[115], Alexander appears to have introduced a new coinage in Cilicia in Tarsus, after the Battle of Issus in 333 BC, which went on to become the main coinage of the empire. [263] The temple was designed by Pytheos, one of the architects of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. [a] He succeeded his father Philip II to the throne in 336 BC at the age of 20, and spent most of his ruling years conducting a lengthy military campaign throughout Western Asia and Egypt. Department of Image Collections, National Gallery of Art Library, Washington, DC. [14] Plutarch offered a variety of interpretations for these dreams: that Olympias was pregnant before her marriage, indicated by the sealing of her womb; or that Alexander's father was Zeus. Even as he watched the city burn, Alexander immediately began to regret his decision. The visionary leadership of Alexander the Great - Medium Many of these areas remained in Macedonian hands or under Greek influence for the next 200300 years. [62] Antipater referred the Spartans' punishment to the League of Corinth, which then deferred to Alexander, who chose to pardon them. He founded more than twenty cities, with the most prominent being the city of Alexandria in Egypt. Philip then returned to Elatea, sending a final offer of peace to Athens and Thebes, who both rejected it. [14], On the day Alexander was born, Philip was preparing a siege on the city of Potidea on the peninsula of Chalcidice. [305], According to Josephus, Alexander was shown the Book of Daniel when he entered Jerusalem, which described a mighty Greek king who would conquer the Persian Empire. [102] The latter were in many cases additionally connected through marriage alliances with the royal Achaemenid family. [76] After three unsuccessful assaults, the stronghold fell, but not before Alexander had received a serious shoulder wound. [309] The majority of modern researchers of the Quran as well as Islamic commentators identify Dhu al-Qarnayn as Alexander the Great. [232] However, Alexander also was a pragmatic ruler who understood the difficulties of ruling culturally disparate peoples, many of whom lived in kingdoms where the king was divine. Macedon was an ancient Greek kingdom. [22], During his youth, Alexander was also acquainted with Persian exiles at the Macedonian court, who received the protection of Philip II for several years as they opposed Artaxerxes III. After a long pause due to an illness, he marched on towards Syria. [223], Alexander was erudite and patronized both arts and sciences. Macedon is too small for you", and bought the horse for him. His troops misunderstood his intention and mutinied at the town of Opis. [187] Furthermore, Perdiccas had read the notebooks containing Alexander's last plans to the Macedonian troops in Babylon, who voted not to carry them out.[62]. 336-323 BC. [102] This created a problem for Alexander as to whether he had to make use of the various segments and people that had given the empire its solidity and unity for a lengthy period of time. The Ptolemaic cult of Alexander the Great was an imperial cult in ancient Egypt in the Hellenistic period (323-31 BC), promoted by the Ptolemaic dynasty.The core of the cult was the worship of the deified conqueror-king Alexander the Great, which eventually formed the basis for the ruler cult of the Ptolemies themselves. [208][209][210] In The Anabasis of Alexander, Arrian is quoted as saying, "he had one eye dark as the night, and one blue as the sky". [153] His extraordinary achievements, coupled with his own ineffable sense of destiny and the flattery of his companions, may have combined to produce this effect. His military achievements and unprecedented enduring successes in battle made him the measure against which many later military leaders would compare themselves,[c] and his tactics remain a significant subject of study in military academies worldwide. Along the way his army conquered the Malhi (in modern-day Multan) and other Indian tribes and Alexander sustained an injury during the siege. [142] Alexander admired Cyrus the Great, from an early age reading Xenophon's Cyropaedia, which described Cyrus's heroism in battle and governance as a king and legislator. The anguish that Alexander felt after Hephaestion's death may also have contributed to his declining health. [143], Afterwards, Alexander travelled to Ecbatana to retrieve the bulk of the Persian treasure. [17] Some of the cities he founded became major cultural centers, many surviving into the 21st century. [195] Alexander personally led the charge in the center, routing the opposing army. [309] His defeat of Darius was depicted as Egypt's salvation, "proving" Egypt was still ruled by an Egyptian. Struck under Balakros or Menes, circa 333-327 BC", "Images of Authority II: The Greek Example", Alexander: Selected Texts from Arrian, Curtius and Plutarch, The Classical Tradition: Greek and Roman Influences on Western Literature: Greek and Roman Influences on Western Literature, "World map according to Eratosthenes (194 B.C. Gordian Knot - Wikipedia Born in 356 BC, Alexander was a successor to his father Philip II of Macedon. . [88] Alexander stayed in Persepolis for five months. When the Thessalians awoke the next day, they found Alexander in their rear and promptly surrendered, adding their cavalry to Alexander's force. The song 'Alexander the Great' by the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden is indicative. In 335 BC, shortly after his assumption of kingship over Macedon, he campaigned in the Balkans and reasserted control over Thrace and Illyria before marching on the city of Thebes, which was subsequently destroyed in battle. When Alexander reached age 13, Philip summoned Aristotle to the Macedonian court. Stories about his interest in animals are well known too. [40] During the wedding banquet, a drunken Attalus publicly prayed to the gods that the union would produce a legitimate heir. In the spring of 335BC, he advanced to suppress several revolts. But this mania for Alexander, strange as it was, was overshadowed by subsequent events in Alexandria. [144][216][243] Hephaestion's death devastated Alexander. [231] He began to identify himself as the son of Zeus-Ammon. [101] However, as basic forms of community life and the general structure of government were maintained and resuscitated by Alexander under his own rule, he, in the words of the Iranologist Pierre Briant "may therefore be considered to have acted in many ways as the last of the Achaemenids. This was a sign of Caracalla's increasingly erratic behaviour. Brauer, G. (1967). Alexander was the first king to wear the all-important royal diadem, a band of cloth tied around the hair that was to become the symbol of Hellenistic kingship. That same day, Philip received news that his general Parmenion had defeated the combined Illyrian and Paeonian armies and that his horses had won at the Olympic Games. [57] The Macedonians marched into the country of the Triballi, and defeated their army near the Lyginus river[58] (a tributary of the Danube). [98] Alexander buried Darius's remains next to his Achaemenid predecessors in a regal funeral. Taking advantage of this power vacuum, Chandragupta Maurya (referred to in Greek sources as "Sandrokottos"), of relatively humble origin, took control of the Punjab, and with that power base proceeded to conquer the Nanda Empire. [199][198] Nevertheless, Andrew Stewart highlights the fact that artistic portraits, not least because of who they are commissioned by, are always partisan, and that artistic portrayals of Alexander "seek to legitimize him (or, by extension, his Successors), to interpret him to their audiences, to answer their critiques, and to persuade them of his greatness", and thus should be considered within a framework of "praise and blame", in the same way sources such as praise poetry are. Nicolle, David (2000). Some of the most pronounced effects of Hellenization can be seen in Afghanistan and India, in the region of the relatively late-rising Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (250125 BC) (in modern Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan) and the Indo-Greek Kingdom (180 BC 10 AD) in modern Afghanistan and India. [113] Alexander sent back vast sums from his conquest, which stimulated the economy and increased trade across his empire. [17] [7], Alexander III was born in Pella, the capital of the Kingdom of Macedon,[8] on the sixth day of the ancient Greek month of Hekatombaion, which probably corresponds to 20 July 356 BC (although the exact date is uncertain). Tomb of Alexander the Great already found, archaeologist claims, but He invited the chieftains of the former satrapy of Gandhara (a region presently straddling eastern Afghanistan and northern Pakistan), to come to him and submit to his authority. [39], At the wedding of Cleopatra, whom Philip fell in love with and married, she being much too young for him, her uncle Attalus in his drink desired the Macedonians would implore the gods to give them a lawful successor to the kingdom by his niece. In the end, Philip chose Aristotle and provided the Temple of the Nymphs at Mieza as a classroom. On the subsequent advance of the Macedonian king, Taxiles accompanied him with a force of 5,000 men and took part in the Battle of the Hydaspes. [47][48][49], Alexander began his reign by eliminating potential rivals to the throne. [105], During this time, Alexander adopted some elements of Persian dress and customs at his court, notably the custom of proskynesis, either a symbolic kissing of the hand, or prostration on the ground, that Persians showed to their social superiors. Alexander the Great became King of Macedonia in 336BC at the age of 20. [163] Other illnesses fit the symptoms, including acute pancreatitis, West Nile virus,[164][165] and Guillain-Barr syndrome. Suetonius, The Lives of Twelve Caesars, Life of Caligula 19. Starting from Amphipolis, he travelled east into the country of the "Independent Thracians"; and at Mount Haemus, the Macedonian army attacked and defeated the Thracian forces manning the heights. [138][139] As a gesture of thanks, he paid off the debts of his soldiers, and announced that he would send over-aged and disabled veterans back to Macedon, led by Craterus. Around AD 200, Emperor Septimius Severus closed Alexander's tomb to the public. [116], Alexander did not attempt to impose uniform imperial coinage throughout his new conquests. [292], In 39, Caligula performed a spectacular stunt by ordering a temporary floating bridge to be built using ships as pontoons, stretching for over two miles from the resort of Baiae to the neighbouring port of Puteoli. [219], According to Plutarch, Alexander also had a violent temper and rash, impulsive nature,[220] and this could influence his decision making. [b] After the fall of Persia, the Macedonian Empire held a vast swath of territory between the Adriatic Sea and the Indus River. Alexander left no clear successor, though he had a son, Heracles, and another child on the way by his Bactrian wife . [citation needed] Perhaps taking his summons to Babylon as a death sentence[153] and having seen the fate of Parmenion and Philotas,[154] Antipater purportedly arranged for Alexander to be poisoned by his son Iollas, who was Alexander's wine-pourer. He lost another child when Roxana miscarried at Babylon. "[123] A similar slaughter followed at Ora. Alexander III of Macedon (Ancient Greek: , romanized: Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC - 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. His father, King Philip II was assassinated, leaving the throne for his son Alexander to take. [e] As Pausanias tried to escape, he tripped over a vine and was killed by his pursuers, including two of Alexander's companions, Perdiccas and Leonnatus. Alexander the Great - National Geographic Society [198] Ancient authors recorded that Alexander was so pleased with portraits of himself created by Lysippos that he forbade other sculptors from crafting his image; scholars today, however, find the claim dubious. [91][92][93] Plutarch claims that he ordered his men to put out the fires,[91] but that the flames had already spread to most of the city. One Greek king, Menander I, probably became Buddhist, and was immortalized in Buddhist literature as 'Milinda'. Behind Tomb Connected to Alexander the Great, Intrigue Worthy of "Game It was also said that on this day, the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, burnt down. Was it Veratrum album? [298], Many of the legends about Alexander derive from his own lifetime, probably encouraged by Alexander himself. Vergina Sun - Wikipedia Alexander was emboldened to divide his forces, and Ambhi assisted Hephaestion and Perdiccas in constructing a bridge over the Indus where it bends at Hund,[121] supplied their troops with provisions, and received Alexander himself, and his whole army, in his capital city of Taxila, with every demonstration of friendship and the most liberal hospitality. Whereas he was of a fair colour, as they say, and his fairness passed into ruddiness on his breast particularly, and in his face. Although his successors explicitly rejected such policies, Hellenization occurred throughout the region, accompanied by a distinct and opposite 'Orientalization' of the successor states. Alexander replied that since he was now king of Asia, it was he alone who decided territorial divisions. [118] There are both Greek and non-Greek aspects to this design. Alexander personally defeated the Scythians at the Battle of Jaxartes and immediately launched a campaign against Spitamenes, defeating him in the Battle of Gabai. In the temple of Luxor, near Karnak, he built a chapel for the sacred barge. [223] Nevertheless, Plutarch described how Alexander was infatuated by Roxana while complimenting him on not forcing himself on her. The surface is in good condition with only minor abrasions. [47][49][52], News of Philip's death roused many states into revolt, including Thebes, Athens, Thessaly, and the Thracian tribes north of Macedon. [250], Green argues that there is little evidence in ancient sources that Alexander had much carnal interest in women; he did not produce an heir until the very end of his life. [311], In Hindi and Urdu, the name "Sikandar", derived from the Persian name for Alexander, denotes a rising young talent, and the Delhi Sultanate ruler Aladdin Khalji stylized himself as "Sikandar-i-Sani" (the Second Alexander the Great). In the aftermath of Massaga and Ora, numerous Assakenians fled to the fortress of Aornos. [216] Alexander's mother Olympia similarly had huge ambitions, and encouraged her son to believe it was his destiny to conquer the Persian Empire. [306] In the Shahnameh, Alexander's first journey is to Mecca to pray at the Kaaba. This campaign, initially against Bessus, turned into a grand tour of central Asia. He lived a relatively short life, but his charisma was stronger than death. 505.38 NOK (20% off) Silver Coin Pendant - Alexander the Great - 925 Sterling Silver 336-323 BC. [19], When Alexander was 13, Philip began to search for a tutor, and considered such academics as Isocrates and Speusippus, the latter offering to resign from his stewardship of the Academy to take up the post. [245] The Roman era writer Athenaeus says, based on the scholar Dicaearchus, who was Alexander's contemporary, that the king "was quite excessively keen on boys", and that Alexander kissed the eunuch Bagoas in public. It included: The enormous scale of these plans has led many scholars to doubt their historicity. [216] While Alexander worried that his father would leave him "no great or brilliant achievement to be displayed to the world",[217] he also downplayed his father's achievements to his companions. During this turmoil, the Illyrians invaded Macedonia, only to be repelled by Alexander. He then stormed the pass of the Persian Gates (in the modern Zagros Mountains) which had been blocked by a Persian army under Ariobarzanes and then hurried to Persepolis before its garrison could loot the treasury.[87]. [196] At the decisive encounter with Darius at Gaugamela, Darius equipped his chariots with scythes on the wheels to break up the phalanx and equipped his cavalry with pikes. Greek-speaking communities in central Anatolia and in far-eastern Anatolia survived until the Greek genocide and GreekTurkish population exchanges of the early 20th century AD. [77], Egypt was only one of a large number of territories taken by Alexander from the Persians. Ptolemaic cult of Alexander the Great - Wikipedia When Alexander took the throne he ordered for all of his rivals to the throne to be killed to ensure no-one would . Leaving Egypt in 331BC, Alexander marched eastward into Achaemenid Assyria in Upper Mesopotamia (now northern Iraq) and defeated Darius again at the Battle of Gaugamela. Under Aristotle's tutelage, Alexander developed a passion for the works of Homer, and in particular the Iliad; Aristotle gave him an annotated copy, which Alexander later carried on his campaigns. Diodorus, Plutarch, Arrian and Justin all mentioned the theory that Alexander was poisoned. With the Athenians lost, the Thebans were surrounded. Writing shortly after Alexander's death, Onesicritus invented a tryst between Alexander and Thalestris, queen of the mythical Amazons. At the time of his death, Alexander's empire covered some 5,200,000km2 (2,000,000sqmi),[257] and was the largest state of its time. The Smyrnaeans sent ambassadors to the oracle at Clarus to ask about this, and after the response from the oracle they decided to move to the "new" city. Geoff W. Adams, The Roman Emperor Gaius "Caligula" and His Hellenistic Aspirations, pp 46. [224] He had great charisma and force of personality, characteristics which made him a great leader.
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