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Alexander the great impact on the ancient world
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Alexander the Great conquered most of the known world, giving rise to an uncontested empire influenced by Hellenic culture. His achievement was made possible through the production of military and cultural innovations, by adopting a tolerant approach when conquering other cultures, and by entrusting loyal subjects and officials with administrating certain regions. Alexander was able to sustain and expand his empire through his military strength, reinforced by his charismatic leadership and ability to fight, as well as his diplomatic relationships with other officials and his own officers. This Hellenic empire was able to flourish and surpass any challengers, due to the said foundations in which Alexander implemented throughout his reign. …show more content…
City engineering, the building of settlements in certain aspects, created a Hellenic culture in the various regions. Alexander wanted to create these cities based on Greek life, and thus a hybrid culture was formed in them. For example, Pergamon, which was described as surpassing the greatness the Athenians once had, was built in such a way which alluded to Greek polis by including all the various components: a theater, temple, gymnasium, agora, and stoa (“Age of Alexander”). The model not only introduced Hellenic culture to conquered cites, but also assimilated the Greek traditions that Alexander wanted in his empire with some of the already established networks of administration that was kept from previous rule. Through a tolerant perspective, Alexander allowed some lesser officials keep their title if they pledged their loyalty (Cole and Symes). He kept peace through expansion by military strength, but also by posing the options of peaceful compliance or relentless battle and eventual death and demolition. This is indication that not only did Alexander the Great promote Hellenic culture throughout his empire, but allowed the existing cultures to exist, as long as certain criteria were …show more content…
As Cyrus the Great did with his conquests, Alexander gave cities an ultimatum between amnesty for submission or merciless battle when met with resistance (Cole and Symes). This choice allowed some regions to be spared from being ruined or burnt down while also demonstrating the assimilation and accommodations of some cultures as Alexander allowed some officials to hold title, as previously said. He was able to sustain a healthy order among his empire by blending and adopting court customs and traditions, using regional and local systems, as well as dividing power and leadership to his loyal followers. When conquering Persia and becoming the new Emperor after defeating Darius III, he was able to arrange mass marriages between his officers and Persian noblewomen, train Persian youths to fight in hoplite formation, adopt Persian dress, and encouraged the ritual of proskynesis, which had those of a lesser social status submit to the Great King (Cole and Symes). This interchanging of Greek and Persian culture, while meeting resistance from some Greeks, revealed how Alexander was able to maintain such a large empire, while having a strong presence in all the various regions of the known world (“Alexander the Great Biography”). This was significant because it maintained his vision of spreading Hellenic culture while also being flexible
Alexander adopted Persian governing practices, but he had little use for Persian culture. According to his Greek biographer Plutarch, he considered himself "a governor from God and a reconciler of the world." He hoped that Greek culture would, through his actions, permeate all of Asia, inspiring its peoples to pursue virtue, excellence, and truth. This heroic idealism blended with practicality in his plan to develop the Tigris, Euphrates, and Indus rivers as commercial waterways linking all of Asia These undertakings promised to be long and difficult, however, and Alexander was an impatient man. His soldiers' unwillingness to proceed past the Indus was a great disappointment to him, for which he compensated by throwing his own festivals and celebrations. Alexander showed early leadership qualities. When King Phillip invaded Thrace, he left Alexander in charge of Macedonia at the age of 16. During his father's absence, one of the Thracian tribes, the Maedi, rebelled. Alexander was able to mobilize an army and put down the rebellion. In 336 B.C, Alexander's father was assassinated, putting Alexander on the throne at the age of 20. Shortly after this, Alexander left Macedonia with his armies to put down rebellions in the countries of Illyria, Thrace and Greece, all of which had previously been conquered by King Phillip. Alexander then moved his armies into Asia Minor and began to conquer the peoples there. Among the countries conquered by Alexander were Syria, Phoenicia and
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.
Alexander the Great was the son of Philip Macedonia. Alexander the Great was a big admirer of Greek culture during his time. During Alexander the Great time in history he spread the Greek culture through the Middle East and North Africa. Alexander the Great past away at an early age and after his death the Greeks took over the Romans.
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
He also adopted local customs in order to increase his legitimacy, and sought to combine Greek and Eastern cultures through religion and architecture. To a large extent this was continued by his successors. The Seleucids and Ptolemies in particular followed his mode of kingship, adapting to local cultures to consolidate their rule (Khurt and Sherwin-White 1993, 114; Ma 2003, 181;), by merging elements of architecture and the establishment of ruler cults. Coinage was also used to spread knowledge of a king and continue Greek traditions which were introduced by Alexander. However the extent to which Alexander's legacy lasted may be limited, with it being possible that with each generation within the successor dynasties, rulers may have become more accustomed to local cultures rather than the Greek legacy left by Alexander.
Alexander the Great (July 356BC – June 323BC) was King of the ancient Greek Kingdom of Macedon. By the age of thirty he had created one of the largest empires of the ancient world. He remained undefeated in battle and is considered one of history’s most successful Military commanders. Historians’ have offered theories which could explain Alexander’s motivation to conquer so much of the known world. Some suggest that Alexander was an idealistic visionary who sought to unite the world, whereas others argued that he was a fascist whose hunger for power drove him. The Ancient Greeks were driven by love of honour (philotimaea) and their desire for greatness. They were competitive, always striving to better one another.
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
“In 331 b.c., Alexander crushed the Persian king’s main army….. He subsequently proclaimed himself king of Asia in place of the Persian king” (Ancient Greece, 247) Alexander automatically appointed himself ruler and gave no option to the captured of whether or not they wanted to become citizens and pay his taxes, they were forced to. How Alexander treated the conquered and how he ruled the empire he built were very similar. He cared more about the land and overall size of his empire more than the people in it. Alexander allowed the basic structure of the local government and taxation to stay the same, “His policy seems to have been to create strength and stability by mixing ethnic traditions and personnel. As he had learned from Aristotle.” (Ancient Greece, 247) The way Alexander ruled this ever-growing empire seemed to be more hands off. Keeping their original internal structure allowed Alexander to continue his rule but from afar, but still wanted to be the most important, and he does this by having people address him as a god. (Ancient Greece, 249) This kind of superiority and imperialism was also continued in the Mediterranean rule, this began to worry the republic that they may see backlash from the concurred
Alexander the Great is great because of his remarkable achievement which helped to create a long lasting legacy. Alexander started to build his empire in 334 BCE after taking the new role as the king. It only took eleven years to build an empire that was large and lasted several years. In addition, the empire Alexander created stretched over 2,200,000 square miles becoming bigger than the United States (Alexander’s Empire Doc. A) (Alexander’s Legacy Doc, E). This proves that Alexander the Great is great because although the process was eleven long years to make a strong empire, Alexander wasn’t willing to give up and
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.
However, he was no ordinary king. Alexander gained the love of his people by fighting alongside them, and even leading the charge, in the many battles that occurred as his army went from city to city conquering all of the land imaginable from Macedonia to eastern India. Because of Alexander’s bravery and charisma, his people viewed him as a god. His conquests led to the spread of Hellenistic culture
Alexander the Great deserved his title because he extended his massive empire, also naming many cities after himself. Alexander the Great had conquered so much land that he was able to name more than 70 cities after himself and one after his horse. Alexander commemorated his conquests by founding dozens of cities (usually built up around previous military forts) which he named Alexandria. I feel that if you are able to name 70 cities after you, your truly great. Also, Alexander was a great conqueror, in 13 short years he amassed the largest empire in the entire ancient world — an empire that covered 3,000 miles. And he did this without the benefit of modern technology and weaponry. Alexander had created the biggest empire ever, even today. He did so without guns. He used spears, shields and arrows to conquer 3,000 miles. He also did this on foot and horse over just 13 years. Even today it would be hard to conquer that much land in 13 years. This is truly an amazing accomplishment. After three grueling years of warfare and three decisive battles, Alexander smashed the Persian armies at the Tigris River and conquered the mighty Persian Empire, including the legendary city of Babylon. The Persian army was the best army at the time, they had been the army to beat. Alexander slowly but surely had
He had this idea of uniting the word. This idea motivated him to expand his kingdom, and fight against the Persian empire other kingdoms. He didn’t have a plan where he wants to stop the expansion,so he keeps going until his soldiers refuse to fight, because they were far from their motherland (Williamson Alexander the great). This time of the period Alexand builds houses, theaters and official building that promote Greeks culture throughout Asia, Europe and North Africa. In all Alexander 's generals the top leader and office all members were Macedon. If someone wishes to in these top officials, he needs to learn Greece language. That was the shows his loyal at the time. However Alexander didn’t had a chance to led his empire. He died at age of 33 from his war wounds and disease. Shortly after his death, there were no one fit to be a king in his family. As result Macedon generals start to fight to lead this huge empire as a whole. At the end, Generals like Antigonus Gonatas, Ptolemy, Seleucus, Attalus and Aetolian divide the empire and they name themselves asking the place, where they were generals. This was known as successor kingdoms (Williamson Alexander the great). This shows the achievement of culture and the failure of political because Alexander did get a chance to lead the empire after all the hard work he have done. The successor kingdoms were war each other to expand their empire even though their culture were
He was also influential and clever. In each conquest, Alexander retained local officials who were loyal to him and he appointed Macedonian governors to the province capitals. He founded administrative capitals to control the regions. He founded Alexandria, Egypt which became the cultural capital of Mediterranean in the ancient world. Nevertheless, he also began to wear Persian clothing and he encouraged his soldiers to do the same in order to keep the peace. Therefore, he executed the men who resisted obeying his order. He married with a Persian and he encouraged his soldiers to marry with Persians to mix the culture. Persians loved Alexander and they respected him like he was a Persian like them. Even the Persian army joined with Alexander by will. That is why he controlled his massive empire without riots and this proves that he was very influential and clever.