FINAL EXAMINATION

While this statement does hold some truth, it is not entirely accurate. It is true that much of Alexander the Great’s story was written long after his death, but that does not means “historians really do not know much about” him. It is often difficult to piece together the puzzle that makes up the life and times of Alexander, but to a large extent it can be done. Historians are able to piece together source material, histories, and archeological data to paint a portrait of the warrior king. This does not mean that the task is easy, or that all scholars agree, but it certainly presents a wealth of information to be considered.

First one must consider source material on Alexander the Great’s life and times. This material, as with most historical information, must be carefully weighed and scrutinized. There is evidence that there were many various sources of primary documents written during Alexander’s life and over the decades that followed; however, none of these sources have survived fully intact. Most of the material that survived from the time Alexander lived or the decades following his death only survived in part or is quoted in other writings. We find that many later writers use the original sources in their own writings, but this in itself presents more questions on the reliability of the sources that we have today.

The sources of the writings, primary source material or later histories, must also be considered. Much of Alexander’s history has survived through western writers, who tend to idolize and glorify his conquests. There are far less surviving non-western accounts to rely upon and they present a completely different view of Alexander’s exploits; which one might expect from a defeated people. It is often...

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...ate picture of Alexander’s life and death. There are sites in Vergina, Greece; Samarkand, Uzbekistan; Nebuchadnezzar, Iraq; Pella, Greece; and Tyre, Lebanon; not to mention, archeologists are finally discovering remains from the fabled Alexandra.

Ultimately, I mostly disagree with the statement provided. We do not lack knowledge or information on Alexander; we simply do not know his entire story. This is not a unique phenomenon in the study of history. Facts and evidence will never be presented in a purely unbiased fashion, thus it is impossible to ever know any one person’s story fully. With that said, it is possible to do a thorough study of Alexander and we learn even more with each new discovery or technological advance that presents old evidence in a new fashion.

Works Cited

Worthington, Ian. Alexander The Great: A Reader. New York: Routledge, 2012.