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.
Bury, J. B.; Russell Meiggs (2000). A History of Greece to the Death of Alexander the Great
...yne A. The HarperCollins Study Bible New Revised Standard Edition . New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1993. 1645-1722. Print.
Alexander was a smart man and there was one main person to thank for that, his father. Philip II, knowing that someday his son would be a powerful figure arranged for none other than Aristotle to be Alexander’s tutor. Alexander grew to love his tutor almost as much as his father. Alexander’s favorite book was the Iliad by Homer, it was a story about some of the things he hoped to do when he got older, such as fight in wars. As a youth Alexander also enjoyed hunting and martial arts. Alexander feared that by the time he became king there would be nothing left for him to conquer.
Alexander was born in Pella, the capital of Macedon, on July 20, 356 B.C. He was the son of King Philip II and his fourth wife Olympias, an Epirote princess. Alexander was bred to be a warrior; his father was a great commander and king, and his mom’s second cousin, Pyrrhus of Epirus, was a celebrated general. So there were noteworthy examples of military genius on both sides of his family. As a child, Alexander’s mother would tell him stories of how he was a descendant to Achilles and Hercules. Achilles was his favorite hero growing up, as he read of his adventures in Homer’s Iliad. From an early age Alexander was practically raised by everyone but his parents. He was originally educated by a strict teacher named Leonidas. Alexander’s father wanted Alexander to become a great man, so he acquired the famous philosopher Aristotle to become his tutor. Aristotle trained him in rhetoric and literature, and stimulated his interest in medicine, science, and philosophy. Aristotle is credited for Alexander’s fasci...
Alexander the Great, also known as the King of Macedonia, was the son of Phillip II of Macedonia, and Olympias, the princess of a neighboring city. According to the Ancient History Encyclopedia, he was born on July 21, 356 BCE in Pella, Macedonia. Even at a very young age, Alexander exhibited the qualities and characteristics of a leader. He was able to tame a horse named Bucephalus that no other man before him could tame. This horse later became the horse that Alexander rode throughout all of his battles and victories. A relative by the name of Leonidas was responsible for teaching Alexander to fight and ride. He was also tutored by Aristotle, a Greek philosopher. This got Alexander interested in science, medicine, and philosophy (HistoryofMacedonia.org). Alexander also paid great attention to his father and his ideas and took from this so that he could implement them when he would have a chance to rule.
Borza, Eugene N. "Alexander the Great: History and Cultural Politics." Journal of the Historical Society 7.4 (2007): 411-442. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 17 May 2011.
It all started in 356.B.C. when Alexander was born. He was the son of Philip II of Macedonia and Olympias. Alexander's father had taken all of Greece under his control. He taught Alexander military skills and war tactics. Another one of his teachers was the famous Greek philosopher Aristotle. He gave him a classical Greek education and taught him the importance of learning. As a child Alexander was fearless. He was the only person able to tame the great horse Bucephalus. His mother had claimed that he was
Alexander the Great’s legacy was incredible and will always be remember for its greatness. Historians have portrayed him as a high-minded philosopher; however, others view him as a bloody-minded autocrat that is more interested in his own success than a philosophical theory of the common good. (Mckay, John P. Western Society, a Brief History: From Antiquity to Enlightenment. S.l.: Bedford Bks St Martin 'S, 2009. Print. pg.68) He acquired many accomplishments including developing Greek city-states that thrived even after his death, and he conquered many places in battle. His reign and achievements began a new era that would be called the Hellenistic
Before Alexander even took his first breath, there was already a lot of pressure for him to succeed and become the next great conqueror. King of Macedonia Phillip II was great a military leader, but according to Hugh Bowden’s “Alexander the Great, A very short introduction” he was known for having multiple wives to build alliances, but was one particular wive was different from the rest, Olympias. They had a child named Alexander who was destined to be the heir to Philip II. Alexander would go on to learn from the best as one of his tutors and teachers was Aristotle, one of the greatest minds the world had ever seen. From an early age he showed great promise as he would do extradionary things to impress his father. According to Peter G. Tsouras’ “Alexander: Invincible King of Macedonia,” he describes one of the legendary stories about Alexander, which is about the wild horse he was able to tamed, which he would name Bucephalus and would later name a city after it (Tsouras 17). Phillip II had one of the great military forces in the world, which allowed him to expand and dominate other armies. Phillip wanted to take control of all of Greece, but he needed to defeat the military forces of Athens and Thebes. Phillip decides taht Alexander is ready for
Even if some tend to assume that Alexander truly was great, one cannot fully argue with the fact that Alexander had a huge ego, and he could barely maintain it himself. He was only twenty years old when he launched his invasion of the Persian Empire, and he could have had such a bright future that allowed him to deserve the title of great. Yet even Alexander’s army turned back after eight years of marching due to the fact that his ego could not wrap around the idea that all of these battles remained useless. Conquering so much land for personal pleasures just demonstrates how power hungry Alexander truly was. The city name Alexandria appears eleven times on the map of his empire. He was so conceited that he wanted people to know how much land
Hamilton does a very good and descriptive job of how Alexander soon showed his power when the large city of Thebes revolted in 335. Alexander stormed the city with mighty force and took 30,000 people as slaves. An important point the book discussesnext is when Alexander begins...
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...
Alexander the Great was one of the world’s best commanders at the age of 18. Although he didn’t become king till the age of 20, he still led his comrades through many great victories. When he inherited his army from his father Philip, who was murd...
"The Flow of History." FC25: Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Era (336 BCE-31 BCE). n.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2014.
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