…
He built upon his father’s success and advanced the Greek empire beyond anything Philip had imagined, not only completing his father’s goal of conquering the Persian Empire, but expanding it even further. His empire grew to include Egypt, Persia, Mesopotamia, and even parts of India, totalling an area of 22 million square miles. He was able to do this despite being very young, ruling between the ages of 20 to 33, and achieved all of this in the span of an 11-year campaign. Alexander was undeniably a brilliant military commander, as evidenced by his careful planning, flawless operations, and superiority in both sieges and set battles. Yet, Alexander’s greatest accomplishment was not militaristic. Through his conquest, he spread Greek language and culture as a uniting force across the vast empire, in a process called Hellenization. As Greek citizens migrated to the foreign lands Alexander conquered, Greek knowledge, including philosophy, physics, mathematics, and more, spread across the empire, while knowledge from other …show more content…
Alexander was certainly not the only ancient Greek worthy of being labelled great. Consider Archimedes, one of the greatest mathematicians and physicists in ancient times. His numerous achievements include determining the ratio of circumference to diameter in a circle, which he called pi; creating a method to calculate the volume of a sphere; and discovering that the difference in an object’s weight when submerged in water is equal to the weight of the water displaced, a principle known as the Archimedes’ principle. These concepts are incredibly important to modern fields of mathematics and physics. Archimedes even invented the Archimedes screw, a device used to raise water, which is still used in developing countries today. Like Alexander, Archimedes’ achievements were made possible by the extraordinary abilities he possessed, namely superior intellect and reasoning. They significantly impacted history and continue to impact the modern world, thus earning him the title of greatness. Yet, the accomplishments of Archimedes were entirely different from those of Alexander, making them great in different respects. Archimedes was a great academic, while Alexander was a great leader. This shows that greatness is not limited to a certain type of feat. It is a broad term that can include many individuals, so long as they possessed qualities that allowed them to accomplish something which left a mark on
Alexander went to Corinth for the assembly of the Greek league and was named the supreme commander of all Greece. At that time the Thebans’ revolted; he destroyed everything in their city except the temples. This served as a reminder to the other communities and tribes in Macedonia respected and honored Alexander. He proceeded to conquer the Asia Minor, and used his knowledge to plan and organize the army. During the Persian expedition Alexander had in his army more than 100 000 but only a few fought. Alexander honored veterans; he left them in charge of cities. He was a military genius and could change his army within seconds and used to make decisions as fast as possible. He could even change his plan of action if the enemy changed plans. To him it was not about numbers but leadership and plan in battle. The first commander to have backup reserves was Alexander; this affected the way wars were staged and fought in the coming years. Alexander defeated the Persians; he was an unwavering fighter and fought with his soldiers. He conquered the Phoenician coast, Syria and Egypt (Louis, W. R, 1984).
Alexander the Great was king of the Macedonians and one of the greatest generals in history. As a student of the Greek philosopher Aristotle, Alexander was embedded with lasting interests in philosophy, politics and warfare. As king, he settled problems by immediate action, making quick decisions and taking great risks. His armies overcame these risks by sheer force and by the ingenious tactics instilled in them by Alexander. He and his armies conquered the Persian Empire, which stretched from the Mediterranean Sea to India and formed much of what was then considered the civilized world. Through his conquests, Alexander helped spread Greek ideas, customs and laws throughout Asia and Egypt and adopted a uniform
Alexander gained lots of respect from many people. Although he did become a king at the age of 20, he learned to respect other cultures and have leadership over his army (BGE). Alexander was born in 356 BCE in a kingdom along the edge of northern Greece called Macedonia. His father King Philip and mother Olympia, wanted alexander prepared for his kingship. They resolved this by hiring a philosopher named Aristotle to teach him many academic subjects. Was Alexander great or not great? Alexander was magnificent because he had amazing leadership skills, he made many remarkable achievements, and he had creativity. By these measures Alexander was successful because he took leadership of his troops, he also had remarkable achievements because ruled over an empire at the age of 20, and creativity that kept porous puzzled while making noises to distract Porus’s troop.
Throughout the history of humanity, there have been countless leaders, conquerors, kings, or people of note. They are all noteworthy because of their achievements, or maybe their lack of achievements in a time where history was being made. These men and women are remembered because they accomplished something worth remembering. One of the most polarizing characters of the ancient world is Alexander of Macedonia, better known as simply Alexander the Great. With a name like that, one knows that Alexander must have done something during his lifetime that would still be remembered centuries later. What made Alexander so extraordinary is just how driven he was, how he conquered most of the known world by the time he was thirty-two. Alexander wanted to seize the Macedonian throne, unite many people under one rule, exact revenge on Persia, and to take more land for his nation. He may not have achieved all his goals before his untimely death, but he accomplished so much that his legacy has lived on for thousands of years, and will continue to live on for thousands more.
Alexander the Great was a king and conqueror. He is commonly referred to as “the most powerful leader of all time.” What is it that makes him such a powerful leader? What has he accomplished that has made him so significant? Were his accomplishments positive or negative? These are all questions that when combined as one create a debate that has been going on for decades. There are those who admire Alexander’s military achievements and ability to carve out the largest empire the world has seen. Then there are those who perceive him as a selfish, cruel madman with drinking problems. This paper will outline the different sides taken on Alexander and the question as to what his significance/influence was and whether it
The greatness of Alexander III, as he was originally, has been disputed in the past. His legend has survived for thousands of years, and his name is well-known, but just how great was he? In answering this question it is necessary to define the terms 'deserve' and 'great'. For these purposes, to deserve will mean to be worthy of. Great has many meanings, and will be defined as: important; grand; distinguished; remarkable in ability or character; competent; or above what is normal, with implied admiration. Alexander, son of Philip, the king of the Macedonians, was more than most men. His achievements were admirable, and his success brilliant. His accomplishments were grand, momentous and distinguished, having huge impact on the history of
When he did Alexander took over and wanted to finish what his father had started so he went on a conquest to take over Persia, India, Syria and Egypt. Alexander had outstanding leadership abilities and his speeches before battles and him actually fighting in the battles Helped him win most of his battles.
Alexander the Great was the greatest conqueror that ever lived; he led the largest empire in the entire ancient war, he won most of his battles fought, and had the respect and love from everyone. Alexander the Great’s history is incredible, he was a great conqueror and king of Macedonia. Alexander went through a tremendously amount of events in his lifetime.
Alexander the Great in my opinion was very great. He led his army through many battles. They won these battles due to Alexander's battle strategies. He led his army and people to greatness and help develop many places that he conquered.
Alexander achieved more in his short time than most will ever achieve in a full lifetime. His strategies in the battlefield resulted in never losing a battle. That alone is pretty impressive. Some would argue he wasn’t so great, especially the Persians. He certainly wasn’t perfect, having a reputation of being a drunkard and a murderer. I wouldn’t consider him a role model for children anytime soon, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he wasn’t great. Considering how different life in ancient times were, we have to take the good with the bad to understand why he was so
Alexander the Great is called “the great” for a reason. People praised him for possessing leadership skills necessary for running the expanding roman empire of that time. He conquered many and expanded the roman empire. Alexander the Great should be identified as “great” because he possesses strength, courage, and wit.
“There is nothing impossible to him who will try.”-Alexander the Great. Throughout history Alexander’s name has been synonymous with “great”. Although historians and people alike disagree with whether or not Alexander rightfully earned his title, it would be a laborious task to prove he did not. In twelve short years, Alexander not only conquered and ruled the largest and most successful empire of his time, he became a picture of healthy diplomatic relations, and spread Greek culture throughout the world.
Have you ever wondered what it feels like to be in a period of time of the Ancient world? If so, you may have heard the name of Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great had been one of most powerful leaders in history. He had been able to conquer Persia and many other lands like no other. Alexander the Great had also helped spread Greek culture across his empire to be able to bring the people together. Overall, Alexander the Great deserves the distinction of being called the ‘Great’.
Alexander III of Macedon, more commonly known as Alexander the Great, is one of the most legendary figures in our history and in the history of the world. His conquests and endeavors echoed far and wide, bringing about new eras and ideas to the world. Alexander earned his place in the world’s history and is worthy of the title ‘The Great’ because of his military prowess, his idealism and his legacy.
He conquered much of Asia and Europe including territories from Greece to Egypt and through Turkey, Pakistan and Iran. He also founded cities, spread Greek culture and increased trade between the east and west. Alexander is famous for being a military genius who never lost a single battle, he fought as many as 17 battles and overthrew many places to create the largest empire anyone had ever known. He has been known as perhaps the greatest military mastermind in the ancient world. From the age of 20 until his death at 32, Alexander the great gathered probably the greatest empire known in the ancient world. Wherever he went in the world Alexander wanted to create new cities all named after him. It has been recorded that at least 70 cities have been founded by Alexander, however, the exact number is not