Alexander the Great Books
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W. W. Norton & Company (01 April 1999)Price: $12.21 -
Little, Brown and Company (28 September 2009)Price: $17.81 -
W. W. Norton & Company (17 March 2007)Price: $19.77 -
Princeton University Press (28 September 2009)Price: $19.77 -
Penguin Classics (06 January 2004)Price: $10.40
Definition
He succeeded his father Philip II of Macedon and was appointed commander of the army that was being assembled for war against Persia. He and his army of 32,000 infantry and 5,100 cavalry invaded Persian-controlled Asia Minor in 334 BC. He paid attention to make his conquest appear as divinely-sanctioned as possible by visiting Achilles' tomb, reminiscing of the Trojan war.
He was victorious against the Persian at the Granicus river (334 BC), Issus in Syria (333 BC), and Gaugalmela in Assyria (331 BC). His enemy, king Darius III of Persia was killed by his own followers in 330 BC. In 331 BC Alexander conquered the Persian province of Egypt where, unlike previous conquerors, he respected local religious traditions and was thus crowned Pharao and named "son of Zeus Ammon" by the oracle of Siwa.
Alexander then went on to conquer Babylon, Persepolis, Bactria (where he married Roxanne in 327 BC), and Transoxania. After vanquishing several Indian kings and reaching the river Ganges, he was stopped by his own troops who were tired and scared to not see their family and home again. He returned to Babylon where he died in 323 BC. When asked who should inherit his empire, he answered: "The strongest."
Articles
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The Pharos at Alexandria was the last structure to be named on Antipater of Sidon's list of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was constructed at the beginning of the 3rd century BC, begun by Ptolemy Soter, the ruler of the Egyptian region after the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC. It was impressive in its construction and scale, and legends claim that its light (a reflective mirror) was visible in the harbor from 35 miles away.
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Diodorus Siculus, the 1st century BCE historian, took great pride in precision of description but, even so, could not refrain from adding his own personal views and interpretations of historical events and persons. In the following passage, Diodorus describes the reign of King Philip II of Macedon (382-336 BCE) with a focus on the role `fortune’ or `fate’ played in the king’s successes.
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One of the most effective and enduring military formations in ancient warfare was that of the Greek Phalanx. The age of the Phalanx may be traced back to Sumeria in the 25th century BCE, through Egypt, and finally appearing in Greek literature through Homer in the 8th century BCE (and, since, has been generally associated with Greek warfare strategy, the name itself being from the Greek for `finger’). The phalanx formation was a close-rank, dense grouping of warriors armed with long spears and interlocking shields. The Greek Hoplite soldier provided his own weapon (a seven or eight foot spear known as a `doru’) and shield as well as breast plate, helmet and greaves. There was no official `training’ for a Greek Hoplite and it was the responsibility of the individual commander to make sure his troops could fight in a unified form. Philip II of Macedon changed how armies were trained and enhanced the phalanx formation by introducing the idea of the 'professional soldier' to Macedon, providing his warriors with training, a smaller shield, and a longer spear known as a `sarissa’ which, besides simply being able to inflict greater casualties at a further distance, had the added advantage of masking the formation’s movements when the sarissa’s were held in certain ways.
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After securing the eastern Mediterranean seaboard and Egypt, Alexander pushed east into Mesopotamia with the intention of bringing Darius to battle. After crossing the Euphrates river unopposed, he marched his army eastward along the foothills of the Armenian mountains before crossing the Tigris.
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After defeating Darius III at the battle of Issus in November 333 BC, Alexander marched his army (about 35,000-40,000 strong) into Phoenicia, where he received the capitulation of Byblus and Sidon. Tyrian envoys met with Alexander whilst he was on the march, declaring their intent to honour his wishes.
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Illustrations
