How Did Alexander The Great Build Greek Culture

Alexander the Great conquered most of the known world, giving rise to an uncontested empire influenced by Hellenic culture. His achievement was made possible through the production of military and cultural innovations, by adopting a tolerant approach when conquering other cultures, and by entrusting loyal subjects and officials with administrating certain regions. Alexander was able to sustain and expand his empire through his military strength, reinforced by his charismatic leadership and ability to fight, as well as his diplomatic relationships with other officials and his own officers. This Hellenic empire was able to flourish and surpass any challengers, due to the said foundations in which Alexander implemented throughout his reign.

Innovation was an important factor to the rise of Alexander the Great’s empire. The incorporation of military improvement created a basis and formulaic way in which Alexander was able to conquer foreign lands as well as creating Hellenic cosmopolitan cities that were modeled after Greek city-states. The predecessor of Alexander the Great, Philip II of Macedon, had created a new addition to the hoplite system that was able to be basis for Alexander’s method of conquering other lands. This innovation was including pikes in traditional hoplite warfare, enabling attacks to ensure are greater distances, i.e. the Macedonian phalanx (“Age of Alexander”). This form increased the distance in which the hoplite soldiers were able to attack those in front of them, decreasing their casualties and making the unit more effective. As a result of this implementation, Philip II was able to facilitate the unity of most Greek city-states by establishing the Corinthian/ Hellenic League. After his assassination, Alexander was able to consolidate his power as successor by coercing regions such as Athens and Thebes through military prowess to acknowledge his leadership and head of the Corinthian League (“Alexander the Great Biography”). This example of using superior military strategy tacticians demonstrates how Alexander was able to defeat the opposition while also expanding his influence in the Mediterranean. In order to further legitimize his rule Alexander moved his army from Macedonia, northwest Anatolia, to the Ionian coastline (Cole and Symes). He later then went through Persia sieging their naval bases, making the enemy fight on land, thus giving Alexander the advantage. Resistance was met with relentless and merciless battle; for example, Alexander was able to successfully siege Tyre by having his army build a causeway to the island, later using siege towers to access the city and later demolish it (“Age of Alexander”). This demonstrates the following behavior that he will show when facing other opponents, submission or battle. The brute force and tactic method of his command was evident and exhibits how his military strength, in addition to technological advancements in warfare, built his empire.
Alongside military greatness and developments, Alexander was able to integrate Greek culture and methods of administration in cities that were established in conquered areas.

City engineering, the building of settlements in certain aspects, created a Hellenic culture in the various regions. Alexander wanted to create these cities based on Greek life, and thus a hybrid culture was formed in them. For example, Pergamon, which was described as surpassing the greatness the Athenians once had, was built in such a way which alluded to Greek polis by including all the various components: a theater, temple, gymnasium, agora, and stoa (“Age of Alexander”). The model not only introduced Hellenic culture to conquered cites, but also assimilated the Greek traditions that Alexander wanted in his empire with some of the already established networks of administration that was kept from previous rule. Through a tolerant perspective, Alexander allowed some lesser officials keep their title if they pledged their loyalty (Cole and Symes). He kept peace through expansion by military strength, but also by posing the options of peaceful compliance or relentless battle and eventual death and demolition. This is indication that not only did Alexander the Great promote Hellenic culture throughout his empire, but allowed the existing cultures to exist, as long as certain criteria were

met.
In addition to the model Hellenic cities being built, an important method Alexander used to sustain the amalgamation of cultures included tolerance.

As Cyrus the Great did with his conquests, Alexander gave cities an ultimatum between amnesty for submission or merciless battle when met with resistance (Cole and Symes). This choice allowed some regions to be spared from being ruined or burnt down while also demonstrating the assimilation and accommodations of some cultures as Alexander allowed some officials to hold title, as previously said. He was able to sustain a healthy order among his empire by blending and adopting court customs and traditions, using regional and local systems, as well as dividing power and leadership to his loyal followers. When conquering Persia and becoming the new Emperor after defeating Darius III, he was able to arrange mass marriages between his officers and Persian noblewomen, train Persian youths to fight in hoplite formation, adopt Persian dress, and encouraged the ritual of proskynesis, which had those of a lesser social status submit to the Great King (Cole and Symes). This interchanging of Greek and Persian culture, while meeting resistance from some Greeks, revealed how Alexander was able to maintain such a large empire, while having a strong presence in all the various regions of the known world (“Alexander the Great Biography”). This was significant because it maintained his vision of spreading Hellenic culture while also being flexible

to the already established, but also cooperating, cities that came under his control. This is also displayed in Alexander’s conquest of Egypt. Since he was seen as a liberator from Persian government, he was also given the crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt (Cole and Symes). Once occupied and in awe of the cultural magnificence of the ancient Egyptian society and architectural feats, he decided to make the capital of his empire in Egypt, calling the city Alexandria. Here the Great Library was assembled, and engendered the fusion between the more scientific discoveries from Mesopotamia and Egypt with the philosophical ones of Greece. The tolerant and accommodating approach that Alexander took proved to be effective as the civilization was able to sustain a strong identity during his lifetime.
Since Alexander the Great was constantly expanding his empire, he had to leave governing regions to loyal subjects. He gave power to his trusted men, i.e. generals and officers that supported him. The more he conquered, the more that had to be governed and ruled; despite all the attempts to create a cohesive empire as stated previously, there were no realistic steps taken that created a universal administration for the entire empire. Therefore, after his death, his vast empire was then split into three regions, Ptolemaic Egypt, Seleucid Asia, and Antigonid Macedonia and Greece (Cole and Symes). The emerging three empires thus took inspiration from Alexander the Great’s Grecian culture and gave rise to Hellenistic kingdoms. The fight for who rose to power was bloody and created fragmentation; ultimately Ptolemy gained the title of pharaoh in Egypt, a Macedonian, Seleucus, took control of the previous Persian Empire, and a general named Antigonus took over Macedonia and Greece.
Ptolemaic Egypt was the most stable territory after the death of Alexander. The ruler, Ptolemy shared the same appreciation Egypt’s historical and architectural feats. He continued the Hellenistic rule from Alexandria, making sure to act as a Macedonian King to the subjects in Alexandria and Greece, but in contrast also played the role of the pharaoh to the Egyptian public. For example, the Ptolemy Dynasty adopted the tradition of marrying the male pharaohs with their sisters (Cole and Symes). This is evident of Alexander’s effect of combining Hellenic culture with other traditional ones. Alexandria became the center of rule for Egypt, while containing Hellenistic characteristics. The kingdom was stable and successful because of the assimilation of heritage between the two cultures, Egyptian and Greek. Ptolemy also patronized the sciences and arts because innovation became important as it raised the status of those who have it. Alexandria became a center for the Hellenistic world because of the great cultural significance that was in the great Museum (Cole and Symes). In contrast to Ptolemaic Egypt, Ptolemaic Asia was unstable, and much of the territory was lost when power was conceded to Seleucus. Similar to Ptolemy, Seleucus had to display two distinct characters to his subjects and to Greece. To legitimize his rule Seleucus adopted a look that harken back to ancient Mesopotamia, i.e. using the words reminiscent of Hammurabi and Cyrus (Cole and Symes). This again demonstrates the lasting effects of Alexander the Great as this culture is now mixed between Persians and Greeks. Finally, the last kingdom that was created from Alexander’s fall was Macedonia and Greece. In juxtaposition to Ptolemaic Egypt and Ptolemaic Asia, Macedonia and Greece did not have the greater power or influence as the other rulers did. Antigonus, the general that conceded power, kept Macedonia and Greece in a separate sphere of influence as its wealth could not have contested with the other kingdoms (Cole and Symes). Instead, Antigonus focused on Greek philosophy, which was an aspect of Hellenic culture that was shared among the other kingdoms.
In summation, Alexander the Great created an expansive and unprecedented empire in which no one could contest. The ultimate demise was the lack of a central and universal administration as well as no clear or direct heir. While the empire collapse post death, Alexander was able to spread Hellenic culture into Africa and Asia while leaving a panhellenistic culture for the succeeding kingdoms. The foundations in which Alexander created his empire on included military strength, tolerant approach, and delegation to officers. Alexander’s military strategy was unmatched and allowed him to expand the Hellenic empire to most of the known world. His tolerant ideas allowed it easier for conquered areas to be assimilated into the empire; as well as his accommodations to traditional culture as evident of him conforming to Persian tradition. Lastly Alexander’s reliance on loyalty when leaving men to govern regions as he continued expansion kept peace and proved to be profitable.