Alexander the Great. The name itself brings images of a military genius who never lost a battle and carved out one of the largest empires in history before his death at 32. He was a brilliant conqueror, no doubt. But what was his true legacy? Did his campaign of conquest create a new, unified world, or was he simply a destructive force who left chaos in his wake?
🏛️ A Student of Aristotle, A Hero of Achilles
From a young age, Alexander was shaped by two powerful influences: his tutor, the great philosopher Aristotle, and his hero, the mythical warrior Achilles. Aristotle instilled in him a love of learning and Greek culture, while Achilles fueled his ambition for eternal glory. This duality defined his reign. He wasn’t just a warlord; he was a cultural ambassador, albeit one with a very large army. His goal was not just to conquer but to emulate the heroes of old and spread Greek ideas across the known world.
🌍 The Spread of Hellenism
Alexander’s most enduring impact was the spread of Greek culture, a process now known as Hellenization. He didn’t just wipe cities off the map; he founded over 70 new ones, many named Alexandria, and left colonies of Macedonians to administer them. As a result, peoples from Egypt to India began to play Greek sports, watch Greek theatre, and adopt Greek scientific practices. For a thousand years, Greek became the common language of the Near East, so influential that the Christian New Testament was first written in it.
🔥 A Darker Legacy
But there was a dark side to his ambition. His conquests were brutal. After the seven-month siege of Tyre, his men slaughtered 8,000 inhabitants and sold 30,000 into slavery. In a drunken rage, his army looted the Persian capital of Persepolis and burned its great palace to the ground. As his power grew, so did his paranoia and megalomania, leading him to execute some of his most trusted generals. So, while he connected cultures, he did so through violence and domination, leaving a legacy as complex and debated as the man himself.
Bibliography:
BBC History Specials: Ancient World, 2025. Immediate Media Company London Limited, 2024.
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