Crockett Worthington   
Mr. Ward
B Block History

                                 The Greatness of Alexander

 1.) Does Alexander deserve to be called "great"?

      Alexander the Great can be described by many people in may different ways, and being great is one of them. He was great because he accomplished feats in the Roman military, he had great knowledge of strategy, and his leadership skills where genius. Alexander the Great was born of King Philip of Macedonia and is known around the world in today's society as being a great ruler.
      In the time of Rome war was not a choice, but a lifestyle. If one was courageous in war and defeated an enemy in battle they gained respect and power. At age 20 in the year 334 B.C. Alexander began to make a name for himself by riding out with his fathers army of 43,000 infantry and 5,000 calvary across the Hellespont in Asia, this expedition is thought by Colette Hemingway, a Greek and Roman historian at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to be "The most formidable expedition ever to leave Greece". Alexander was the first Macedonian to lead his army onto Asiatic soil. After this expedition he then set his eyes on Persia, one of the largest and most fierce armies known to the world at this time. Persia had an army with hundreds of thousands of men and was known for being brutal and fierce, and were feared by every city-state across Europe and the Middle East. Alexander brought an end to the legendary Persian Empire in a total of 10 years. Alexander once said,"I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep lead by a lion", Alexander understood that an army is nothing without a courageous and strategic leader, even if the army itself is stronger than all.
     In a world in which everyone fights equally with a shield and a sword, the infantry becomes pawns, the calvary becomes knights, and the result of the war relies on the leader strategizing the next move. Alexander the Great was the type of leader that kept three moves ahead of his opponent at all times. He planned for error and adjusted for success, and part of this was because of lessons he learned as a young man. Since his birth, Alexander was tutored by the best teachers that could be found due to his royalty, and one of these tutor's name was Aristotle. Aristotle is known today as being one of the greatest minds ever known to mankind, and his philosophical ideas are still around today. Even thought Aristotle taught Alexander the Great about philosophy and how to "think out side of the box" no one quite knows exactly how Alexander the Great received his brilliant strategic insight that helped him win many important battles. We do know however that he used the same tactic as the Spartans, called the Phalanx tactic, but he used this tactic on a much larger scale. Many leaders around the world in 334 B.C. and even in 2014 A.D. do not have the strategic strengths as Alexander. One of his most known tactics was assembling his units in phalanx and other formations in order to make his numbers appear smaller than they actually were. This tactic made the enemy under estimate the size of the invaders therefor exposing themselves to the massive army of Alexander the Great.

This picture shows the Roman version of the Phalanx tactic

     Alexander was an unwavering force fighting valiantly and proving himself in battle time and time again. He not only had people admire him, but most of all he had the respect of many nations and people around the world. He gained this respect around the globe by conquering city-state after city-state and tearing down empire after empire for the good of his nation. He lead his army into countless battles and lead them to victory against the massive Persian Empire. Although his troops respected him as a conqueror, they did not think of him as a hospitable leader. The soldiers of Alexander's army were not fond of him because he appointed new commanders and generals from previously conquered lands and lead his army across the treacherous Makran dessert. Although the exact reason why Alexander the Great lead his army across this terrible desert is unknown, many historians speculate that he was either attempting to save the supplies gathered in his previous campaign in India or he was going to originally meet another fleet with more basic supplies for his army. Either way the journey resulted in the deaths of about 12,000 soldiers and a tarnished reputation for the great leader. Alexander did what he thought was necessary at the time just like any other great leader has done in their time of hardships. 

A statue of Aristotle (mentioned in the passage above)

The image shown above depicts the treacherous Makran Dessert

     A great ruler is measured by results and accomplishments, and not if one is liked by his or her peers. Alexander the Great was great because of his military accomplishments, strategic genius, and leadership capabilities. Through out his short time of leading Macedonia he conquered more land than any leader in the history of the earth before him, tore apart the Persian empire, and made himself a legend all in the time of twelve years. The world will remember the legacy of Alexander the Great and his great empire so long as we remember what true greatness means to us.

2.) What can one learn about the values of society based on their views of greatness? 
     
     In the time of Alexander the Great, society valued honor, courage, and power. If one is capable of conquering another city-state or large Empire then they will be granted with respect and fear. In the time period of Alexander there is little to no line between respect a fear, for if one fears that a great empire such as Macedonia can easily take their free will and life then respect is inevitable. To be "great" one must thrive to be thought of as courageous and powerful. Power is everything, for if one is in possession of power then they are in possession of leverage against another city-state or empire.

3.)     Do time and distance effect one's popular perception?

    In the modern world distance does not effect one's popular perception, for we have globalization. Globalization is the transfer of knowledge over fast periods of time, this can include the news, social media, or even phone calls. Time changes one's popular perception by deluding the facts that are not as significant and by looking back on the event from a chain reaction point of view and how it effects the present. For example, the Boston Tea Part was just a protest by colonist who were upset because of the lack of representation that they had in their government. But today we see this as an event that shaped the revolutionary war, which changed America forever. As humans we cannot just ignore our current lives and look upon an event with a biased opinion and see the simplicity of it without its effect on our lives. Therefor we automatically perceive past events as "great" or memorable because they are like a puzzle piece to our current lives that we experience now.

Works Cited

"Alexander in the Gedrosian Desert." Alexander the Great: The Gedrosian Desert. Livius.org. Web. 30 Sept. 2014.

"Alexander the Great – the Greatest Leader of All Time?" Military History Monthly. Military-history.org. Web. 30 Sept. 2014.

"Alexander the Great." History.com. A&E Television Networks. Web. 29 Sept. 2014.

"Alexander the Great." Princeton University. Web. 30 Sept. 2014.

Halil, Sikander. "Pothos.org." - Alexander and the Makran Desert. Pothos.org. Web. 30 Sept. 2014.