Alexander the God
It is no wonder that Alexander the Great (356 BC–323 BC) was often mistaken for a god; he modeled his life on nothing less. Instilled in him from an early age was the belief that he was the product of a union between his mother, Olympias, and the lord of the Olympian gods, Zeus almighty himself. He never doubted it and made much of his divinity during his campaigns in the East, where it held the most sway.
Yet he was much more than just a god. An iconic hero of mythic proportions, Alexander is considered the greatest military general in Western history; his military expeditions are praised for advancing science and geography by shifting the major concentration of “civilization” eastward. Moreover, when Hellenistic culture expanded from Macedonia to the Indian subcontinent, similar language and currency links were formed, opening new commerce routes and cross-cultural interaction. In this way, many believe that Alexander’s achievements contributed to the Roman Empire’s rise in power and the eventual spread of Christianity across most of the known world.
Increasingly, however, historians are reassessing his contributions. Viewed from another perspective, the dissemination of Greek culture throughout the East came at the expense of Eastern civilization while leaving behind a trail of death and destruction in its wake. The Great Conqueror who never knew defeat was responsible for killing hundreds of thousands—by some estimates up to a million—of those who crossed his barbarous path.
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- Alexander the Great Destroyer? The Sacking of Persepolis and The Business of War – Part I
This paper focuses on Alexander's conquest of the Persian Empire and his unwavering determination to subjugate every known country in the East. We'll examine Alexander's times while reviewing some of the factors driving this young king's apparent obsession to wage war to the exclusion of nearly everything else in his brief life.
Mosaic of Alexander the Great discovered at Pompeii. (Public Domain)
By Mary Naples
