THE EXPANSION OF ANCIENT GREECE ALEXANDER

WAS

GREAT: HE REALLY „GREAT„? THE

Map above: maximum extent of territorial expansion of Alexander the Great Left: Marble statue of Alexander the Great, 3rd century B.C. Istanbul Archaeological Museum Right: Lighthouse on Pharos before the mouth of Alexandria (Egypt) One of the seven wonders of the Ancient world Centre: Gold medal from Abylos, Asia Minor, 328-323 B.C. Alexander the Great is shown as Athena, wearing a Corinthian helmet, a serpent and jewellery. Bottom left: Map of Alexandria during ancient times. Bottom centre: Representation of the great hall of the Persian Royal Palace, totally destroyed by Alexander the Great in 330 B.C. Bottom right: Persian archers in the royal palace of Susa.

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Alexander of Macedonia—a life dedicated to A Doc

359 - 336 B.C

356 - 323 B.C. (his life), 336 - 323 B.C. (reign and power)

Philip II of Macedonia

Alexander the Great

After years of war against the Illyrians, Thracians and the Greek cities, Philip II of Macedonia dominated Greece. Following his victory over Athens and Thebes in 338 B.C. the Corinthian Alliance (without Sparta) was created with Philip II as leader. His idea of concluding a general peace for all of Greece was welcomed by the neighbouring states. In time, he obtained the agreement of the Corinthian Alliance to go to war with Persia, to seek revenge for the invasion of Xerxes, 140 years earlier. 336 B.C.: Philip was assassinated by his bodyguard. 356 B.C.: birth of Alexander, son of Philip II and Olympia. There is very little information on his childhood and youth. Plutarch, Greek writer (45 A.D.— 125 A.D.) said that Alexander passed for the son of Zeus. At this time Macedonia was considered barbaric by many Greeks. However, Philip II succeeded in getting Aristotle, the famous philosopher, to look after his son„s education. Aristotle was very learned in arts, in mathematics and in philosophy. In 336 B.C., on the death of he father he took power.

336 B.C.

Victory of Alexander over Thracians (modern Bulgaria and Romania) and the Illyrians (nowadays Albania). These two peoples had tried to take advantage of the power vacuum created by the death of Philip.

335 B.C.

Victory over Thebes, a Greek city which rebelled against the power of Macedonia. The city was completely destroyed, 6,000 citizens were killed and 30,000 others were enslaved.

334 B.C.

333 - 332 B.C.

With 30 000 foot-soldiers and 5000 cavalry, Alexandre crossed the Hellespont Alexander in into the Persian empire. Victory over the towns of Asia Minor governed by Asia Persian authorities (Satraps). Victory at Granicus River. He spent the winter at Minor Gordion where he cut the legendary Gordian Knot with his sword. Famous victory over the Persian King Darius III near Issus. Darius fled the battle and his family fell into the hands of the Macedonians. Alexander Alexander in continued his advance into Egypt where he was greeted as a liberator from Egypt Persian oppression. There, he was deified (worshipped as a God) for the first time and called Pharaoh.

331 B.C.

He gave the order to build the Egyptian city of Alexandria. Sparta joined the Corinthian Alliance.

330 B.C.

Crossed the Euphrates and the Tigris. Massive victory at Gaugamela and entered into Babylonia and Susa. Darius III fled but was assassinated by the Alexander in Satrap Bessos. The Royal Palace in Persepolis burned down in revenge for the destruction of Persia the Acropolis 150 years before. Alexander assumed the right to take the Persian royal throne.

329 B.C.

328 B.C.

Alexander returned to war with his army. The east of Iran submitted to his power. Conquest of Sogdiana, modern Afghanistan and marriage with Princess Roxanne. Alexander„s adoption of the customs of the Persian royal court causes unease among the Macedonians. Alexander has opposition leaders assassinated and even kills, in a drunken rage, his childhood friend, Cleitus.

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327 - 325 B.C.

Alexander in India Objective to dominate the world

After tough fighting against the mountain people of eastern Iran and Afghanistan, in the course of which Alexander was injured, he entered India by the Khyber Pass. He encountered the Indian king Porus with his war elephants, and defeated him. Alexander„s troops, who had travelled around 18 000 km since the beginning of his conquests mutinied and forced him to return to Mesopotamia. During his retreat, Alexander had to cross the Gedrosian desert. Huge numbers of his soldiers died of exhaustion. The survivors finally reached Babylon, which became the new capital of the kingdom.

324 B.C.

To reconcile the Persians, Greeks and Macedonians, Alexander ordered the mass marriage of Susa: more than 1000 Persian women were married to Greeks and Macedonians. To encourage trade, Alexander introduced a single system of money throughout the kingdom. He established towns bearing his name all over the kingdom (about 70). These became the centre of the Hellenistic culture which spread from Asia Minor to India. Greek became the official language. The king became an object of divine worship on a scale never before seen.

323 B.C.

At the age of 33 years old, Alexander died of a fever in Babylon. (most likely malaria). His plan to conquer the western Mediterranean (Rome and Carthage) was never realised.

323—279 B.C.

Alexander„s successors fought to determine who would be supreme. The kingdom was divided into three parts.

ALEXANDER THE GREAT„S BATTLES ( 334 - 323 B.C. )

Doc B 121

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ALEXANDER IN BATTLE Mosaic (3,42 x 5,92 m) from Pompeii, around 50—100 B.C., on view today in the National Museum of Naples. The Battle is thought to be that is Issus (333 B.C>) between Alexander the Great and Darius III, the Persian King. The Roman mosaic was made from a Greek model from the period of Alexander the Great.

Doc C

ACTIVITIES: DOCUMENTS A-C (previous pages) 1. Alexander of Macedonia advanced with his soldiers to the end of the world which he felt was just beyond the River Indus. a. Use the route marked on the map to estimate the distance travelled by Alexander and his armies. b. With the aid of an atlas, add the names of the modern states in this region. c. On the map, underline the towns which are named after him and count them. Why do you think he did that? d. Read attentively the account of Alexander„s life. Did he effectively lead a life limited to making war? To answer this question, make a table with four columns: The armies Military actions Military victories followed by a setback Civil decisions (political, economic, social) 2. Describe the mosaic on the preceding page. Concentrate on the following questions a. What exactly is happening? b. What people are involved in the battle? c. What armies took part in the battle? d. How is Alexander represented in the mosaic? e. What are the attitudes of his soldiers? f. And those of Darius? g. What are the two kings and the brave Persian soldier thinking at this precise moment in the battle? Write them in the bubbles! h. What is the likely outcome of the battle? i. Think! Why did the owner of “Casa del Fauno“, the biggest private house in Pompeii have a Greek mosaic copied?

Why was Alexander of Macedonia called ”The Great”? Doc 1

“Lysippo„s statues best reproduce the physical appearance of Alexander(...) (the artist) has succeeded in faithfully showing his melancholic look. His mouth and body give off a pleasant aroma (...) That pushed him to drink and to become enraged (...) He did not wish to earn fame at all costs. In general, his pride only showed itself against the barbarians and he showed his divine origins. (...) After the Battle of Issus, he sent his troops to Damascus and seized its treasures, its women and children (…) After victory at Gaugamela , he was proclaimed King of Asia and offered to his friends riches, palaces and regions to govern.” Plutarch (45 - 125), Greek writer All original sources have been modified and simplified by the authors.

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Diodorus ( 1st century B.C.) : He wrote a Universal History in 40 volumes.

Doc 2

“In a short time, this king achieved great things. Thanks to his own intelligence and courage he surpassed in grandeur and achievement all kings in living memory. In only 12 years, he had subdued a not insignificant part of Europe and almost all of Asia. For that reason his fame spread out over the world and he was raised to the same level as the ancient heroes and demi-gods”.

Doc 3

Correspondence between Darius III and Alexander, after the Battle of Issus.

Doc 4

“The fury of destruction had pushed even the unfortunate Alexander to unprecedented achievements. In effect, do you think that someone who began by subduing Greece, where he had received all his education, was mentally stable? He wasn‟t content with the catastrophes suffered by so many states defeated by his father Philip(…) (…) he still led his armies across the whole world. His cruelty never waned, like savage animals who take more pleasure in the killing more than in satisfying their hunger Seneca ( 1 - 65 n. Chr. ), Roman Philosopher and statesman; from: Epistulae morales 94, 62

“Your ancestors invaded Macedonia and the rest of Greece and spread misfortune without us having provoked them in advance (...) In addition, you sent letters to the Greeks urging them to enter into war with me. It is you who has commenced hostilities (...) As I am now master of all of Asia, it is up to you to come to me. But if you must write to me again, you should address me as King of Asia (...) But if you question my sovereignty, prepare yourself for war. Because wherever you be, I will know how to find you with my armies and will emerge victorious.“

“Ever since I became king of the Persians, you never sent any diplomats to strengthen our friendship. On the contrary, you have penetrated Asia with an army and caused much misery for Persians. That is why I leave myself for war, to defend my country. Like me you are a king and that is why I offer my friendship and wish to become your ally”.

Doc 5 “All of Alexandria is lined with streets where horses and carts can easily pass. The magnificent public gardens and the royal palaces cover a third of the city. All the roads are inter-linked and lead towards the port. There, the island of Pharos with its tower is situated to the right of the entrance to the port. The city is overflowing with holy objects but the most beautiful is the gymnasium, fitted with great rooms with columns, longer than a stadium. The wealth of the city is due to the fact that it is the only one in Egypt which is involved with both maritime trade as well as internal trade. In effect, everything the river transports is brought to a place which is the largest commercial centre in the world.” Strabo ( 63 B.C. - 23 A.D ), Greek historian and geographer. extracts from Strabo 17, 1ff ”Geschichte in Quellen“, Munich, p. 367

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Alexandria in ancient times

Nor th

Doc 6

Pharos island

Inner Harbour

Outer Harbour Dockyards Temple for all Gods

Sun Gate

l na ca

Necropolis

Customs Lake Mareotis

Warehouses Library

King Palaces Greek Temples Egyptian Temples

Market Fishermans Quarter Jewish Quarter

Lighthouse Harbour Wall (1.3km) Royal Port Naval Port

Theatre Museum Gymnasium Stadium

ACTIVITIES Documents 1-6 give you a range of opinions on Alexander„s character and his historic achievements, as well as a map of one of the cities which he established. Now it is up to you to create your own opinion.... 1.

In documents 1-5 underline in two different colours arguments for and against calling Alexander ”the Great“. 2. Complete the table on the following page as you understand it. 3. Examine the map of Alexandria in Egypt (Doc. 6). a. Colour in all the institutions of the city which you consider important. In the ancient world, the lighthouse on Pharos was considered to be one of the „seven wonders of the world‟. Look for information, for example on the internet, about the wonders of the world, particularly the lighthouse at Alexandria. c. Why in past times, was Alexandria an important and modern city? Compare it with other cities from that time... 4. In 324 B.C., in Opis (Babylonia), the king said goodbye to 11 000 valiant soldiers having the right to return to their Greek homelands because of their age, or because of injuries. Imagine a dialogue between two soldiers: one (Phybos) has just left the army while the other (Dermaratos) has only arrived from Macedonia a few days previously. What do they think about Alexander„s domination of the whole world, about war, and about their king‟s personality? 125

AUTHORS

For Alexander

Anti Alexander

Plutarch

Diodorus

Seneca

Alexander of Macedonia

Darius

Strabo

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Your opinion and reasons