Alexandra Cortez
Dr. Andrew Kurt
History 1111 – Sec 01
16 October 2017
Alexander – “the Great”?
Alexander the Great was the king of Macedonia from approximately 336 B.C to 323 B.C.
It would be significant to note that he became king at only twenty years of age. Alexander would
go down in history gaining more titles, such as: explorer, warrior, commander, and conqueror.
All of these titles have a positive aspect to their definitions, but Alexander the Great is one of the
most debated individuals on whether his character was heroic or malicious. I, on the other hand,
believe that Alexander was truly great.
As the son and successor to King Philip II, Alexander had to learn how to battle from a
young age. There are many remarkable stories surrounding Alexander the Great. When his father
was away, sixteen-year old Alexander invaded Thrace and triumphed over them. A widely
popular tale says that he tamed a wild horse that he would later ride into every battle he
encountered. Not to mention, he was meant to kill a wild boar and another human being in a
coming of age ritual. In another story, Alexander came across the Gordian knot. The Gordian
knot was a puzzle that legend says could only be untangled by someone fit to rule all of Asia.
When Alexander found that he could not unwind it, he simply took his sword and cut it, stating
that it does not matter how one manages to loosen the knot. Alexander also called himself the
son of Zeus. It has been recognized that Alexander was a student under the philosopher,
Aristotle, and was greatly influenced by his teachings. These stories, whether they are true or
false, demonstrate how the life of Alexander the Great was extremely impressive and presented
him as a noble, fearless leader.
Alexander the Great was the commander of a huge Macedonian army and it is likely that
his personality was key to how he managed to receive the respect of thousands of soldiers.
Alexander was sympathetic and considered himself equal to his troops (Lainas 275). He
constantly motivated his army, so that they would feel like there was nothing that was impossible
to achieve. Likewise, it seemed like Alexander treated his enemies with respect as well. When he
found King Darius III of Persia dead, Alexander ordered a royal burial for him. Growing up in
Macedonia also allowed Alexander to learn his way around areas surrounding it by climbing
mountains, crossing rivers, and protecting passages (Thomas 76). These activities assured that he
was physically prepared to fight and survive through various inflicted wounds (Thomas 80).
Overall, Alexander advanced Macedonia’s military through bringing in allies, appointing men
that specialize in creating new weapons, using his medical skill to treat wounded soldiers, and
coming up with strategies requiring stealth and speed.
Finally, the amount of territory that Alexander the Great conquered was astounding.
Alexander defeated the Persian Empire, Asia Minor, Thebes, and parts of Egypt. Though,
Alexander never forced the territories he conquered to convert to Greece’s culture and utilized
Aristotle’s technique of only introducing the culture to them. He actually embraced mixing
cultures, which is why he married a Persian woman himself (Lainas 275). Alexander never
considered Egypt as inferior, but rather, he felt that their religion deserved to be held in high
regard (Cicarma 30). He did build the city named Alexandria though and founded it as the new
capital of Egypt (Cicarma 28). This blending of culture with Greece would come to be known as
Hellenism. Hellenism would eventually produce progress in arts, philosophy, science, medicine,
theatre, language, history, and literature.
There are reasons behind individuals believing that Alexander the Great should not be
titled “the Great” at all. These include how he did destroy much of what he conquered, killed
many men to remain victorious, and acted on impulse. However, these reasons could all be
explained through the effects of war itself. There is no denying the many achievements of
Alexander the Great, which is why I would like the chance to meet him in person and ask him
about his thought process on every decision he made.
Sources
Cicarma, Andra.. “Alexander the Great and Pharaonic Egypt.” The Scientific Journal of
Humanistic Studies, vol. 7, no. 12, pp. 24-32. March 2015.
Lainas, Panagiotis. “Most Brilliant in Judgement: Alexander the Great and Aristotle.” The
American Surgeon, vol. 71, no.3, pp. 275-280. March 2005.
Thomas, Carol. “What You Seek Is Here: Alexander the Great.” Journal of the Historical
Society, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 61-83. March 2007.