Fran Hudson

October 1, 2014

Alexander "the Great" Research Project

Does Alexander deserve to be called great? 

Alexander does not deserve to be called "great" because he was a very poor leader. Alexander was defined as great for what he did in only a thirteen year period, 336 B.C. through 323 B.C. When he was only twenty years old, he became Macedonia's new military commander and king when his father, King Phillip II, was assassinated at Alexander’s sister’s wedding. Alexander was a cruel dictator, not a great king. He had a belligerent personality and always wanted complete control over all his people. He murdered anyone, including his friends and advisors, who objected to his ideas or just made him mad. According to The Independent,  Alexander spent most of his life, including his childhood, drinking alcohol. The article claims Alexander was insecure due to his father’s sarcastic and unpredictable personality and that alcoholism was the cause of his death, not fever. When Alexander was drunk one night, he killed his friend, Cleitus, who once saved his life in battle. Alexander was self-centered and thought very highly of himself naming almost all of his cities after himself. Perhaps because his mother, Olympias, told Alexander he was the son of the god Zeus instead of Phillip. Alexander bullied his army into marching and conquering more and more territory for eleven years. When they finally refused to go any further, at the Hyphasis River, Alexander immaturely sulked for two days. According to Mr. Giotto's Site, on the way back to Babylon, Alexander selfishly took a deadly path that killed a majority of his men who many haven’t seen their families in over a decade. Not only did Alexander have terrible leadership qualities as the military commander, he never was a true king for his people back at home. After only two years of being king, he left with the military showing no signs of coming back. He left most of his responsibilities as king with Antipater, Macedon's guardian. People gave Alexander his epithet for being a great conqueror, but he wasn't a good leader and was responsible for thousands of unnecessary deaths of his own men.

What can one learn about the values of society based on their views on greatness?

            People’s views on greatness depend on what their values are. Macedonians didn't value literature or architecture like the Greeks. They valued fearlessness and power. These values were why Macedonia viewed their kings as great. Their kings used clever tactics in battle, like the Phalanx formation, and were bold and courageous. People viewed King Alexander III as great before he was even king because he made great accomplishments at a very young age. Society was first impressed by Alexander when he was eight and had tamed a wild horse that even his father’s grooms couldn't tame. Young Alexander also had opportunities that typical children didn't have such as being educated by the Greek philosopher, Aristotle, and learning to command troops. On the contrary to Macedon, Greek societies valued beauty in architecture and literature. Examples of these values are the Parthenon temple and Euclid’s, The Elements. Egyptians viewed Alexander as great during the Hellenistic Period because he founded the city Alexandria which contained valuable resources such as a trading port, the Alexandrian Library, and a culture center. Greatness can be viewed in many ways, but societies’ values will tell what they think is true greatness.

Do time and distance impact someone's popular perception?

Yes, time and distance does impact someone’s popular perception. Time and distance gives opportunities to reflect on historical events and what happened or historical people and their actions. “The life of Alexander the Great has inspired people from antiquity to modern times.” People’s perceptions of Alexander the Great have definitely changed over time. Alexander’s army didn't want to keep marching and conquering more territory when Alexander was pushing them keep going. His army could only travel by foot and use weaponry such as spears and shields. His military and citizens viewed Alexander as a bully and cruel. Today, more people view Alexander as an accomplished and successful military commander. Alexander conquered and expanded his empire 3,000 miles without the help from modern technology, like tanks and guns. This is impressive for modern civilizations that have modern technology. One example of a person whose popular perception has been impacted by time and distance is Nelson Mandela. When Mandela was imprisoned for fighting against apartheid in South Africa, people viewed him as rebellious and crazy. Over time, Mandela gained supporters from all over the world for his cause to resist apartheid. When he was released from jail, 28 years later, people viewed him as courageous and powerful. These examples prove that time and distance impact popular perception because using time to see different viewpoints does change how people think about greatness.

  

Works Cited

"Alexander the Great." ABC CLio Solutions. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. ABC-CLIO eBook Collection. Web. 22 Sept. 2014. <http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/575648?terms=Ancient%20Cities%20during%20Alexander%20the%20great&webSiteCode=SLN_HANC&returnToPage=%2fSearch%2fDisplay%2f575648%3fterms%3dAncient+Cities+during+Alexander+the+great&token=AA58ACBAB26B27B1F694A804483D2ADB&casError=False>.

"Alexander the Great." Ancient Civilizations. UShistory.org, n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2014. <http://www.ushistory.org/civ/5g.asp>.

"Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Age." Mr. Giotto's Site. SchoolWorld, n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2014. <http://www.penfield.edu/webpages/jgiotto/onlinetextbook.cfm?subpage=1653418>.

Beck, Roger B. World History: Patterns of Interaction. N.p.: Houghton Mifflin School, 2006. Print.

Brophy, James M. Perspectives From the Past. 5th ed. N.p.: Norton and Company Inc., 2011. Print.

Denison, Simon. "Was Alexander a great alcoholic?" The Independent. N.p., 2 Aug. 1992. Web. 29 Sept. 2014. <http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/was-alexander-a-great-alcoholic-1537664.html>.

Green, Peter. Alexander of Macedon 356-323 B.C.:A Historical Biography. New York: University of California Press, 1992. Print.

"Nelson Mandela." World History: A Modern Era. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. ABC-CLIO eBook Collection. Web. 25 Sept. 2014. <http://worldhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/315233?terms=Nelson+Mandela>.

Worthington, Ian. "How 'Great' Was Alexander?" The Ancient History Bulletin. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2014. <http://www.utexas.edu/courses/citylife/readings/great1.html>.