Flavius Arrianus Xenophon, also known as Arrian, author of “The Campaigns of Alexander,” is also well known throughout history for his educational connection with philosopher Epictetus. This book was meant to be Arrian’s master piece; his claim to fame. Arrian created “The Campaigns of Alexander,” to depict the life and times of Alexander the Great (July 20, 356-June 10, 323 BC). Today Arrian’s “The Campaigns of Alexander,” is considered one of his greatest pieces of work and is recognized historically for the accurate account of Alexander’s campaign. “The Campaigns of Alexander,” is separated into sections titled as books. These books or chapters begin at one and end with book seven. Each book showcases the actions of Alexander the Great.
Alexander the Great at the age of twenty begins his campaigns after his father’s assassination. Once, he gains the throne of Macedonia Alexander gathers the Greeks to set out on his adventures. Alexander conquers several cities that were known for the own conquests. Arrian highlights many of these battles within “The Campaigns of Alexander,” The defeat of the Persian army was due to the use of Alexander’s famous battle tactics. Alexander continuously pushes his fleet through battle while up lifting there spirits with his personal charm.
Alexander then sets his sights on Egypt. Natives along the route of Alexander the Great’s conquests had little opposition to the fleet of Greeks securing the countries. This allowed for several conquests in a short amount of time. Alexandria is one example of the cities Alexander the Great founded throughout his expansion. As Alexander the Great moved throughout Egypt he was crowned pharaoh, causing him to see himself as a god. This caused a downfall in his ...
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...ics that are shown throughout “The Campaigns of Alexander.” Alexander the Great has the characteristic of a great leader. These include strength in both physical and mental aspects of life, personal charm and bravery. These two aspects are shown throughout every conquest. The military tactics used by Alexander’s army was sufficient and well maintained expressing his intelligence and personal strength in the military. These long lasting battles are difficult to maintain although Alexander could continue to keep his armies spirits up with his personal charm and intelligence. Alexander’s bravery is also a constant throughout Arrian’s account of his campaign. He pushes into battle with little to no fear and continuous throughout dangerous conditions. These characteristics allowed Alexander the Great to expand his empire quickly and across a vast geographical landscape.
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.
One of the reasons for Alexander’s military success is because he was brought up by a great military leader. Alexander’s father was King Phillip II of Macedonia, a great military leader himself. When Alexander was a young man, around 16, his father realized his potential and pulled him out of school and put him out on the field to learn (McGill). He also got him a tutor, one of the best in all of history, Aristotle. Alexander’s young life will prove to be one of the largest reasons for his...
Alexander began his military campaign and his rule much where his father left off. Whether or not it was his aim, this created a sense of normality for the men that was part of his father’s regime. Alexander’s position as a warrior-king who stood side-by-side among his men also served to create respect among his peers. Gradually, as Alexander conquered more Persian land, he began to adopt the policies of Persian rulers. Alexander’s change in policy extended beyond just political roles, he gave consideration to the local gods in many of the lands that he conquered. Eventually, Alexander brought people in from the conquered nations to serve under him.
The conquest of Alexander the great has significant importance in contest of expanding the empire so massively and also introducing the Greek culture, and religion beyond the border. The military campaigns that was lead my Alexander the great had not only found the new cities and expanded the existed one to the place where it was unknown to the Greek world. But the conquest had also given the chance of expedition of discovery and spread of Greek culture beyond the border. His important legacy was clearly not a political unity, but instead it was the spread of Greek ideas and tradition across wide area, which later refer as Hellenization. As he was winning the battle and marching forward, he also founded new cities and military
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 is now recognized as one of the greatest leaders to ever live. Alexander took the throne at the age of twenty. Alexander’s leadership is one that many leaders try to imitate. The key component in his ability to lead was having the trust of his men . His men trusted in him that he had the best interest not only for them but also for his kingdom as a whole. With this trust in place, Alexander was able to take his men into any city without. Alexander was also not shy of battles. During battles he would mostly lead from the front where he was easily recognizable and a target for the enemies . His bravery set an example for his men, and in return Alexander was always rewarded with a victory. His ruthlessness matched with his tolerance is one of the most ironic yet admirable trait he had. Alexander was known for his ruthless behavior when it came to battles with other kingdoms. He held nothing back and punished all who fought against him . That being said, Alexander rarely would hur...
Alexander the Great was only 20 years when his father Philip of Macedon died. Even though he was a young man, he had an unusual talent for politics and military tactics. After his father’s death, Alexander moved to continue Philip’s invasion of Persia. In the ten years of his war campaigns, Alexander conquered a large portion of the then-known world. (Judge & Langdon, 2012.)
Even though Alexander III of Macedonia, more commonly known as Alexander the Great, only lived to be 32 years old, his accomplishments were so vast it would be impossible to capture them all in a 3-hour Hollywood film. The well-known director, Oliver Stone, spent years studying Alexander and dreaming of making an epic film about his life. Stone's 2004 film, Alexander, was met with reviews that made it sound as if it was mediocre or disappointing, but the problem with it is that in the era of exciting action-driven Hollywood films, Alexander asks viewers to go deeper than they are accustomed. The length of the film was considered too long, but the history of Alexander is so huge that it is actually too short. Since Alexander lived more than 2300 years ago, and much of the information on Alexander's life has been lost over time, it seems to me that Alexander accurately depicts the historical era, Alexander's relationships, battle scenes and the different cultures involved in Alexander's conquests.
I have important news to tell you today, in which every Greek city-state will be taken to extreme heights of this new era. We have won the Battle of Issus, my friend! Finally, the day has come where we will be able to show Persia, our power and wisdom. Alexander is a key component to our success; we would have never survived without his courage, dedication, and wisdom. Before the war began, he had ridden to the front lines, where he named each solider and reminded us of the permanent values that will follow if we win. Although the Persian army stood before us with massive soldiers and weapons, it was Alexander’s quick reasoning and verdict that allowed us to react swiftly. Alexander’s tactics proved how he can lead and unite the soldiers when faced with difficult opposition.
Alexander was brought up admiring Homeric heroes, and was inspired by their emotional impulses. Alexander wanted to be seen as braver than brave, the mostly kingly of kings, and the greatest of all generals. Alexander wanted to identify with mythical and divine conquerors, such as Dionysus. Anaxarchus, a Greek philosopher whom accompanied Alexander at the school of Democritus, said that Alexander had better claims to be a god than Dionysus and Heracles, due to Alexander’s grand accomplishments. Alexander was inspired by Homer’s hero Achilles, and his aspiration for greatness – he even saw himself as a reincarnation of this Homeric hero. Alexander’s desire to explore west Egypt hailed from his mystical belief in his destiny, whereas others argue that it was an attempt to strengthen his position with his new subjects. Callisthenes – the official historian – said that it was due to Alexander’s “thirst for glory because he heard Hercules and Peruses had gone there before him” and he wanted to emulate these Homeric heroes. He was motivated by Homeric ideals such as personal achievement and glory, accomplished largely in warfare. Alexander’s siege of Aornus was carried out because Hercules had failed a similar attempt, and Arrian wrote that Alexander crossed the Gedrosian Desert because “no one else with an army had done so successfully” (Anab.
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.
The son of Philip II, Alexander the Great, will become the conqueror of the western world. Alexander received the Macedonian empire when his father passed, he was only twenty at the time. As soon as he had the power of the Macedonian army, several lightning fast campaigns led them into the west and north. Next, he compelled the city-states that rebelled against the League of Corinth. This action demonstrated how Alexander punished disloyalty [Martin 244]. Alexander was able to keep his rule on the territories he conquered by rewarded the cities who recognized his powers and punished the individuals that betrayed his trust or ambitions. The power he possessed depended on his superior force and his unwillingly desire to use it [Martin 245]. The
Jarus, Owen. "Alexander the Great: Facts, Biography, and Accomplishments." 27 September 2013. livescience. Document. 27 October 2013.
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...
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