Alexander the WHAT? [Clara]

What really was Alexander the Great, was he great or not? I’m confused.

I have come to the question, like many of you guys probably have: was Alexander the Great really great? Every time I think about it, I bounce back and forth between he was a total jerk to he was an incredible person. So, did he deserve his name? Was he really great?

  
Though it might contradict your beliefs, I think the man truly was great. My thoughts about him being a jerk still exist, but the incredible things he did in his life, to me, overpowers the the bad things. I mean the dude conquered all of Persia by the time he was thirty years old.1 He was a true leader, had tons of courage, and his achievements were remarkable. He accomplished so much in his life, it is hard not to call him great.

One way I think Alex (yep, I’ve decided to call him Alex) was great is because of his skills as a leader.

“So extraordinary was the effect of this action that the water wasted by Alexander was as good as a drink for every man in the army.”2

I think this line from Lucius Flavius Arrianus shows that Alex was a true leader. This was stated after Alexander had poured water on the ground instead of drinking it himself. His men didn’t have water, so he didn’t either. To me, that’s a pretty cool thing to have done in the ancient times. He pretty much said he was equal to his army, not better. He might’ve had a big head, but he understood the power of actions and the power of his bond with his men.

Now, I’m doing this part a little bit differently. Over the course of writing this blog, I have thought about the idea of writing a letter to Alex if I could. So, here is the letter I would send to him if I could.

Dear Alex,

I think you made a truly remarkable achievement when you conquered all of Persia. It must have taken a lot of courage to do that. I think you would be happy to know that you will forever be remembered as Alexander the Great. I have some questions for you.

1) How did you find the courage to go on this trip?

2) Did you think from the beginning that you would have made a remarkable achievement?

I am happy to let you know that I believe you did make a remarkable achievement and you indeed possessed a lot of bravery. I mean you conquered 44% of the world’s population.3 You also were intelligent when you defeated Porus, according to Lucius Flavius Arrianus. You were brave as you faced his elephants at the river. You were smart when you surrounded him, so his elephants had nowhere to go4, and you were a great leader when you showed you were equal to to your army. Although you were a ruthless conqueror at some points, you made up for it with all the incredible things you did.

From,

Clara

This letter really expresses my feelings about the question: Was Alexander the Great really great? Due to facts and legends, my perspective of Alex has changed from someone who was selfish, ruthless, conqueror to a strong, brave, leader. I hope you guys take what I have said and think about it. You already know what I think about Alex, but what do you think?

1Alexander the Great Mini-Q

2”The Legend of the Helmet” by  Lucius Flavius Arrianus

3NationalInterest.org

4The Campaigns of Alexander by Lucius Flavius Arrianus circa 130 C.E

Alexander the Great? [Regina]

    Alexander the Great, was he really great or just a ruthless conqueror like Asoka?  Let me tell you.  Asoka was an Indian leader who conquered land for the good of himself and no one else.  As I have said before in an essay explaining why Asoka should be remembered as a ruthless conqueror and not an enlightened ruler, “The main reason Asoka should be remembered as a ruthless conqueror was the Kalinga conquest.  When Asoka became ruler of the Mauryan Empire all he wanted was more power and more land so he decided to conquer Kalinga.  350,000 people were either killed, died, or driven out of the country…” The things Alexander did were very similar to what Asoka did: kill, conquer, and he was foolish.

Alexander conquered parts of Europe, India, Asia, and Africa all for himself; he was hungry for land and power.  Alexander is admired for his many accomplishments at such a young age but that doesn’t mean that the accomplishments were good.  He conquered 3,000 miles of land, founded over 70 cities named after himself, Alexandria, and one city named after his horse, Bucephala.  One of Alexander’s Alexandrias is the second largest city in Egypt near the Nile and it’s the most popular.  After 15 years of conquest Alexander fought in 10 major battles and won every single one.  This shows how selfish and self-centered Alexander the not so great was.

    Alexander the so called great didn’t only conquer but he killed innocent people who believed he was good.  Alexander was very religious but many times he could be called too religious or a religion fanatic. If you ask me I wouldn’t say that Alexander was a religious person, if religious meant cruel, repugnant, and murderous then maybe we could say that.  “When the last organized resistance was broken, Alexander’s [soldiers] ranged through the city on a ferocious manhunt…. Alexander had ordered that all [except] those who sought sanctuary [safety in the temple] were to be slain, and his commands were executed with savage relish. The air grew thick with smoke from burning buildings. Seven thousand Tyrians died … and the number would have been far higher had it not been far higher had it not been for the men of Sidon, who entered the city alongside Alexander’s troops. Even though Tyre had been Sidon’s rival for centuries, these neighbors of the victims, horrified by what they now witnessed, managed to smuggle some 15,000 of them to safety.

    The great city… was now utterly destroyed. Her king, Azimilik, and various other notables, including envoys from Carthage, had taken refuge in the temple of Melart, and Alexander spared their lives. The remaining survivors, some 30,000 in number, he sold into slavery. Two thousand men of military age were crucified.”1

    Ask me how great was Alexander the Great? And I’ll say he was not great at all. I have talked about two of three things that Alexander did, kill and conquer but I have one more thing to talk about which is: How religious was Alexander the Great? Now that does not mean that Alexander only did three things to describe him as cruel, repugnant, and murderous, there are hundreds of things that will describe him as a horrible person but now I will talk about his religious life as a religious fanatic. There are legends about Alexander the Great two of them being “The Legend of the Helmet” and “The Legend of the Hat Band.”  The Legend of the Helmet talks about Alexander and his army walking across the hot desert and some of his men had gone to look for water. When they found a very small patch of water they collected it for Alexander. Alexander was trying to show his army that he is a good man and wanting to show them that he wanted to treat himself as an equal to them so he just wasted his men’s hard work of trying to find water and Alexander just dumped it out on the ground. Why? Who wastes someone else's hard work just like that?! He could have at least given it to someone who actually wanted it instead of just squandering it just like that. While this tries to show him as a good person it can also show him as a very bad person if you read in between the lines. The second legend is The Legend of the Hat Band. This legend tells about a time when Alexander was steering a trireme when strong wind hit him. He was wearing a Macedonian hat with a band around it. When you are wearing a hat and strong winds hit you it's just nature that it will fall off and his hat did. “The hat, being rather heavy, fell into the water. However, the band was carried along by the wind, and was caught by one of the reeds growing near the tomb of one of the ancient kings….[O]ne of the sailors swam off towards the band and snached it from the reed. But he did not carry it in his hands because it would get wet while he was swimming. He therefore put it  around his own head and brought it to the king. Most of the biographers of Alexander say that the king gave him a talent* as a reward for his zeal. Then he ordered his head to be cut off [because] the prophets had explained that… he should not allow the head that had worn the royal head band to be safe.”2  This legend proves that Alexander was a religious fanatic because although the sailor had helped him get the head band back he cut his head off because he was strictly going by the prophets saying. He could have easily thanked him given him his reward and left him be.

    Over all I know that Alexander the Great should be more like Alexander the not so Great because he conquered and destroyed other peoples homes, killed innocent men and women, and he was a religious fanatic who killed people who helped him and wasted other people’s hard work.

Sources: Peter Green, Alexander of Macedon, University of California Press, 1991.1

    Ian Worthington, Alexander the Great: Man of God, Longman, 20042

He’s back and as great as ever [Alexander]

Let me start off by saying the Alexander has a pretty great name, but that wasn’t the only reason he was great. He also set some of the foundations for modern day culture. Also, what I don’t understand, is why he’s being questioned on his greatness now by historians. Historians gave him that title! (Pick one side and stay with it guys, come on). 1He also controlled most of the known world according to this map.

I mean look at that empire, although it soon crumbled after his death his legacy lived on for a long, long, long, time. So, um… how is he not great?

Let me start with some info so you know what I’m talking about.

• He was the son of King Philip of Macedonia who took over Greece
• At the mere age of 20 he set out on an 8 year conquest to conquer Persia (the biggest empire at the time) and it’s neighbors.
• Just years after finishing he sadly died
• He was forever after remembered as great even by Roman Emperors. Julius Caesar even cried over what Alexander had achieved at such a young age!

He was great, and you may already believe me but I’ll prove it to you some more, starting with the fact that he set the foundations for the modern world. To start, 2 his expeditions ended up changing the ethnicity in the area he conquered because some of his soldiers settled in towns along the way. His empire also mixed many cultures together creating something new and unique that lasted long after his empire fell. He also founded around 70 cities and those didn’t just disintegrate after his empire fell. Do I really have to say any more? Well too bad, I am anyways!

He was also rated “Great” by professional historians. But now because he conquered (which involved killing) he is no longer great in any way and should be stripped of his title? He was still a GREAT leader and cared deeply for those that were on his side. Which makes sense, if you wanted to take over a city would you treat the citizens that are fighting against you with the same care as your soldiers… “NO!” at least not during the battle. He also obviously did more good than bad overall (remember not only my opinion, the Romans, some historians and everybody who calls him “Alexander the great”). No I’m still not stopping yet.

Finally, he had a legacy that lived on for thousands of years after he died. 3Which included him being so important that a Roman emperor had sewn in pictures of Alexander to his clothes. With the fact that he and his soldiers helped to shape Buddhism into what it is today because many Greek things were added to the religion. He practically turned Asia-Minor into what it is now because he laid the groundwork and it flourished. Some historians may say he’s no longer great but I hope I have proven it to you, the reader, that he’s still as great as he ever was.

Sources:

1http://kids.britannica.com/elementary/art-87049/Alexander-the-Greats-empire for the map.

2From a quote by Kasi Khushnawaz, a native of Northern Pakistan.

3From a list of Alexander the Great’s legacy and it’s importance.

What Defines Great? [Olivia]

Well...Alexander does. Not just any Alexander, but Alexander of Macedonia. He was great for many reasons like being loyal to his people, sacrificing himself for his army, and being the foundation for the current future are three major factors. He was extremely generous and loyal to his people. Alexander went on an eight year conquest for his people. It wasn't at parts at a time, but for eight years straight. The map of Alexander's Empire circa 334 BCE shows he has expanded his empire over all of Persia, most of Egypt, outer part of Asia and a very small amount of India. The area that he has claimed allows more area for his people to live, which the people of his empire were 44% of the world's population.1

How many people do you know who would sacrifice themselves for their army. Alexander the great did. Lucius Flavius Arrianus, The Campaigns of Alexander tell of a story called The legend of the Helmet  Alexander and his army are crossing the desert and are extremely parched from having no water what so ever. The sun was beating down on them while they trudged on with Alexander in the lead. Eventually a small group is sent off in search of water, but of course all they could find was a small puddle of water, so they gather it in a helmet and bring the water back to Alexander. He Appreciatively takes the water and in front of the whole army dumps the water onto the ground. The effect was so astonishing it was as good as a drink for every man in the army.2

And lastly how his actions then, affects us now. Alexander Brought together a lot of land. I mean a ton of land. How much land exactly? A chart of Alexander's Legacy shows 2,000,000 square miles of land. Which means that land would have similar religion, culture, and beliefs. That brings us to today. Apparently buddhism in India is a religion most directly influenced by the greek art and ritual.3

1 Source - Map of Alexander’s Empire circa 334 BCE

2 Source - Lucius Flavius Arrianus, The Campaigns of Alexander, circa 130 BCE

3 Source - Chart of Alexander’s Legacy

Image #1 source: mrguerriero.blogspot.com

Image #2 source: americangallery.worldpress.com

Image #3 source: www.therichest.com

[Lucas]

Alexander the great lives up to his name he is a really great person who only conquered for the good of his own land. He even let towns who surrendered to keep their ways of living

His main goal was to spread Greek culture and also learn others cultures. He conquered all of Persia and started spreading greek culture. He even learned new cultures along the way. This caused him to start wearing spartan clothes. He then started convincing people to start marrying Persian people. He himself even married the eldest daughter of King Darius the King of Persia. Alexander only wanted to be good king for his people.

Alexander the great won all his battles with one certain formation. Men in front would have their spears pointing forward and the men in the back would have their spears pointing forward. This is how Alexander conquered his enemies. This formation was very clever idea by Alexander.

Alexander finished what his father started and conquered Persia after all his hard work he died a sad death in babylon at the young age of 33. After all the hard work he had done his empire split into 3 parts. Alexander the great really did do something great for his empire.

Alexander The Great; Great or not? [A.J.]

                                                                             

Alexander deserves the title,¨The Great¨.He set out to conquer The Persian Empire at the mere age of twenty1.He achieved his goal at a young age,only thirty years old1.He traveled farther than any Greek had ever seen,including India1.Alexander had killed 100,000 in people in major battles2 along the way,and many people say that is why he isn’t great.Although it is true that many people died in Alexander’s conquest,30,000 people were spared their lives.That may seem insignificant compared to 100,000, but many who he killed were those who opposed him.Those who chose to hide in a temple were spared.Alexander was merciful,and did not kill everyone left after the battle.Alexander was also smart and selfless.This is why he is great.

1Alexander the Great Mini Q

2Alexander’s legacy 

Alexander the great - Horrible! [Avery]

Alexander the great Horrible!

Ever heard of alexander the great? If you haven't, well now you have. The first thing that probably came to your mind that he is a pretty great guy. Nope. he is absolutely positively horrible. Don't believe me? Well..

• He kills
• Tortures
• Is PURE EVIL!!

Alexander the so called “great” was crazy in the first place! His father created this deadly fighting machine called the phalanx. Alexander was only a kid, but still was eager to use it. With just his luck,a few days later his father died. He used that army to conquer the persian empire.

When alexander got his army he killed a lot of people. He ended up killing 100,000 people! These were soldiers and civilians! I don't know about you but this really annoys me. If he was called Alexander the Great, why was that? Was it because he conquered 44% of the world? Was he so great because he got Julius Caesar's tears? By the way he did not deserve those tears! You might be thinking,”Well if he killed all those people, maybe it wasn't all his fault”, well it was and he killed some of those people in very torturous ways!

Just warning you, you might not want to read this next paragraph because he killed some of these people in very torturous ways, and not even for good reasons. This is about PG 13 so you may want to stop here. You could say Alexander was very great because he was super smart, but according to the campaigns of Alexander, he used elephants to crush people. Another way he killed people is he had a war and the people remaining, he crucified! To me, I don't see any point in doing that! He must have been thinking,”Well, if I could conquer their whole town, why not kill the rest of them?”. Now what does he have left to rule? If he wants to conquer a piece of land, he should keep some people to control. Also, when him and his army were walking through the desert, they were in thirst of water. When men from his army brought Alexander a helmet with water in it, he wasted it by throwing it on the ground! In the legend of the helmet, it says he did it because,”...water wasted by Alexander was as good as a drink for every man in the army.” This next thing he did was he killed a man that helped him. Alexander had this Macedonian hat. With a large gust of wind, it fell into the water. Then a sailor caught it. He brought it back to him by wearing on his head so it wouldn't get wet and giving it back. Then Alex gave him a talent as a reward. Then, he ordered his head to be cut off. The only reason he did it, is because he thought that nobody but him should wear his hat. SERIOUSLY?!?!

As you can tell, Alexander the “Great” is a little brat that gets whatever he wants thanks to his army the phalanx. Now what do you think? Great or not so great?

Source: legend of the helmet - legend of the macedonian hat - www.ushistory.org

What Defines Great?

Well...Alexander does. Not just any Alexander, but Alexander of Macedonia. He was great for many reasons like being loyal to his people, sacrificing himself for his army, and being the foundation for the current future are three major factors. He was extremely generous and loyal to his people. Alexander went on an eight year conquest for his people. It wasn't at parts at a time, but for eight years straight. The map of Alexander's Empire circa 334 BCE shows he has expanded his empire over all of Persia, most of Egypt, outer part of Asia and a very small amount of India. The area that he has claimed allows more area for his people to live, which the people of his empire were 44% of the world's population.1

How many people do you know who would sacrifice themselves for their army. Alexander the great did. Lucius Flavius Arrianus, The Campaigns of Alexander tell of a story called The legend of the Helmet  Alexander and his army are crossing the desert and are extremely parched from having no water what so ever. The sun was beating down on them while they trudged on with Alexander in the lead. Eventually a small group is sent off in search of water, but of course all they could find was a small puddle of water, so they gather it in a helmet and bring the water back to Alexander. He Appreciatively takes the water and in front of the whole army dumps the water onto the ground. The effect was so astonishing it was as good as a drink for every man in the army.2

And lastly how his actions then, affects us now. Alexander Brought together a lot of land. I mean a ton of land. How much land exactly? A chart of Alexander's Legacy shows 2,000,000 square miles of land. Which means that land would have similar religion, culture, and beliefs. That brings us to today. Apparently buddhism in India is a religion most directly influenced by the greek art and ritual.3

1 Source - Map of Alexander’s Empire circa 334 BCE

2 Source - Lucius Flavius Arrianus, The Campaigns of Alexander, circa 130 BCE

3 Source - Chart of Alexander’s Legacy

Image #1 source: mrguerriero.blogspot.com

Image #2 source: americangallery.worldpress.com

Image #3 source: www.therichest.com

Alexander the Great? [Kaden]

Alexander the Great?

A lot of people think Alexander is great because they think he is a great person. Other people think he is not great because he was not a great person. What they are forgetting is that Alexander is not called great because he is a “great person” because he wasn’t. He was called Alexander the Great because he was a great conqueror. Although he was not a great conqueror, he was an amazing one. Geez, the guy took over 2,000,000 square miles of land, starting at age 20, with a mere 40,000 troops, and only in 11 years. I mean, what do you mean he is not great?!

I know you think Alexander is great (person-wise), but he isn’t. Tyre was a city on a small island, and it had a wall. They thought that because of these advantages, they were almost invincible. They did not like Alexander. Alexander decided to build a bridge to get to the island, but during the construction, he took many casualties. When Alexander and his troops finally broke into the city, Alexander ordered everybody to be killed, except those hiding in the temple. Sodon, Tyre’s rival city, was so horrified by this, that they actually helped some 15,000 Tyrians escape. At this time, 7,000 Tyrians were killed. There was about 32,000 Tyrian citizens still alive. Alexander crucified about 2,000 of those that were of military age, and sold the rest to slavery. Still think he is a great person?

**Sources

:http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/LX/Images/:MacedonianPhalanx.jpg

http://www.sunnataram.org/assets/components/dropbox/connector.php?source=2&action=web%2Fview&path=%2FQR++code%2FAlexander-Empire_323bc.jpg

http://rightreason.typepad.com/.a/6a01774476d922970d017d42bf2025970c-250wi

Peter Green, Alexander of Macedon, University of California Press, 1991

Alexander the “great” [Alyssa]

Why does everyone think Alexander was so great? He was greedy, ruthless, and spoiled in a number of ways and after hearing that, you might just agree with me. First of all, he had a big, greedy head that caused him to name 11 towns “Alexandria” during his conquest to gain land.1 Alexander, what made you decide that you wanted to kill thousands of people to expand your empire? According to a legend, he beheaded a sailor because he succeeded in safely transporting Alexanders royal headband to the shore after falling off a boat. *

Back to Alexander being ruthless, well if someone killed thousands of men1 for his own greater good and benefit, would you consider them “great”? I didn’t think so. (I certainly wouldn’t) That’s exactly what Alexander did. He and his men killed thousands of innocent citizens who did nothing to him.

Finally, he was spoiled. Half the land he owned was inherited from his father and his men did al his work for him. They did everything from outsmarting elephants to fighting and traveling on foot for eight years.2 Alexander was definitely not great and he has no reason to be named “Alexander the great”.

1a map of Alexander’s empire - created by various sources

2Lucius Flavius Arrianus, The Campaigns of Alexander, circa 130 CE

*image found at www.altmedia.net.au

Alexander the not-so-great [Leilani]

How great was Alexander the great? A question that seems to be the highlight of many historical debates. In my opinion it is clear as day how great he was. And let's just say he wasn’t. A little further down are why I think Alexander was not-so-great.

• He was a bad leader
• He enslaved and killed innocent people
• He acted has a forceful tyrant

   

The first reason I think Alexander wasn’t so great is because he was a bad leader. This is because he forced his soilders to fight even when they decided enough was enough. “ Alexander was stopped...by his own army, which refused to go further. Alexander reluctantly turned by after 8 years”, the Alexander mini-Q essay states. Can you believe  it took him 8 years to finally come to his senses and think about the rest of his men?! It is completely unfair that after those people fought beside him he still wasn't satisfied when they became tired. He probably couldn't see what was going on past his huge ego. Not cool Alexander, not cool.

    The second reason I  don't agree with the opinion Alexander was great is because he killed so many innocent civilians, that is killed or enslaved, your pick. According to Peter Green, author of Alexander of Macedon, “Alexander spared their lives. The remaining survivors, some 30,000 in number, he sold into slavery. 2,000 men  of military age were crucified”. This means that even after putting them through a war he proceeded to sell them into slavery. What was the point of sparing their lives just to ruin it in the end. This was a cruel and unfair decision Alexander made, which just proves he isn't great.

    The third reason I believe Alexander doesn’t deserved to be called great is because of his tyrant-like behaviors. According to Peter Green, author of Alexander of Macedon, “ Alexander had ordered that all [except] those who sought sanctuary [safety in the temple] were to be slain.” Oh yeah so heroic, force people into a temple or slice them. Alexander was ruthless and a down right tyrant. His mindset was invade,conquer, and kill. Sounds like he’s just another bad guy in history, so what makes him so great?

    These are the reasons why I believe that Alexander was not-so-great.

   

Alexander the Great, more like Alexander the Brilliant [Tanuj]

Alexander the Great. One of the most brilliant war strategists and a great leader. Other than a big ego many believed Alexander to be a genius  (myself included) because of his accomplishments at such a young age. When Alexander’s Dad was assassinated Alexander decided to lead an attack on all of Persia. Out of all odds Alexander succeeded by going through Asia Minor, Egypt, Mesopotamia, then finally claimed victory at Gaugamela. As you can see Alexander was beyond great and all those pessimists out there, read my blog and prepare your mind to be blow. The “Great” in Alexander the Great is there for a reason, such as sacrificing for his army, spreading his religion, and war strategy.               

   1Mini Q background essay

Source: http://www.biography.com/people/alexander-the-great-9180468

Sacrifices can go a long way. They can also make a good impression. And if you believe that, then I think that your thoughts on Alexander are not much different than mine. When Alexander’s army was crossing a desert they went to look for water. Once they found a narrow gully with not much water they started to scoop some up for Alexander. Before they got to him they poured the water into a helmet and let Alexander drink it

But when Alexander gets it he pours it to the ground and it suddenly becomes fresh water for all the soldiers to drink.                                                                           

This shows that Alexander was

• Caring
• Passionate
• Selfless

Which really signifies how great of a leader he is.

2The Campaigns of Alexander, circa 130 CE, Lucius Flavius Arrianus

People who spread their religion are people who care for their empire. Without Alexander the Great, many religions and dialects could have potentially not even have existed. He was so great at spreading his religion that Greek art and ritual influenced most directly Buddhism in India. People in Hindu Kush worship the same gods, and music and dances are similar. This is because after Alexander’s conquest, some of his army decided to stay where they were and took local woman. Eventually they spread the Greek religion. If that is not Great to you to you, what is.

3 Kasi Khushnawaz in The Footsteps of Alexander the Great by Michael Wood

We are finally burning some distance, the last reason on why Alexander truly deserves his title is war strategy. For Alexander to accomplish as much as he did, he would need to have war strategy. Luckily Alexander didn’t lack this. When fighting India, to get rid of the elephant threat, he used distractions to make elephants panic and box them in. He then surrounded them and won many

battles using this strategy. He couldn’t have one this much of land if he didn’t

have a sharp mind.                                  Source: https://www.whiteplainspublicschools.org/Page/18847

4The Campaigns of Alexander, circa 130 CE, Lucius Flavius Arrianus

If you are not satisfied with this information to prove Alexander was great, then you are on heck of a man to please. But if you are normal and finally agree with me, you can agree that Alexander the Great does deserve this title.

Well Alexander, I guess you are great after all