Week of Mar 7 Special Question

                Alexander the Great can be considered one of the most powerful and influential leaders of his time.  Over his lifetime, Alexander accumulated an empire consisting of most of the known world.  With his enormous army, Alexander trampled over the Middle East, gaining new territories with each expedition.  He won most of the battles he fought in, was treated like a god (literally), and was both respected and feared by so many people.  It seemed like Alexander could lead his empire to be anything he wanted it to be – but at what cost?  Where did Alexander draw the line when it came to expanding and bettering his ever-growing world empire?  The countless battles and adventures that lead to the continuous growth of his empire cost Alexander so much; however, all that he did was worth the cost, as the final product of all of Alexander’s work, time, and effort was an empire that, at its peak, encompassed most of the known world.

            In late October of 332 BC, Alexander the Great arrived in Egypt.  From his native Macedonia, Alexander traveled 130 miles to Pelusium.  Alexander’s final plan in his ten-year expedition was to conquer the Persian Empire; however, in order to accomplish this, he needed a “strong coastal base for both strategic and commercial purposes, from which he could not only communicate across the Mediterranean but which could also handle the highly lucrative sea-borne trade network he wanted to divert from Phoenicia” (Fildes, Fletcher).  Alexander needed to make sure he had both naval and commercial support from a reliable base, which was Egypt.  While in Egypt, Alexander was declared the son of a god.  This not only added to the many myths that Alexander would create for himself in the future, but also the amount of power and respect that Alexander had.  Alexander had made a journey of over 100 miles from Macedonia to Egypt, simply to better his chances of defeating the Persian Empire.  (Fildes, Fletcher).

            In January of 330 BC, Alexander traveled to the capital of the Persian Empire – Persepolis.  Here, Alexander and his army destroyed the city.  The city was wealthy, as most homes included some sort of very valuable treasures and other objects.  Alexander Sacks Persepolis states, “But the great royal palace, famed throughout the inhabited world, had been condemned to the indignity of total destruction. The Macedonians spent the whole day in pillage but still could not satisfy their inexhaustible greed.”  Alexander had his men destroy the city and kill its inhabitants – and for what?  Alexander may have thought that this was an appropriate action at the time, but he later regretted doing it.  In the process of conquering the capital of the Persian Empire, Alexander and his army went out of their way to destroy the city and kill its people to just satisfy their hunger for domination and declaration of power.  During his conquest, Alexander invaded Afghanistan following the Battle of Gaugamela.  Following the battle, Alexander chased King Darius of Persia into Afghanistan.  While in Afghanistan, Alexander experienced his “fiercest battles and grave loss to his army physically, mentally and financially” (Invasion of Alexander, 2000).  By chasing Darius and traveling to Afghanistan, Alexander put his army through its worst one of its worst experiences on their entire conquest.  (Alexander Sacks Persepolis) (Invasion of Alexander, 2000)

            Another tough experience that Alexander put himself and his army though was in India.  Alexander traveled here as his conquest came to its end.  Upon arriving in India, Alexander fought in a battle with Porus, a powerful Indian leader.  Alexander in India says:

The greatest of Alexander's battles in India was against Porus, one of the most powerful Indian leaders, at the river Hydaspes in July 326 B.C.E. Alexander's army crossed the heavily defended river in dramatic fashion during a violent thunderstorm to meet Porus's forces.

After defeating Porus, Alexander became a legend to Indians.  He conversed with the Brahmin (the highest Indian social class) about philosophy and other highly sophisticated topics.  Alexander endured another tough battle simply to gain more power. (Alexander in India)

            To accomplish his goal of defeating the Persian Empire and gaining more power, Alexander embarked on many adventures.  On his conquest, Alexander fought very powerful leaders in countless battles.  He ordered his army to travel on seemingly impossible paths just so that he could conquer another area.  Alexander did so many things, some of which he regretted, that added to his power and ego.  Communities and people may have been harmed by Alexander’s push for power and ambition; however, everything that he had worked for paid off in the end – in the form of a highly successful mega-empire.