how great is Alexander the Great?

Question

who is he?i mean,what have he done to be named as Alexander the Great?I tried to search about it in wikipedia,but the article was just too long.can anyone give me a brief explanation about how great he is?

Answer 1

He was a bit of a top man really.

Educated by Aristotle he had to keep the Greek city states together (his dad had achieved it, but they kept falling out).

In his spare time he conquered the (until then) unconquered Persian Empire and ended up ruling most of the Middle East, including Egypt.

He carried on into India and got as far as the Punjab.

When he died at the age of 33, despite his incredible achievements, it is suggested that he was thinking of turning west and conquering Western Europe as well.

Answer 2

tissapharnes has provided an excellent answer! Let me give you some more information! It is important to understand that Alexander manage to unite Greece and used all of its resources for his campaign! This task was not repeated until the Byzantine Greeks! As it was said he was a military genius and he didn't lose a battle!! That is considered , even today as great! Notice that he was considered by the various nations of the Persian empire a liberator and not a conqueror! The Egyptians considered him son of God and proclaimed him Pharaoh! But the most important achievement was the goal of spreading the Greek culture and language! He manage to make the known world a Greek World! Notice that he didn't force the various nations to accept the Greek culture but instead he fused Greek with Asian elements and he created the new Hellenistic Greek culture! He made the word a homogenized Greek world with an international language(Greek ) which was later used as a tool for the Gospels and thus ideal for the spreading of Christianity! {Note please not to confuse the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia or Macedon (which was the birth place of Alexander) with the modern state of Makedonija (or FYROM or Slav-Macedonia as they are not related at all). The confusion has started a few years ago because that small state started to use the name “Republic of Macedonia” causing a great confusion with real Macedonia in Greece.}

Answer 3

1. At 13 he started learning from Aristole
2. By 20 he had conquered much of the known world at that time:

http://www.faculty.ucr.edu/~andrew/bible/map3.gif

(map of everything he conquered)

3. He was known for his character, values, and respect for women. (much of this due to Aristole and all his other tutors)
4. Even though he conquered a country, that same conquered country, greatly respected him. Egypt even crowned him Parhoh believing his rule freed them from the Persians.

Answer 4

Let's just say that he conquered most of the known world as a teenager... he was the greatest of men, then, and died at 33.... some say of heavy drinking and many believe he was poisoned.

Answer 5

was one of the most successful military commanders in history
conquered most of the known world and spread the greek civilization
unified the city-states of ancient Greece

Answer 6

This is a brief commentary presented that might give you some insight as to why he was referred to as Great.

*** dp chap. 9 pp. 153-161 Who Will Rule the World? ***

A YOUNG KING CONQUERS THE WORLD

SOME 2,300 years ago, a blond-haired military general in his 20’s stood on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. His eyes were fixed on an island-city half a mile away. Having been refused entry, the infuriated general was determined to conquer the city. His plan of attack? Construct a causeway to the island and mobilize his forces against the city. The construction of the causeway had already begun.

But a message from the great king of the Persian Empire interrupted the young general. Eager to make peace, the Persian ruler made an extraordinary offer: 10,000 talents of gold (over two billion dollars at current values), the hand in marriage of one of the king’s daughters, and dominion over the entire western part of the Persian Empire. All of this was offered in return for the king’s family, whom the general had captured.

The commander faced with the decision to accept or reject the offer was Alexander III of Macedonia. Should he accept the offer? “It was a fateful moment for the ancient world,” says historian Ulrich Wilcken. “The aftereffects of his decision, indeed, stretch through the Middle Ages down to our own day, in the East as in the West.” Before considering Alexander’s reply, let us see what events led up to this crucial moment.

THE MAKING OF A CONQUEROR

Alexander was born at Pella, Macedonia, in 356 B.C.E. His father was King Philip II, and his mother, Olympias. She taught Alexander that the Macedonian kings descended from Hercules, a son of the Greek god Zeus. According to Olympias, Alexander’s ancestor was Achilles, the hero of Homer’s poem the Iliad. Being thus conditioned by his parents for conquest and kingly glory, young Alexander had little interest in other pursuits. Asked whether he would run a race in the Olympic Games, Alexander indicated that he would do so if he were to run with kings. His ambition was to perform greater acts than those of his father and to gain glory through accomplishments.

At age 13, Alexander enjoyed the tutorship of the Greek philosopher Aristotle, who helped him develop an interest in philosophy, medicine, and science. The extent to which Aristotle’s philosophical teachings shaped Alexander’s way of thinking is a matter of debate. “It seems safe to say that there was not a lot on which the two might see eye to eye,” observed Bertrand Russell, a 20th-century philosopher. “Aristotle’s political views were based on the Greek city state which was all but on the way out.” The concept of small city-state government would not have appealed to an ambitious prince wanting to build a great centralized empire. Alexander must also have been skeptical of the Aristotelian precept of treating non-Greeks as slaves, for he envisioned an empire of a flourishing partnership between the victors and the vanquished.

There is little doubt, however, that Aristotle cultivated Alexander’s interest in reading and learning. Alexander remained an avid reader throughout his life, having a special passion for Homer’s writings. It is claimed that he learned the Iliad—all 15,693 lines of poetry—by heart.

Education by Aristotle came to an abrupt end in 340 B.C.E. when the 16-year-old prince went back to Pella to rule Macedonia in the absence of his father. And the crown prince wasted no time distinguishing himself in military exploits. To the delight of Philip, he quickly put down the rebellious Thracian tribe Maedi, took their chief city by storm, and named the place Alexandroúpolis, after himself.

ON WITH THE CONQUEST

The assassination of Philip in 336 B.C.E. led to 20-year-old Alexander’s inheriting the throne of Macedonia. Entering Asia at the Hellespont (now the Dardanelles) in the spring of 334 B.C.E., Alexander embarked upon a campaign of conquest with a small but efficient army of 30,000 foot soldiers and 5,000 cavalrymen. Accompanying his army were engineers, surveyors, architects, scientists, and historians.

At the Granicus River in the northwest corner of Asia Minor (now Turkey), Alexander won his first battle against the Persians. That winter he conquered western Asia Minor. The following autumn the second decisive battle with the Persians took place at Issus, in the southeastern corner of Asia Minor. With an army of about half a million men, the great Persian King Darius III came there to meet Alexander. Overconfident Darius also brought along his mother, his wife, and other members of his family so that they could witness what was to have been a spectacular victory. But the Persians were unprepared for the suddenness and vehemence of the Macedonian attack. Alexander’s forces utterly defeated the Persian army, and Darius fled, abandoning his family to Alexander’s hands.

Rather than pursuing the fleeing Persians, Alexander marched southward along the Mediterranean Coast, conquering the bases used by the powerful Persian fleet. But the island-city of Tyre resisted the invasion. Determined to conquer it, Alexander began a siege that lasted seven months. During the siege came Darius’ peace offering mentioned earlier. So attractive were the concessions that Alexander’s trusted adviser Parmenio reportedly said: ‘Were I Alexander, I would accept.’ But the young general retorted: ‘So would I, were I Parmenio.’ Refusing to negotiate, Alexander continued with the siege and demolished that proud mistress of the sea in July 332 B.C.E.

Sparing Jerusalem, which surrendered to him, Alexander pushed south, conquering Gaza. Weary of Persian rule, Egypt welcomed him as a deliverer. At Memphis he sacrificed to the Apis bull, thus pleasing the Egyptian priests. He also founded the city of Alexandria, which later rivaled Athens as a center of learning and still bears his name.

Next, Alexander turned northeast, moving through Palestine and toward the Tigris River. In the year 331 B.C.E., he engaged in the third major battle with the Persians, at Gaugamela, not far from the crumbling ruins of Nineveh. Here Alexander’s 47,000 men overpowered a reorganized Persian army of at least 250,000! Darius fled and was later murdered by his own people.

Flushed with victory, Alexander turned south and took the Persian winter capital Babylon. He also occupied the capitals at Susa and Persepolis, seizing the immense Persian treasury and burning the great palace of Xerxes. Finally, the capital at Ecbatana fell to him. This speedy conqueror then subdued the rest of the Persian domain, going as far to the east as the Indus River, located in modern-day Pakistan.

Upon crossing the Indus, in the region bordering the Persian province of Taxila, Alexander met a formidable rival, the Indian monarch Porus. Against him, Alexander fought his fourth and final major battle, in June 326 B.C.E. Porus’ army included 35,000 soldiers and 200 elephants, which terrified the Macedonians’ horses. The battle was fierce and bloody, but Alexander’s forces prevailed. Porus surrendered and became an ally.

More than eight years had passed since the Macedonian army had crossed into Asia, and the soldiers were weary and homesick. Unnerved by the fierce battle with Porus, they wanted to return home. Although reluctant at first, Alexander complied with their wishes. Greece had indeed become the world power. With Greek colonies established in the conquered lands, the Greek language and culture spread throughout the realm.

THE MAN BEHIND THE SHIELD

The adhesive that held the Macedonian army together through the years of conquest was Alexander’s personality. After battles, Alexander customarily visited the wounded, examined their injuries, praised soldiers for their valiant deeds, and honored them by a donation in keeping with their accomplishments. As for those who fell in battle, Alexander arranged a splendid burial for them. The parents and children of the fallen men were exempted from all taxes and forms of service. For diversion after battles, Alexander held games and contests. On one occasion, he even arranged a furlough for recently married men, enabling them to spend the winter with their wives, in Macedonia. Such actions won him the affection and admiration of his men.

Regarding Alexander’s marriage to the Bactrian Princess Roxana, the Greek biographer Plutarch writes: “It was, indeed a love affair, yet it seemed at the same time to be conducive to the object he had in hand. For it gratified the conquered people to see him choose a wife from among themselves, and it made them feel the most lively affection for him, to find that in the only passion which he, the most temperate of men, was overcome by, he yet forbore till he could obtain her in a lawful and honourable way.”

Alexander also respected the marriages of others. Though the wife of King Darius was his captive, he saw to it that she was treated honorably. Similarly, upon learning that two Macedonian soldiers had abused the wives of some strangers, he ordered that they be executed if found guilty.

Like his mother, Olympias, Alexander was very religious. He would sacrifice before and after battles and consult his diviners regarding the significance of certain omens. He also consulted the oracle of Ammon, in Libya. And at Babylon he carried out the instructions of the Chaldeans regarding sacrifice, particularly to the Babylonian god Bel (Marduk).

Although Alexander was moderate in his eating habits, he eventually gave way to excesses in his drinking. He would speak extendedly over every cup of wine and boast of his achievements. One of the darkest deeds of Alexander was the murder of his friend Clitus, in a fit of drunken rage. But Alexander was so self-condemnatory that for three days he lay in his bed, partaking of neither food nor drink. Finally, his friends were able to persuade him to eat.

As time passed, Alexander’s craving for glory brought out other undesirable traits. He began to believe false accusations readily and started to administer punishment with the greatest severity. For instance, having been led to believe that Philotas was implicated in an attempt on his life, Alexander had him and his father, Parmenio, the adviser he had once trusted, executed.

ALEXANDER’S DEFEAT

Shortly after returning to Babylon, Alexander fell victim to malarial fever, from which he never recovered. On June 13, 323 B.C.E., after having lived a mere 32 years and 8 months, Alexander surrendered to the most formidable enemy, death.

It was just as certain Indian wise men had observed: “O King Alexander, each man possesses just so much of the earth as this on which we stand; and you being a man like other men, save that you are full of activity and relentless, are roaming over all this earth far from your home, troubled yourself, and troubling others. But not so long hence you will die, and will possess just so much of the earth as suffices for your burial.”

Interestingly Greece & Alexander are referenced in the Bible, as one of the ferocious beasts in Bible prophecy, which depict mighty empires.
*** dp chap. 9 p. 129 Who Will Rule the World? ***

2 “See there!” exclaims Daniel. “The four winds of the heavens were stirring up the vast sea. And four huge beasts were coming up out of the sea, each one being different from the others.” What remarkable beasts! The first is a winged lion, and the second is like a bear. Then comes a leopard with four wings and four heads! The unusually strong fourth beast has large iron teeth and ten horns. In among its ten horns rises a “small” horn having “eyes like the eyes of a man” and “a mouth speaking grandiose things.”—Daniel 7:2-8.

*** dp chap. 9 pp. 134-135 Who Will Rule the World? ***

SWIFT AS A WINGED LEOPARD!

13 The third beast was “like a leopard, but it had four wings of a flying creature on its back. And the beast had four heads, and there was given to it rulership indeed.” (Daniel 7:6) Like its counterpart—the copper belly and thighs of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream image—this four-winged, four-headed leopard symbolized the Macedonian, or Grecian, line of rulers starting with Alexander the Great. With the agility and speed of a leopard, Alexander moved through Asia Minor, south into Egypt, and on to the western border of India. (Compare Habakkuk 1:8.) His domain was greater than that of the “bear,” for it included Macedonia, Greece, and the Persian Empire.—See “A Young King Conquers the World,” on page 153.

14 The “leopard” became four-headed after Alexander died in 323 B.C.E. Four of his generals eventually became his successors in different sections of his domain. Seleucus held Mesopotamia and Syria. Ptolemy controlled Egypt and Palestine. Lysimachus ruled over Asia Minor and Thrace, and Cassander got Macedonia and Greece. (See “A Vast Kingdom Is Divided,” on page 162.) Then a new
(Daniel 8:20-22) “20 “The ram that you saw possessing the two horns [stands for] the kings of Me´di·a and Persia. 21 And the hairy he-goat [stands for] the king of Greece; and as for the great horn that was between its eyes, it [stands for] the first king. 22 And that one having been broken, so that there were four that finally stood up instead of it, there are four kingdoms from [his] nation that will stand up, but not with his power.”

Hope this might give you some insight