Alexander the Great

In 334 BC, the Macedonian Empire grew; its borders consisted of Greece, Egypt and present day Pakistan. The Macedonians conquered the Achaemenid Empire or better known as the Persian Empire, the largest empire at that time. The emperor of the Macedonians at the time was Alexander the Great. Under his lead, the Macedonians became one of the largest empires in the ancient world and his army was never defeated, earning his reputation as the greatest commander in history. Alexander the Great became as legendary as many mythical hero like Achilles. Even today, military leaders compare with him and his strategies and tactics are taught in military academies.

Alexander III of Macedon was born on 356 BC to the Philip II of Macedon and Olympias (who is attributed with the phrase “divide and conquer”), princess of Euprius in Pella and was tutored by Aristotle from the age of twelve until he was sixteen. He ascended to the throne at the age of twenty after Philip II was assassinated. In 334, Alexander the Great invaded the Persian Empire and after a few attempts, killed their king, Darius III and declared himself as the “King of Kings” the equivalent to an emperor. Alexander also became Pharaoh in Egypt, and declared that he was the son of Zeus Ammon, as Egyptian Pharaohs were believed to be sons of gods. As he made his way towards India, he contracted a fever and soon afterwards died in 323 BC.

As Alexander the Great conquered and founded many cities, he also began Hellenizing and spreading Greek culture and philosophy. Hellenic influence spread throughout the lands under the rule of Diadochi. An abundance of Greek statues, architecture and inscriptions have been found many cities around the Middle East and Asia. Many cities were named Alexandria after him and one city, Bucephala, was named after his favourite horse, Bucephalus. The spreading of the Greek language also introduced Greek literature to the Persian Empire, and influenced the philosophy and writing of the region. Even coins now have portraits on one side and important scenes.

Alexander also helped the economy for the ancient Macedonians. When he tried unifying the Greek and the Persian empires, he subsequently created a trade route between the two empires and commerce between Europe and Asia. To encourage commerce, Alexander standardized currency, making it much easier to do trade and business between these two regions. Encouraged, merchants travelled to the empires to sell their products in cities and towns.

Alexander the Great died at the ripe age of 33, yet his legacy continues on today. Even as we speak the English language, we are carrying Greek words in our vocabulary such as in alphabet, optician, psychology, microscope and telepathy. After the death of Alexander the Great, many other Roman and Greek conquerors such as Julius Caesar continued his attempt in Hellenizing, forever changing our modern world.