Alexander the Great

Alexander was born around 356 B.C. His mother was of royal lineage, as was his father, Philip II. When Alexander was fourteen, he studied under the Athenian philosopher, Aristotle. Perhaps no culture has ever produced a greater mind than Aristotle’s. So searching and profound was Aristotle’s work that in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries A.D. much of the Christian church regarded his teachings as being divinely inspired. No subject was untouched by his contemplation. Philosophy, botany, geography, zoology, astronomy, and art were all subjects of deep concern for him. Aristotle was the student of Plato and the teacher of Alexander the Great. Either role would have earned him an important place in history. Most likely Aristotle instructed Alexander by reading and discussing Homer and the Greek tragedies. Aristotle also trained Alexander in politics. Through Aristotle, Alexander acquired his deep love for Hellenic culture, which drove him to the Far East in order to spread the Hellenic spirit. Tradition says that Alexander even carried a copy of the Iliad throughout his Persian and Oriental campaigns.

One of Alexander’s most cherished possessions was the horse he had trained as a youth; it was named Bucephalus. This was his mount in all of his major battles and conquests. The horse died in India, and Alexander built the city of Bucephala on the Hydaspes River in memory of his horse. (Packer)

When Alexander was twenty years old, his father Philip was assassinated under mysterious circumstances and Alexander was made the new Macedonian king. His rivals spread rumors of Alexander’s own death and he spent much of the following year in quelling revolts that these rumors inspired. He destroyed Thebes in the process. This gav...

... middle of paper ...

...lassical Tradition. New York,

NY. Oxford University Press.

Boardman, John, et al. (1988). The Oxford History of the Classical World: Greece and the

Hellenistic World. New York, N.Y. Oxford University Press.

Freeman, Charles. (2004). Egypt, Greece, and Rome: Civilizations of the Ancient Mediterranean

2nd Ed. New York, N.Y. Oxford University Press.

Gardner, Joseph L. (1983). Atlas of the Bible: An Illustrated Guide to the Holy Land.

Pleasantville, NY. Reader’s Digest Association.

Packer, J.I. et al. (1995). Nelson’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Bible Facts. Nashville, TN.

Thomas Nelson’s Publishers.

Winks, Robin W, et al. (1992). A History of Civilization: Volume I: Prehistory to 1715.

Englewood Cliffs, N.J. Prentice Hall Inc.

Zook, David H., & Highman, Robin. (1966) A Short History of Warfare. New York, NY

Twayne Publishing Inc.