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Historical accounts of alexander the great
To what extent does alexander deserve the title great
Historical accounts of alexander the great
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Alexander the Great might be by far the most impressive conqueror of the ancient world. He adopted the progression of an empire that his father Philip II started and then created a cross continental empire. Heavily influenced by his father’s success Alexander the Great adopted many of the skills, mental and military, that King Philip II had. During his thirteen years of rule he achieved more as a conqueror than any man before him was ever able to accomplish. Although his short-lived reign was great and effected many societies massively he didn’t have an heir that lived to adopt his empire from him to continue the domination of the world. This lead to him saying one of his most well known quotes “I leave it to the strongest”, which started a power struggle between his generals that lasted for years. All of these events were very significant and heavily influenced the following era. King Philip II, ruler of Macedon, set out to destroy the existence of the city-state as an institution (lecture). He was a military innovator and a great conqueror. King Philip II led his cavalry, lost an eye at forty-six years old and was sustained a serious injury in his right leg in 345 BC (lecture). King Philip II was also a great diplomat. He knew that money was an extremely powerful weapon and believed that anyone could be bribed. All of these traits allowed him to conquer all of Greece in twenty years, some time during 338 BC (lecture, Hollister 147). Alexander the Great grew up seeing his father conquering what seemed to be everything within reach. This amazing feat instilled the mentality that someone who is “strong” can conquer everything (lecture). Exposed to his father’s achievements as a child, coupled with the teachings of the famous phil... ... middle of paper ... ...ng care of the kids, they were able to own property and take part in business activity (Hollister 153). Even the historically sexist Greeks started thinking that husbands and wives should be considered equals, a view that would have been considered radical a few decades prior (Hollister 153). The Greeks also became less into politics and according to one historian “roughly 40 percent of all Greeks lived in colonies” (Hollister 149). The Hellenistic Age was a very historically significant period in ancient history. It was a time period where the mindset and culture of many countries across two continents changed significantly and it was the decisions of one man who caused this revolutionary change in society. Alexander the Great can rightfully be called the greatest conqueror of the ancient world due to the massive impact he had on a very large part of the world.
Have you heard of a man named Alexander the Great, the famous historical figure? There are many amazing stories about him explaining the courageous things he had accomplished. However, if you learn more about him and his accomplishments you will soon realized the real person Alexander was. Alexander the Great, ruler of his empire was in fact not great as his title states. The definition of great is a person who shows concern for others, has leadership and shows intelligence. Alexander didn’t show any of these characteristics therefore he doesn’t deserve the title of “great”.
In the countries who believed Alexander was the son of the devil or the devil himself, will say he is not ‘great’ but a demon who did evil. The countries who were on his side would say he was the greatest conqueror to live. He began as a Macedonian cavalry commander at eighteen, king of Macedonia at twenty, conqueror of Persia at twenty-six and explorer of India at thirty [Foner and Garraty]. The amount of large scale accomplishments he managed to finish in a span of six years is astonishing. Alexander’s tomb was the largest tourist attraction in the ancient world. The tomb was even visited by Julius Caesar, Pompey, Caligula, and Augustus. Alexander the Great’s accomplishments set a bar in which provided a standard that all other leaders would match their careers too. Many leaders after Alexander could not reach the standard left by him [Foner and
The ancient Greek civilization has left a rich cultural footprint on modern Western civilization. Especially during the ancient Classical and Hellenistic eras of Greece, ancient Greeks have left behind a plethora of ideas and concepts that have played a crucial role in forming the foundations to Western civilization. Although the Classical era was a time of war and conflict, it was the Golden Age of Greece that was the home to many achievements in art, philosophy, architecture, politics, and literature such as the birth of democracy. The Hellenistic era was a period of social and economic prosperity that was defined by the spread of Greek culture across the entire eastern Mediterranean and Southwest Asia. During this era, countless of advancements
One of the reasons for Alexander’s military success is because he was brought up by a great military leader. Alexander’s father was King Phillip II of Macedonia, a great military leader himself. When Alexander was a young man, around 16, his father realized his potential and pulled him out of school and put him out on the field to learn (McGill). He also got him a tutor, one of the best in all of history, Aristotle. Alexander’s young life will prove to be one of the largest reasons for his...
“There is nothing impossible to him who will try” (Anonymous, Google). Alexander was not willing to give up in his lifetime. Nothing satisfied him. He always wanted to keep building his empire. Alexander the Great became a king at the young age of twenty. He was a strong leader who expanded his empire from Italy to India for eleven years with little rest. Alexander the Great was really great because Alexander made remarkable achievements while king of Greece, and he was very intelligent. Some may argue the achievements weren’t well earned, however these achievements lead to great successes.
Alexander the Great is hailed, by most historians, as “The Great Conqueror” of the world in the days of ancient Mesopotamia. “Alexander III of Macedon, better known as Alexander the Great, single-handedly changed the nature of the ancient world in little more than a decade. Alexander was born in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia in July 356 BCE. His parents were Philip II of Macedon and his wife Olympias. Philip was assassinated in 336 BCE and Alexander inherited a powerful yet volatile kingdom. He quickly dealt with his enemies at home and reasserted Macedonian power within Greece. He then set out to conquer the massive Persian Empire” (Web, BBC History). It is important to note, which will maybe explain his brutal actions, that Alexander was only twenty years old when he became the king of Macedonia. “When he was 13, Philip hired the Greek philosopher Aristotle to be Alexander’s personal tutor. During the next three years Aristotle gave Alexander training in rhetoric and literature and stimulated his interest in science, medicine, and philosophy, all of which became of importance in Alexander’s later life” (Web, Project of History of Macedonia). “In, 340, when Philip assembled a large Macedonian army and invaded Thrace, he left his 16 years old son with the power to rule Macedonia in his absence as regent, but as the Macedonian army advanced deep into Thrace, the Thracian tribe of Maedi bordering north-eastern Macedonia rebelled and posed a danger to the country. Alexander assembled an army, led it against the rebels, and with swift action defeated the Maedi, captured their stronghold, and renamed it after himself to Alexandropolis. Two years later in 338 BC, Philip gave his son a commanding post among the senior gener...
Few historical figures stand out in the same degree as that of Alexander the Great. He was a warrior by 16, a commander at age 18, and was crowned King of Macedon by the time he was 20 years old. He did things in his lifetime that others could only dream about. Alexander single-handedly changed the nature of the ancient world in just over a decade. There were many attributes that made Alexander “Great.” He was a brilliant strategist and an inspired leader; he led by example and was a conqueror at heart. In looking at his early childhood, accession to the throne, conquests, marriage, and death one can see why Alexander the Great is revered in historical contexts as one of the greatest figures of all time.
In the years following the Persian Wars in 479 B.C., Athens had come out on top being the most dominantly powerful of any Greek city with a navy that had superior strength that increased day by day. The Athenians “ruled with heavy-handed, even brutal force as well as with reason” (Kagan 2). This was due largely to the fact that Athens had a stable and effective government, which only increased their advantage in proving themselv...
Alexander the Great was only 20 years when his father Philip of Macedon died. Even though he was a young man, he had an unusual talent for politics and military tactics. After his father’s death, Alexander moved to continue Philip’s invasion of Persia. In the ten years of his war campaigns, Alexander conquered a large portion of the then-known world. (Judge & Langdon, 2012.)
Alexander the Great has been considered for centuries as a military genius and influenced conquerors such as Hannibal the Carthaginian, the Romans Pompey, Caesar and Napoleon. Although, he inherited a strong kingdom and an experienced army, Alexander was capable to display his leadership and military capabilities. In 338 B.C., his father, King Phillip II, gave Alexander a commanding post among the senior generals as the Ma...
The year is 329 B.C. Alexander the Great is leading his army on a quest to conquer the known world. As he is preparing his army to cross the Indus River to attack the Indian Army, Alexander and all his troops watch in awe as two “great shining silvery shields spitting fire around the rims” seem to emerge from the heavens. These two “shields” dive repeatedly at his army until the war elephants, horses, and men all panicked and refused to cross the river where the horrendous incident occurred. The two “flying shields” disappeared into the sky as quickly as they had appeared. Seven years later, while attacking a Venetian city in the eastern Mediterranean, Alexander and both armies on either side of the conflict witness two objects materialize in the sky. Suddenly, one of the objects shot a beam of light at the city wall crumbling it to dust. The objects disappeared and Alexander’s army easily took the city with the wall gone (Sitchin 4-10). Most historians would consider these two incidents as false and dismiss them completely. But why would the ancients go through the trouble of documenting these events if they never actually happened? The answer is: they would not. The truth is, the events that Alexander the Great and his armies went through were not unique. There are countless accounts from the ancient world of objects appearing and disappearing in the sky (Sitchin 21). A lot of these accounts mirror modern day reports of UFO sightings. Obviously, extraterrestrial encounters are not a modern phenomenon. They have been around since the time of the earliest civilizations on Earth (Sitchin 58). All recorded accounts of extraterrestrial encounters throughout human history can be classified into one of eight categories.
Even though Alexander III of Macedonia, more commonly known as Alexander the Great, only lived to be 32 years old, his accomplishments were so vast it would be impossible to capture them all in a 3-hour Hollywood film. The well-known director, Oliver Stone, spent years studying Alexander and dreaming of making an epic film about his life. Stone's 2004 film, Alexander, was met with reviews that made it sound as if it was mediocre or disappointing, but the problem with it is that in the era of exciting action-driven Hollywood films, Alexander asks viewers to go deeper than they are accustomed. The length of the film was considered too long, but the history of Alexander is so huge that it is actually too short. Since Alexander lived more than 2300 years ago, and much of the information on Alexander's life has been lost over time, it seems to me that Alexander accurately depicts the historical era, Alexander's relationships, battle scenes and the different cultures involved in Alexander's conquests.
Alexander the Great (July 356BC – June 323BC) was King of the ancient Greek Kingdom of Macedon. By the age of thirty he had created one of the largest empires of the ancient world. He remained undefeated in battle and is considered one of history’s most successful Military commanders. Historians’ have offered theories which could explain Alexander’s motivation to conquer so much of the known world. Some suggest that Alexander was an idealistic visionary who sought to unite the world, whereas others argued that he was a fascist whose hunger for power drove him. The Ancient Greeks were driven by love of honour (philotimaea) and their desire for greatness. They were competitive, always striving to better one another.
Alexander began his military campaign and his rule much where his father left off. Whether or not it was his aim, this created a sense of normality for the men that was part of his father’s regime. Alexander’s position as a warrior-king who stood side-by-side among his men also served to create respect among his peers. Gradually, as Alexander conquered more Persian land, he began to adopt the policies of Persian rulers. Alexander’s change in policy extended beyond just political roles, he gave consideration to the local gods in many of the lands that he conquered. Eventually, Alexander brought people in from the conquered nations to serve under him.
There are many leaders in the world, but a great ruler is passionate, honorable and one who can inspire even in the most hopeless circumstances. Alexander the Great was a great ruler. Alexander the Great was a ruler that was not only inspiring, but he was fearless, smart, bold and courageous. Alexander the Great inspired his soldiers to crave more. He has inspired people since the day he started ruling. What is inspirational about Alexander the Great is that he inspired his troops to the point that they did not question him when they were outnumbered three to one in a battle, they trusted him with their lives and were willing to die for him (Alexander the Great: man behind the legend).