32 years of total domination by one singular man has shaped the course of the world as we know it, who is this man you ask? Alexander lll of Macedon, ruled over Greece through the years 336 BC - 323 BC, campaigning and decimating the Persian Empire (“Alexander the Great | Biography, Empire, Death, & Facts | Britannica,” 2024). Alexander left a scorching impression on the history books on many different aspects of life, however, I am particularly interested in how the public eye viewed the self-proclaimed God as a barbarian. Especially surrounding the battle of Thebes in 335 BCE. This specific battle was a significant turning point in Alexander's career because he had just taken to the throne and his kingdom was rebelling against his rule. Thebes …show more content…
With the majority of the sources being created for educational purposes, we can be sure that the information is therefore not biased. Source one however was translated to English, leaving room for human error which would slightly alter the text. Overall, I hypothesise that the general perspective on Alexander surrounding the Battle of Thebes will emphasise his cunning battle strategy and precise planning, rather than label him as impulsive and barbaric. In Source One, Diodorus provides a negative perspective of Alexander the Great in sections 17.11.1-14.1 of his World history. Diodorus Siculus, a well-renowned Greek historian who studied the Hellenistic era wrote this primary source between 60-30 BCE which was later translated to English in 2002 (Diodorus on the Sack of Thebes - Livius, 2020). Aiming to educate and document the influential leaders during this age such as Alexander the Great and his father King Phillip ll of Macedon. The negative perception of Alexander is represented when the source explicitly demonstrates this view after recounting the scenes within the city after the onslaught by Alexander's troops, “The city was piled high with …show more content…
Wasson, a History Lecturer, wrote this secondary piece of information. Created for academic purposes, the source’s audience is students who are looking to further their understanding of the events and retelling the achievements of historical figures such as Alexander the Great. Considering this was written by an expert in the field of ancient history, we can assume that the source is very reliable. Within the text, Wasson states that the young king Alexander “never betrayed their trust as he fought next to them, ate with them, and refused to drink water when there wasn’t enough”, referring to his soldiers in the quote. Alexander is represented as having a strong sense of comradery, class and compassion for his soldiers. As well as fighting in his own battles, Wasson explicitly states that Alexander “refused” to drink water when there wasn’t an adequate supply for his whole army. This specific detail demonstrates that Alexander did not see himself as a higher life form than his soldiers. Interestingly, this strongly contradicts the view portrayed in sources one and two. The first two sources label him to be a careless leader, not thinking twice about slaughtering his own people, whereas source three implies that he showed traits of compassion and comradery. This positive perspective of Alexander is further backed up in Source 4. Created by two historians, Jaris O and Gordon J and published on 8th November 2021. The source was created to aid
Diodorus and Plutarch portray Alexander with extreme amounts of arrogance because of his extravagant ideas and goals, but in Arrian’s pieces, Alexander is shown as a barbarian because of his inheritance of Persian culture.
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”.
Alexander believed in a strong national government and he feared a weak government that the people could overthrow. If we lived in Syria or any other war-torn country right now, it would be the complete opposite because Alexander’s views are different from theirs. Though he had changed his views a few times, it seems that his final opinion was one that he truly believed in. In our country now, his
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
Alexander the Great:An Analysis Thesis:Alexander the Great is a villain because Alexander the Great murdered and tortured people for no reason,he also took over cities against their own will. Alexander the Great is a villain because Alexander the Great murdered and tortured many people. This man came to civilizations and Alexander the Great took them under his rule,if one did not follow one were tortured. He also killed people just as a warning that Alexander the Great actually wasn't dead. According to Alexander the not so great Paragraph 3 page 2 “Persians also condemn him for the widespread destruction Alexander the Great is thought to have encouraged to cultural and religious sites throughout the empire.”
Lastly, Alexander was an incredibly poor sport when it came to his victories over other cities and/or countries. There are multitudes of people who think of Alexander the great as an outstanding leader and respectful
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.
Have you ever wondered why the so-called Alexander the Great was called great? If he was, just how great was he? Reasons why he was are numerous, some include his widespread fame via conquest, cunning strategic intellect, as well as his overall impactful presence in Macedonia. Alexander the Great is a well-known name, but what is known about him is a mixture of fact and legend. What is known is that he was born in 356 BCE, his father King Philip of Macedonia, and his mother, Olympia.
Alexander The Great , With the courage of a tiger and the ferocity of a Lion, Alexander III swept through Eastern Europe and Asia. Alexander the Great as he would be called was believed to a descendant of the God's! He was a military genius because his battles throughout Asia Minor, against Darius, the King of the Empire of Persia, would bring him fame, fortune, and eternal glorification as the greatest king to have ruled in all of history. The Macedonian king's level of intelligence, the amount of land that he acquired, and the fact that he was a military genius, is some of the most important aspects to the life of Alexander the Great.
...here are few people in history that can claim the military prowess, uncanny political maneuvering, and the overall lasting effect of the dissemination of a particular culture such as Alexander. Alexander’s exploits led to the spread of the Greek culture throughout Asia and Africa. They even went so far as to impact the Romans who dominated Hellenistic Egypt. He left in his wake and expansion of territory and commerce, with expanded trading ports and the exportation of the Greek political system. Christianity emerged with the Hellenization of the Jews and spread throughout Hellenized gentile communities. It seems impossible to catalogue every impact of Alexander’s empire. In the end, I have to conclude that Alexander does ‘fully deserve’ the title of “the Great.”
As a child reading Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, I recall noticing that Alexander caused several of the problems throughout his very awful day....
(Alexander the Great - Hero or Villain?) Some of these deaths he caused when he and his army “went on some ‘killing sprees’ to smaller towns and killed or enslaved everyone in the town”. (Alexander the Great - Hero or Villain?) Alexander really was a villain because he deliberately caused the death of 250,000 people. Some of these victims were innocent, and Alexander only killed them to gain more power and wealth. He might have even killed these people just because he was bored. Killing nearly 250,000 people just to gain more power is almost a definition of being a
In the beginning we can see that Alexander has natural talents and abilities that help him in his everyday life. For example, the book opens on him being awakened by a snake coiled around his waist. This happens to Alexander at a young age and shows that he is a descendant of Herakles, on his mother’s side. Alexander goes into the royal stables and into a stall with a foaled horse. “As he had hoped, no one was about to say she was dangerous at such time.” This sentence makes it appear that the horse had some dangerous tendencies. In the following sentence, Alexander is right next to ...
Have you ever wondered why Alexander from Macedonia is called Alexander the Great. According to history, it is because he is the most glorious general in the history who conquered Persia, Greece, Egypt and Babylon in a very inexperienced age. He became the commander of Macedonian armies at age eighteen and the king of Macedonia at age twenty. After six years of preparation, he conquered the great Persian empire. Unfortunately, he died at age thirty-three. He would have conquered many lands if he hadn’t died at a such young age. He was a legend and an icon for great kings like Charlemagne, Julius Caesar, and Pompey. World’s most famous generals tried to compete with him but they couldn’t accomplish. After years, his tomb