Ancient Greeks brought new ideas into the world. They believed in Democracy, and made contributions to science, art, music and philosophy. Greeks built the Parthenon and Hippocratic oath of medicine is follow today. Greece also had strong armies that were needed to fight their hostile neighbors. Greece's greatest military hero was Alexander the Great.
Alexander the Great was born in 356 B.C to King Philip and Queen Olympias of Macedonia. When Alexander was a young child, he was told by his mother Olympias that he was ancestor of the great hero Achilles. Throughout his life, Alexander carried with him a copy of the Illiad which told of the deeds of Achilles.
Olympias chose a tutor named Leonidas to teach Alexander. He was a stern tutor. He only allowed the plainest food, and he taught the prince that the best "cook" for a good breakfast was an all night walk, and for a good dinner was a light breakfast. He learned to ride, to race, to swim, but he never cared to wrestle as did most lads of his time. Once, the prince was asked if he would run in the Olympic games, for he was fleet of foot, he answered, "Yes, if I could have kings to race with me."
Some famous stories are told about Alexander's youth. One of the most famous relates that as a teen-ager, he tamed a wild horse that no one else could manage. The horse had a marking like an ox's head upon its forehead, so it was named Buccephalus or "ox-head." Alexander rode it through almost all his subsequent career, and it is probably the most famous horse in history.
As Alexander grew older, King Philip sent for a famous philosopher named Aristotle to teach his son. Alexander's education followed the Greek principle of "a sound mind in a sound body." He received training in sports, physical fitness, and warfare. He also studied literature, philosophy, and politics. Alexander also enjoyed poetry, art, science and he was curious about plants and animals. However, his main interest was in conquering other lands.
Schooling ended at 16 because his father, Philip, ordered him to work in the government. Philip soon gave his son military training. When Alexander and his army won the battle of Chaeronea, he was only eighteen years old; but he had been fighting since he was sixteen. He had also governed Macedonia while his father was absent. When King Philip was murdered by one of his bodyguards, Alexander said, "Nothing has changed except the name of the King."
At the age of twenty, Alexander became King of the Macedonians. Alexander had the same aims as his father. His main interest was in conquering other lands. However, he realized that people could revolt at any time and destroy his empire. Therefore, Alexander took a great interest in his troops and gained the loyalty of his men. In order to retain the loyalty of his troops and to prevent revolts, he created Greek colonies in the conquered lands. The colonies were run by his own soldiers and he said they should think of all the world as home and all men as their bothers. He suggested that his soldiers should marry women from conquered lands. The Greek soldiers did not like the idea of treating their enemies as brothers and marrying women from conquered lands. So Alexander himself married a Persian woman, Roxane from Sogdiana.
Alexander's first battle as emperor was against neighboring Greek city- states. The Greek cities revolted against Alexander. Alexander responded by destroying Thebes and selling the people into slavery. The total destruction of Thebes discouraged other rebellions.
In 334 B.C, Alexander led 35,000 troops from Greece to conquer Asia Minor. He conquered Asia Minor by defeating the Persians at the Granicus River. Defeating the Persians opened Asia Minor to Alexander.
In 333 B.C, Alexander conquered Phoenicia and captured important naval bases. His troops used such weapons as battering rams, catapults, and mobile towers in their attack. Alexander introduced a new age of warfare, which was effective in conquering his enemies. This new age of warfare was later copied by Alexander's enemies.
The next country Alexander conquered was Egypt. Egypt welcomed Alexander as a liberator from Persian Rule. They called him a Pharoah. Alexander founded a city in 331 B.C and named it Alexandria after himself.
In 331 B.C, Alexander left Egypt and traveled eastward to the Persian Empire. Alexander's army, though outnumbered by Persians, was superior in battle. Alexander captured Babylon and the Persian capital at Susa. Alexander forced the Persian King Darius to flee and two centuries of Persian rule in Asia ended. Darius' own nobles killed him in 330 B.C and Alexander became King of Asia.
After Persia, Alexander moved his army into Bactria, which is now Afghanistan. He married the Bactrian princess Roxane in 327 B.C. In 326 B.C his forces reached upper Indus River Valley. Alexander wanted to travel further east, but his troops refused to go. While in central Asia, Alexander became like a Persian King and was worshipped as a god. Troops resented this change and plotted against him. Alexander in turn executed several prominent Greeks and Macedonians who were plotting against him, including Cleitus who had saved Alexander's life. After Alexander conquered the Indus River Valley, he traveled westward and returned to Babylon. He administered over his empire which stretched from Greece to the Indus.
In the spring of 323 B.C, he became ill with fever at Babylon, and suffered from exhaustion and effects of battle wounds. Alexander died at age 32 on June10, 323 B.C. His body was placed in a tomb at Alexandria. No one succeeded Alexander the Great as ruler of his empire. By 300 B.C the empire had split into several independent states led by Alexander?s generals. They fought over the control of the Empire that Alexander the Great created.
Alexander the Great achieved his dream of conquering the known world. He achieved his dream with his brilliant military strategy and leadership. He established many cities in Africa, India and Europe and spread Greek civilization and ideas throughout the world.
Egerton, Frank, Europe at the Time of Greece and Rome. Milwaukee Raintree Publishers. 1985