How Did Alexander The Great Influence Greek Culture

Alexander the Great was an intelligent and ambitious military commander who defeated the Persian Empire and conquered parts of Egypt, Asia Minor, and India. Although he wasn’t thought of as a legend in his time (356-323 B.C.), his achievements have stood the test of time, influencing such important historical leaders as Napoleon Bonaparte, Nero, and Charlemagne. He did all of this before he reached age 33, and he died of malaria at the age of just 32. This young general definitely left his mark on the world.
Now why exactly is Alexander the Great so great? Well, for starters, he created one of the largest empires of all time, defeating the then undefeated Persian army, conquered Egypt, and spread Greek culture throughout the world (This

one was probably an accident). He did all of this in his twenties and early thirties. He did all of this with the primitive technology that existed in that time. When he defeated the Persian Empire in 333 B.C., he was outnumbered! He was a very intelligent military commander, and created formations that outmatched the Persian army. He was able to then capture the King of Persia, Darius III, later in the year. After this he moved on to conquer Egypt, where they fell without resistance after he besieged Gaza, and there he created the city of Alexandria, this spread Greek culture and commerce into Egypt. Later on in the year, he defeated the Persian army at the Battle of Gaugamela, and afterwards they collapsed. When this happened, Alexander became “King of Babylon, King of Asia, King of the Four Quarters of the World”. Alexander did all of this with the army he inherited from his father, Philip II, though he significantly improved it. Yet that’s not all he did! After all of that, he decided to conquer Iran. In 327, he took over the fortress in Ariamazes and captured Prince Oxyartes, and married his daughter, Rhoxana. In 328, he went to India and defeated King Porus. However, he was impressed by him, and reinstated him as King. Afterwards, Alexander headed east, toward the Ganges, but his army refused to go any farther, so they turned around and headed home. Along the Indus, he and his army were attacked by Malli warriors, and Alexander was wounded. When he recovered in 325, he ventured out over the Persian Gulf. Here he and his men struggled with illness and injury. But he prevailed, and they reached the city of Susa, where he tried to recruit more soldiers by having Macedonians marry Persian nobles, and he managed to recruit many soldiers, with numbers reaching into the tens of thousands. There were problems here and there with his troops not liking the Persians, but it all eventually worked out. While he was contemplating conquering Carthage and Rome, he died of malaria. After this his empire collapsed and there were many power struggles, but eventually Greek and Orient cultures managed to thrive because of his empire.
Now, why is this important?

Well, it just so happens that Alexander the Great and his empire influenced many people and spread Greek culture throughout his empire. This ushered in a new era, the Hellenistic era. If Alexander hadn’t had his empire, Greek ideas and culture may have just stayed in Greece. Can you imagine how different the world would be if Greece’s culture had just stayed in Greece? How many civilizations would be changed? Just imagine, the art, architecture, math, science, all of that, just gone. Nobody would care either, because they wouldn’t know what they were missing! Now, Greek culture probably would’ve spread other ways, but it wouldn’t have been the same. It probably wouldn’t have the same influence as it has now. The Persian empire could still be in power! Alexander defeated the Persian empire forever. Who knows how different the world would be if they had expanded and had the largest empire. Not only all of this, but Alexander has also inspired so many important historical figures, not to mention how many other people he inspired. Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Egypt because Alexander did. Many historical figures measured their success by comparing it to Alexander the Great’s empire. He still inspires people today,

too.
So why did I choose to write my essay on Alexander the Great?

I chose him because he did what I want to do. He left his mark on the world. He could’ve just been another prince who didn’t know how to run an empire, and just completely ran it into the ground. But he didn’t, he took over his father’s army when he needed to, and he became one of the most important historical figures of all time. Now, I know why others probably look up to him, like because he had a huge empire, or he never lost a battle, or because he did all of this when he was in his twenties. Now, I think that’s cool too, but he literally changed the world. Not just Macedonia, the world. He inspired so many people, too. Inspired by him to change the world, or sometimes to just conquer the world. I want to be able to change the world like he did, for the better, though that may be unlikely at this time. He makes me believe that I can do it if I persevere, and put my mind to it. However, I don’t agree with being ruthless, like he was rumored to be. I want to focus on the good parts of

it.
In conclusion, I think Alexander the Great was great. He was such a great military leader. He was intelligent, charismatic, and persevered, everything he needed to do what he did. He never lost a battle that he fought. He did all of that without the technology we have today. He commanded one of the largest empires ever. He defeated the Persian Empire forever! He also managed to change the course of history by bringing Greek culture to the world, and starting the Hellenistic era. Not only that, but he actually changed the world for the good! He didn’t do anything evil, or just not change anything at all. He inspires so many people, including Napoleon, Nero, Charlemagne, and countless others. He inspires me to want to change the world like he did, and for the better. To me, it is so puzzling how one man can do so much. And not only that, but he did more than most people do in their entire lives over the span of about 15 years. I hope I can achieve so much in my lifetime.