Alexander The Great (356-323 B.C.)
Art Painting
King of Macedonia and one of the greatest generals in history.
He conquered much of what was then the civilized world.
Alexander brought Greek ideas and the Greek way of doing things to all the countries he
conquered.
This great general and king made possible the broadly developed culture of the Hellenistic
Age.
HIS BOYHOOD
Alexander was born in Pella, Macedonia, the son of Philip of
Macedonia, who was
an excellent general and organizer.
His mother was Olympia, princess of Epirus.
She was brilliant and hot-tempered. Alexander inherited the best qualities of both his parents.
But he was even more ambitious than his father. He wept bitterly when he heard of
Philip's
conquests and said, " My father will get ahead of me in everything, and will
leave nothing great for me to do." Alexander's mother taught him that Achilles was
his ancestor, and that his father was descended
from Hercules.
Alexander learned by heart the Iliad, a story about the deeds of Achilles.
He carried a
copy of the Iliad with him, and Achilles became Alexander's model . Even as a boy Alexander was fearless and strong. He tamed the
beautiful and spirited Bucephalus,
a horse that no one else dared to touch or ride. Later,
this famous steed carried him as far as India,
where it died. Alexander then built the
city of Bucephala on the Hydaspes River in memory of his
beloved horse. Philip was so
proud of Alexander's power over the horse that he said,
"O my son, seek out a kingdom
worthy of thyself, for Macedonia is too little for thee."
HIS YOUTH
When Alexander was 13 years old, he was taught by Aristotle.
He was always eager to learn. Aristotle inspired the talented youth with a great love for
literature.
He took part in sports and daily exercise to develop a strong body. Aristotle
also inspired in Alexander
a keen interest in other countries and races of people, and in
animals and plants. Alexander's education
was not all from books. He talked with
ambassadors from many foreign countries, and with other noted
persons at his father's
court. When he was only 18, he commanded part of Philip's cavalry at the battle
of Chaeronea. Alexander also acted as his father's ambassador to Athens. Alexander was 20 when he became king of Macedonia. The Greek
other states had grown restless
under Macedonian rule. While Alexander was away making war
on some barbarian tribes in the north,
someone spread a story that he was dead. The people
in the city of Thebes revolted and called upon
the people of Athens to join them.
Alexander soon appeared before Thebes with his army.
His soldiers stormed the city. Every
building in Thebes was destroyed, except the temples and the
house of the poet Pindar.
About 30,000 inhabitants were sold into slavery. Alexander's action broke
the spirit of
rebellion in the other Greek states.
ALEXANDER'S EXPEDITION MAP
In 333 B.C., Alexander became seriously ill. But he recovered and
marched along the
coast into Syria. The king of Persia, Darius III, raised a large army.
He fortified a
riverbank near Issus behind Alexander. Alexander turned north and routed
the Greek
and Persian heavy infantry with his phalanx. He captured the king's camp,
including
Dario's' wife and mother.
His gallantry toward them was his finest act. Alexander
then marched south into
Phoenicia and captured Tyre after a seven-month siege. The city
was on an island,
but Alexander built a causeway out to it, so that it is now a peninsula.
About 8,000
Tyrians were slain and 30,000 sold into slavery. Alexander's victory over Tyre
is
sometimes considered his greatest military achievement. The whole region then
submitted
to him except Gaza, where a brave Persian governor resisted for three months.
Gaza
eventually suffered the same fate as Tyre.
Alexander next went to Egypt. The Egyptians welcomed him as a
deliverer, because they
hated their harsh Persian rulers. Alexander founded a city on a
strip of land between
Lake Mareotis and the Mediterranean Sea. This city, Alexandria,
became a world center
of commerce and learning. While it was being built, Alexander made
the long, dangerous
march to the temple and oracle of Zeus-Ammon, in the Libyan desert.
Alexander was
told that he was the son of the god and would conquer the world.
THE BATTLE OF ARBELA
Alexander turned again to the Persian front in 331 B.C. Darius had collected an
enormous
army, including the famous heavy cavalry of the Iranian steppe, and many
chariots with scythe like knives protruding from the wheels. The Persians smoothed and
cleared a vast
level plain near Arbela, east of the Tigris River. The Persian cavalry
outflanked
Alexander's left and captured his camp. But, with a charge which he led
himself, Alexander
routed Darius, and the Persian Army retired to the east.
The battle of Arbela is also
known as the Battle of Gaugamela. It is considered on of
the most decisive battles in
history.
The city of Babylon surrendered, and Alexander easily captured
the Persian cities
of Susa and Persepolis. These cities yielded him vast treasures of gold
and silver.
All the inhabitants of Persepolis were either killed or sold into slavery.
Alexander burned Persepolis in revenge for the Persian burning of Athens in 480 B.C.
Alexander crossed the Zagros Mountains into Media in 330 B.C.
Darius had fled there,
and was soon afterward killed by his own nobles. His death left
Alexander king of Asia.
He marched on, against only local opposition from tribes people,
and occupied the
southern shore of the Caspian Sea. Continuing to the east, he set up
Iranian nobles as
new local governors, but they revolted after he left. Alexander swung
south into
Arachosia (southeast Persia) and then north into Afghanistan, founding cities
to
serve as garrisons and centers of administration. He entered Bactria and Sogdiana,
behind the Hindu Kush mountain range, and marched as far as the Jaxartes River.
It took
two years to pacify the region. Alexander married Roxane, the daughter of a
Sogdian baron.
In Sogdiana, Alexander lost his temper and killed a close friend,
Clitus,
in a drunken quarrel. This cost him the sympathy of his Macedonian troops.
There
were plots against his life, and he executed several prominent people.
VICTORY IN INDIA
Alexander reinforced his troops with Iranians and reached the rich plains of India in
326
B.C. He defeated an Indian prince, Porus, in this region (now part of Pakistan) and
planned to march to the Ganges River. But his army mutinied. Alexander then sailed
down
the Indus River to its mouth, and led his army west across the terrible desert of
Gedrosia, in present-day Pakistan and Iran. His fleet under Nearchus sailed along the
coast to the Persian Gulf. Both the army and the fleet returned together to Susa.
Alexander then became busy with the organization and
administration of his empire.
At the height of his power, his realm stretched from the
Ionian Sea to northern India.
He planned to make Asia and Europe one country and combine
the best of the East
with the West. He chose Babylon as his capital city.
To achieve his goal, Alexander encouraged intermarriages, setting
an example by
marrying a Persian princess himself. He placed soldiers from all the
provinces in his army.
He introduced a uniform currency system throughout the empire and
promoted trade
and commerce. He encouraged the spread of Greek ideas, customs, and laws
into Asia.
When he heard that some of his provincial officials ruled unjustly, he replaced
them.
To receive recognition as the supreme ruler, he required the provinces to worship
him
as a god.
HIS DEATH
Alexander had vast plans, including his governmental reorganization and an expedition
to
Arabia. But he was taken seriously ill with malaria at Babylon. The simple remedies
of the day did not help him.
He died on June 13, 323 B.C. His body was placed in a gold coffin and taken to Memphis,
in
Egypt. Later it was carried to Alexandria, and placed in a beautiful tomb.
Alexander left no choice for a successor. His only son, Alexander
IV, was born after
Alexander's death. As a result, Alexander's leading generals became
governors of various
areas and fought among themselves for control of the Empire. But no
single leader
emerged, and by 311 B.C. the empire split into independent states or
monarchies.
