World Civilization 1
Assignment 4
Alexander III of Macedon, commonly known as Alexander the great, was a king of the ancient
Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Phillip III to the throne in 336 BC at the
age of 20, and spent most of his ruling years conducting a lengthy military campaign throughout
western Asia and Egypt. By the age of 30, he had created one of the largest empires in history,
stretching from Greece to northwestern India. He was undefeated in battle and is widely
considered to be one of history’s greatest and most successful military commanders. Alexander
III was born in Pella, the capital of the kingdom of Macedon, on the sixth day of the ancient
Greek month of Hekatombaion, which probably corresponds to 20 July 356 BC (although the
exact date is uncertain).
When alexander destroyed Tyre, most of the towns on the route to Egypt quickly capitulated.
However, Alexander was met with resistance at Gaza. The stronghold was heavily fortified and
built on a hill, requiring a siege. When “his engineers pointed out to him that because of the
height of the mound it would be impossible….this encouraged Alexander all the more to make
the attempt.” After three unsuccessful assaults, the stronghold fell, but not before Alexander had
received a serious shoulder wound. As in Tyre, men of military age were put to the sword and
the women and children were sold into slavery.
Egypt was only one of a large number of the territories taken by Alexander from the Persians,
after his trip to Siwa, Alexander was crowned in the temple of Ptah at Memphis. It appears that
the Egyptian people did not find it disturbing that he was a foreigner- nor that he was absent for
virtually his entire reign. Alexander restored the temples neglected by the Persians and
, dedicated new monuments to the Egyptian gods. During his brief months in Egypt, he reformed
the taxation system on the Greek models and organized the military occupation of the country,
but early in 331 BC, he left for Asia in pursuit of the Persians.
Alexander advanced on Egypt in later 332 BC, where he was regarded as a liberator. To
legitimize as the descendent of the long line of Pharoahs, Alexander, made sacrifices to the gods
at Memphis and went to consult the famous oracle of Amun-Ra at the Siwa Oasis. He was
pronounced son of the diety Amun at the oracle of Siwa Oasis in the Libyan Desert. Henceforth,
Alexander often referred to Zeus-Ammon as his true father and after his death, currency depicted
him adorned with the horns of Ammon as a symbol of his divinity. The Greeks interpreted this
message one that the gods addressed to all Pharaohs as a prophecy.
During his stay in Egypt, he founded Alexandria, which would become the prosperous capital of
the Ptolemaic kingdom after his death. Control of Egypt passed to Ptolemy (son of Lagos), the
founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty (305-30BC) after the death of Alexander. From Babylon,
Alexander went to Susa, one of the Achaemenid capitals and captured its treasury. He sent the
bulk of his army to the Persian Ceremonial capital of Perseppolis via the Persian Royal Road.
Alexander himself took selected troops on the direct route to the city. He then stormed the pass
of the Persian Gates (in the modern Zagros Mountains) which had been blocked by a Persian
army under Ariobarzanes and the hurried to Persepolis before its garrison could loot the treasury.
On entering Persepolis, Alexander allowed his troops to loot the city for several days. Alexander
stayed in Persepolis for five months. During his stay a fire broke out in the eastern palace of
Xerxes I and spread to the rest of the city. Possible causes include a drunken accident or
deliberate revenge for the burning of the Acropolis of Athens during the second Persian war by
Xerses, Plutarch and Diodorus allege that Alexander’s companion, the hetaera Thais, instigated
Assignment 4
Alexander III of Macedon, commonly known as Alexander the great, was a king of the ancient
Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Phillip III to the throne in 336 BC at the
age of 20, and spent most of his ruling years conducting a lengthy military campaign throughout
western Asia and Egypt. By the age of 30, he had created one of the largest empires in history,
stretching from Greece to northwestern India. He was undefeated in battle and is widely
considered to be one of history’s greatest and most successful military commanders. Alexander
III was born in Pella, the capital of the kingdom of Macedon, on the sixth day of the ancient
Greek month of Hekatombaion, which probably corresponds to 20 July 356 BC (although the
exact date is uncertain).
When alexander destroyed Tyre, most of the towns on the route to Egypt quickly capitulated.
However, Alexander was met with resistance at Gaza. The stronghold was heavily fortified and
built on a hill, requiring a siege. When “his engineers pointed out to him that because of the
height of the mound it would be impossible….this encouraged Alexander all the more to make
the attempt.” After three unsuccessful assaults, the stronghold fell, but not before Alexander had
received a serious shoulder wound. As in Tyre, men of military age were put to the sword and
the women and children were sold into slavery.
Egypt was only one of a large number of the territories taken by Alexander from the Persians,
after his trip to Siwa, Alexander was crowned in the temple of Ptah at Memphis. It appears that
the Egyptian people did not find it disturbing that he was a foreigner- nor that he was absent for
virtually his entire reign. Alexander restored the temples neglected by the Persians and
, dedicated new monuments to the Egyptian gods. During his brief months in Egypt, he reformed
the taxation system on the Greek models and organized the military occupation of the country,
but early in 331 BC, he left for Asia in pursuit of the Persians.
Alexander advanced on Egypt in later 332 BC, where he was regarded as a liberator. To
legitimize as the descendent of the long line of Pharoahs, Alexander, made sacrifices to the gods
at Memphis and went to consult the famous oracle of Amun-Ra at the Siwa Oasis. He was
pronounced son of the diety Amun at the oracle of Siwa Oasis in the Libyan Desert. Henceforth,
Alexander often referred to Zeus-Ammon as his true father and after his death, currency depicted
him adorned with the horns of Ammon as a symbol of his divinity. The Greeks interpreted this
message one that the gods addressed to all Pharaohs as a prophecy.
During his stay in Egypt, he founded Alexandria, which would become the prosperous capital of
the Ptolemaic kingdom after his death. Control of Egypt passed to Ptolemy (son of Lagos), the
founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty (305-30BC) after the death of Alexander. From Babylon,
Alexander went to Susa, one of the Achaemenid capitals and captured its treasury. He sent the
bulk of his army to the Persian Ceremonial capital of Perseppolis via the Persian Royal Road.
Alexander himself took selected troops on the direct route to the city. He then stormed the pass
of the Persian Gates (in the modern Zagros Mountains) which had been blocked by a Persian
army under Ariobarzanes and the hurried to Persepolis before its garrison could loot the treasury.
On entering Persepolis, Alexander allowed his troops to loot the city for several days. Alexander
stayed in Persepolis for five months. During his stay a fire broke out in the eastern palace of
Xerxes I and spread to the rest of the city. Possible causes include a drunken accident or
deliberate revenge for the burning of the Acropolis of Athens during the second Persian war by
Xerses, Plutarch and Diodorus allege that Alexander’s companion, the hetaera Thais, instigated
