Alexander III or as is commonly referred to as Alexander the Great was born in Macedonia in 356 BCE. He was the son to King Philip II and Queen Olympias. He quickly succeeded Philip after his assassination which proved to be quite controversial. In order to prove he was in control, he immediately made sure that the army was loyal to him and that anyone that was against his rule was killed. He became quite a military genius of his time and remains one of the best generals and leaders the world has ever had. He led many conquests in different parts of the world spreading the ideas of democracy with deep regard to the community customs and beliefs of the locals.
Alexander’s Conquests
Baalbek 344 BCE: Alexander renamed it “City of the Sun.”
Baalbek is an ancient city in modern day Lebanon. It grew because it was a significant pilgrimage site for the worship of Baal. Alexander conquered this city in 334 BCE and gave it the name ‘City of the Sun’ or Heliopolis. This name was commonly used until Pompey the Great extended the region for Rome.
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Ephesus November 333 BC
Persians ruled Ephesus up to 333BCE when Alexander liberated the city. After the liberation, he offered to assist in rebuilding the Temple of Artemis until its completion. However, the locals opposed his offer with the claims that it was wrong for one god to construct a temple to another.
Sidon 332 BCE
The Sidonians surrendered to Alexander the Great without any resistance when they had of how he had successfully conquered the Persian Empire. Alexander successfully ruled Sidon up to his death when one of his generals succeeded him.
Tyre 332 BCE
Alexander’s request to sacrifice to Heracles in Tyre was met with a lot of opposition because the Tyrians saw it as a plot by the Macedonians to occupy the area. As a result, they responded by allowing Alexander to use Old Tyre to give sacrifices because it had no strategic advantage. This move by the Tyrians provoked Alexander and his generals who agreed that it was vital to conquer all Phoenician cities before advancing to other parts of the world. After a fierce war, Alexander won and finally made his sacrifice as he intended.
Susa 333 BCE
Susa is one of the oldest cities in the world. It was also one of the most common and prominent city in Persia. Owing to the defeat of Archaemenid Empire by Alexander the Great, Susa became part of the Seleucid Empire. This city became an important intellectual and cultural center in the region.
Persepolis 330 BCE
Alexander the Great looted the treasures of Persepolis, burned down the great palace and the city surrounding it after conquering it in the year 330BC. He turned a city that was seen as a Jewel into a ruin.
Aleppo 333 BCE
Alexander the Great conquered Aleppo in 333BC and a new city called Beroea was built on the site. This later became a very important Greek Hellenism cultural center for centuries.
The Legacy of Alexander’s Empire
Persia
Conquering Persia was very crucial to Alexander’s mission because he needed to acquire the wealth that this region had in order to maintain his army. However taking over Persia proved to be an uphill task because it had a very large, vibrant and a well-organized army.
According to Judge & Langdon (2015), Darius III, who was the Persian king was quite a challenge to Alexander’s plan to conquer the area. He was a very able leader and had also gathered a large army that outnumbered Alexander’s army. Regardless of Darius’ efforts and tactics, Alexander proved his military genius and managed to conquer the region. He could easily plan, employ various strategies and anticipate how the Persians would react. Solving the Gordian Knot puzzle proved to him that it was the gods’ plan that he rules Asia. Upon success, he made an effort to merge the Persian and Greek cultures by marrying Persian wives and ensuring that both ethnic groups participate in crucial political and administrative activities. He also took part in various Persian festivities and events.
India
Rice (2011) posits that when Alexander came to India in 327BC, he was confronted by King Porus as he tried to cross the Jhelum River. Even though most people believe that Alexander defeated Porus, he was in fact barred from crossing over. Different scholars have so many theories as to why Alexander did not conquer India and instead returned to Greece. Some believe that India had many kings therefore proving difficult to conquer. He was also injured and had a small army.
According to Kim & The Orchard, Kanopy (2018), Alexander was impressed by Porus’ skills and military tactics and therefore spared his life. He then placed him as the ruler of the region under his authority. These battles were the last that Alexander would fight. He therefore founded two cities at the site to mark the battle.
Egypt
Alexander the Great took over Egypt in 332BC after defeating Persia which had been ruling for over ten years. This after the time he had defeated Darius III at Issus. He, therefore, was received as a liberator without any opposition. He was also declared the son of Zeus. He built the city of Alexandria, named after himself. This city became the largest city in the ancient world/ Egypt flourished under his rule in both science and art.
Judge & Langdon, (2015) argue that after Alexander the Great had conquered Persian Empire, he spread Greek culture all over Asia and connected Europe to other parts of the world including Africa and Asia. This would later benefit the Romans. They would only have only to improve the buildings, walkways, and aqueducts that had already been established.
Although Alexander is revered, his conquests were not always for the good of all. He had no regard for what the Persian Empire had achieved. He destroyed these cultures without putting in place a culture that would help the lives of its people. His conquests were also done for personal gain. He never considered doing so to unite the territories that he conquered.
The Greeks are known to have developed advanced forms of government, wonderful architecture, and beautiful works of drama and made remarkable efforts towards scientific advancement. However, since they did not live in unison, they were easily conquered by the Macedonians. Their innovations were however spread to various parts of the globe. These enriched the lives of many people all over the world and changed the course of history.
In conclusion, Alexander the Great was one of the greatest generals the world has ever seen. He showed a lot of skills and unusual capabilities in arms and tactics in defeating his enemies. He knew how to exploit every chances that arose in every battle and this led to victory in most conquests that he took part in. His interests in science led to innovation and advances in areas like geography, mathematics and natural history.
References
Judge, E. H., & Langdon, J. W. (2015). Connections: A world history . Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education.
Kim, D., & The Orchard (Firm), Kanopy (Firm). (2018). Alexander the Great .
Rice, E. E. (2011). Alexander the Great . New York: History Press.
