Alexander of Macedon "The Great"

Alexander the Great, son of King Philip II of Macedon, was born in 356 BC. Legend has it, Alex tamed a horse named, Bucephalus, at a young age that no other man could tame. His father is claimed to have said, "Oh thy son, look thee at a kingdom equal to and worthy of thyself, for Macedonia is too little for thee." (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LsrkWDCvxg)
In 343 BC King Philip II of Macedonia, Alexander's father, invited Aristotle to visit Pella, the Macedonian capital, to tutor his teenage son. A span of Eight years under this tutor did Alexander learn about politics and governmental affairs. (Backman, 156-157)
In 336 BC, King Philip II was assassinated and Alexander took the throne. At the young age of 20, he was the ruler of the semi-Hellenized kingdom of Macedonia. Alexander was an ambitious optimistic commander, with the resources to fund his military excursions. His plan was to conquer all of Greece. This could have been a dream of his fathers, that he wanted to see to completion. (Backman, 157)
Alexanders first conquest took place in the Persian Empire. In 334 BC, Alexander sends 34,000 men through Asia Minor. He attacks and liberates all of Asia Minor, including Modern day turkey, Syria, and Palestine. (Lecture)
Macedonia, specifically Alexander the Great's army, is known for a military advancement in weaponry known as the Sarissas. This 6 meter long spear gave his army the upper-hand in battle. The formation, known as a phalanx, is a rectangular hoard of soldiers that stand as a strong wall against the enemy. Also, this could be why Alexander is famous for never losing a battle in his lifetime. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LsrkWDCvxg)
Upon conquering the entire Persian Empire, Alexander began to build the kingdom. His great achievements include the building of the largest empire known to man at the time, and Alexandria, one of the most cosmopolitan cities and home of the great library. Although, what may have been a visually impressive empire, lacked in efficiency once the empire was built. (Lecture)
After Alexanders death in 323 BC, the kingdom split into four distinct empires. The first was the Ptolemies in Egypt, then The Selucids in Western Asia (Persia), next the Antigonids in Greece and Macedonia, and finally the Attalids in Pergamum. These kingdoms were each ruled by one of Alexander's generals and became important dynasties. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LsrkWDCvxg)
Thus began the Hellenistic age in 323 BC after the death of Alexander. This gave way to new Greek colonization. In addition to a peaceful era of cross-cultural achievements, the Hellenistic age gave way to many advancements in learning, math, art and architecture. Another achievement of this time was the introduction of a Greek dialect spoken by the military called Koine. Later to be known as Lingua Franca, a common language used between people whose native tongues are different.
Although Alexander was mostly just conquering territory for the glory and heroism of it all, not to mention to finish what his father King Philip II started. Because of his life a more closely connected world of trade and communication with multitudes of people was more prominent than ever. What's interesting is that he did not make them happen, although without his reign they probably would have never come about. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LsrkWDCvxg)

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Created with images by Xuan Che - "alexander the great" • Milestoned - "Throne"

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