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w Series 12 thetelegraph.com.au/classmate KING AND CONQUEROR (336-326) Alexander’s ascension sparked rebellion within the League of Corinth but Alexander crushed the rebels, making an example of Thebes by razing the city to the ground, killing 6000 and enslaving the survivors. Having subdued and gained the co-operation of the Greeks, Alexander and his army crossed the Hellespont (the Dardanelles), the dividing line between Europe and Asia in 334. The Persian king Darius III underestimated the 24-year-old king, but Alexander soon showed his skill and tenacity as a military commander. He caused Darius to flee at the battle of Issus (in southern Anatolia in what is today Turkey) in 333 and then marched south through Syria and Phoenicia (now Lebanon) toward Egypt where he founded the city of Alexandria. In 331, Darius again fled the field, this time at the battle of Gaugamela. Alexander captured Babylon and continued his conquests east, placing his own men as local rulers. In 330, Bessus, satrap or governor of Bactria (modern-day Afghanistan), murdered Darius and named himself Persia’s ruler. Alexander pursued Bessus into Bactria and executed him in 329. The conquests halted in 326. His army – weary, sick and fearful of the unknown numbers of the enemy beyond the Indus river – refused to go further into India. T he career of Alexander the Great still looks impressive after more than 2300 years. In his twenties, this young king of Macedonia conquered all the Greek city states, uniting them in a fight against the mighty Persian empire. He then defeated the Persians, and took his armies east to continue his conquests, making his way as far as India where his advance stalled. He found himself ruling one of the largest empires the ancient world had ever seen, but died suddenly at the age of 32 leaving a legacy that would make his name known for centuries. A major exhibition on Alexander will soon arrive in Sydney. Email [email protected] Phone 9288 2542 FOR FREE TEACHER RESOURCES VISIT thetelegraph.com.au/classmate Editor: Troy Lennon Additional writing: Marea Donnelly Graphics: Paul Leigh and Will Pearce SOURCES & FURTHER STUDY BOOKS Alexander The Great, by Paul Cartledge (Baker & Taylor) Alexander The Great, by Robin Lane Fox (Penguin) Ancient History , by J.M. Roberts (Duncan Baird Publishers) WEBSITES Alexander The Great 2000 Years Of Treasure alexandersydney.com.au BBC History Alexander the Great bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/ alexander_the_great.shtml DVDS In The Footsteps Of Alexander The Great (Roadshow DVD) REFERENCE Encyclopaedia Britannica britannica.com DEATH AND BURIAL The ancient sources describe Alexander’s death as starting with a fever and back pain; eventually he was unable to stand, then unable to speak, after which he lapsed into a coma and died. For centuries, people have speculated on what caused Alexander’s death. He was known to have suffered a similar illness in 333 BC but had been cured. One theory is he died from the results of a long session of drinking alcohol, but his symptoms don’t seem to match alcohol poisoning. Some have suggested malaria, but again the symptoms are not a perfect fit. Typhoid is a possibility but normally that is carried by the water supply and usually affects more than one person, but Alexander seems to have been the only one affected. There have even been theories that he was poisoned, but his slow death over 10 days would mean that someone was giving him doses of cumulative poison over the last days of his life. It is unlikely that such a scheme could have gone undetected. Alexander’s corpse was preserved in honey so that it could be taken to Macedonia for burial, but there was a struggle between his generals who wanted the right to bury the body. It was diverted instead to Alexandria in Egypt by Ptolemy, the governor and later king of Egypt, where it was buried in a magnificent tomb. The site of the tomb has been lost to history. FATHER OF THE CONQUEROR Alexander’s father, Philip II, was born in 382 BC. One of the younger sons of King Amyntas III, when Amyntas died, Philip’s older brothers Alexander II and Perdiccas III ruled over a disintegrating kingdom of Macedon. When Perdiccas was killed battling an Illyrian invasion in 359 Philip became regent for Perdiccas’ infant son Amyntas IV. Philip began improving Macedonia’s military fortunes partly through military innovations. Soon Amyntas IV was deposed and Philip elected king. Philip defeated the Illyrians and other threatening neighbours or forged alliances with them to bring them under his influence. He made peace with Epirus by marrying the princess Olympias who bore him a son, Alexander. After years of political and military opposition from Athens and her allies, Philip defeated the Greeks at the battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC. Having secured the Greek city states as allies under his presidency of an alliance known as the League of Corinth, Philip turned to defeating the declining Persian empire. He was making preparations to invade Persia’s empire in the east when he was assas- sinated in 336 BC at his wedding feast for his new bride, Cleopatra of Macedon. Cl @ ss mate Cl @ ss mate EVERY TUESDAY DID YOU KNOW? According to the ancient writer Plutarch, Alexander founded or renamed at least 70 towns, many of which were named Alexandria. While the claim is probably an exaggeration, he is believed to have founded at least 20 towns. Some of them still bear the name Alexandria or variations, such as Iskenderun in Turkey or Kandahar in Afghanistan. The Greeks considered the Macedons to be barbarians, although they were deeply influenced by Greek culture. The royal family of Macedonia also claimed common ancestry with Greek royalty, tracing their roots back to the hero Heracles. Alexander believed in treating the peoples he conquered with fairness and even equality. As a show of this he even married local women as he moved east. One of them was Roxana, daughter of a Bactrian chief. She would later give him an heir who ruled as Alexander IV but he was killed while he was still a child. There are many exaggerated or mythical stories of Alexander’s exploits. One of them tells of him being lowered to the bottom of the ocean in a sealed glass sphere or barrel so that he could look at the sea creatures that lived there. THE EMPIRE CRUMBLES Alexander did not name an heir to his throne so power passed to his brother Philip Arrhidaeus, the mentally retarded illegitimate son of Philip II, and Alexander’s young son by his wife Roxana, Alexander IV. Philip Arrhidaeus was murdered in 317 and Alexander IV in 310 or 309. The generals Alexander had appointed satraps broke the empire into separate provinces and each named themselves kings of the individual kingdoms. LIVING GOD From the time he was born, Alexander’s mother claimed he was the son of the god Zeus, which became useful propaganda early in his career. He was even depicted on Macedonian coins as the god Apollo. In Egypt, Alexander was offered the double crown of the Pharaohs and proclaimed a living god by a high priest. In 331, he also visited the sacred shrine of Amon or Amun, the father-god equated to the Greek god Zeus, where it became rumoured that he was told by the Oracle that he was the son of Amun. Some have suggested Alexander began to believe in his own divinity but, while it’s true he insisted on being worshipped as a god when he set up his court at Babylon, in speeches to his troops late in his career he made many references to Philip II being his father. After his death, some cults of Alexander worship did exist but some people, particularly in Greece, did not accept his divinity. ALEXANDER’S IMPACT Although he did not forge a lasting empire, Alexander had an enormous impact across the lands he conquered. He established dozens of cities, some of which still exist today, and his generals established themselves as rulers of new kingdoms including Ptolemy, whose dynasty would rule Egypt until 30 BC. Well-educated by the Greek philosopher Aristotle, Alexander spread Hellenistic culture, as did the Greek citizens who colonised the cities he founded. In the years after his death his legend grew and myths about his life were created. He inspired other leaders, like the Roman Gaius Julius Caesar, as well as inspiring writers, musicians and artists. Even in more recent times he inspired many filmmakers to tell his story on the big screen. Marble portrait head of Alexander the Great from the early 3rd century BC. Tapestry: Alexander the Great and the family of Darius, from the series The Story Of Alexander The Great. Picture: Courtesy of the Australian Museum Alexander hunting a wild boar. Picture: Courtesy of the Australian Museum Actor Colin Farrell in the 2004 film Alexander The Great. ALEXANDER’S EARLY YEARS (356-336) Alexander was born in 356 BC in Pella, capital of ancient Macedonia, the son of King Philip II of Macedon and one of his wives, Olympias, a princess from the nearby kingdom of Epirus. As a child, Alexander was educated by Aristotle. At 16 he was left ruling Macedonia while his father was attacking Byzantium. When a rebellion threatened he raised an army and quashed it. Impressed by his son’s military prowess, Philip two years later gave Alexander command of troops during the battle of Chaeronea (338) at which the Macedonians defeated the combined powers of Greece. When Philip took a princess named Cleopatra as his new wife Olympias argued with him, they divorced and she fled Macedon with Alexander fearing they would be killed and a new heir given preference. But when Philip was assassinated in 336, the army acclaimed Alexander the new king. Depiction of Alexander’s funeral procession. THE FINAL YEARS Alexander returned from India and made sure that his satraps were loyal, executing corrupt or incompetent ones. He also married a local princess and encouraged his men to marry local women, holding a huge marriage feast in Susa in 324. The intermixing with the Persians and his use of Persians in his army caused dissent among Alexander’s men. As Alexander headed west, his closest companion Hephaestion died. Distraught, Alexander mourned for weeks and held an extravagant funeral when he reached Babylon. In 323, during a feast that took place over several days, he fell ill and died 10 days later of a mysterious illness. ALEXANDER THE GREAT 2000 years of treasures Exhibition at The Australian Museum College St, City From November 24 Call 9320 6000 or online at alexandersydney.com.au Head of Alexander the Great with horn of Amon. Picture: Courtesy of the Australian Museum A vast mosaic depicting Alexander the Great’s battle with the Persian king Darius III. Picture: Courtesy of the Australian Museum 31 (Above right) Statue of Cleopatra. Picture: Courtesy of the Australian Museum the Great Alexander
