Alexander the Great was a very powerful leader. He led to a lot of success and conquered the entire Persian Empire. He basically ruled the world. The only thing that stopped him was his death by a fever. Since he accomplished many things, his adventure was valuable, and he remains as a legend in ancient history. His experiences in Egypt, Persepolis, Afghanistan, and India indicate how much his adventure was really worth it.
In 331 BC Alexander entered Egypt. He was welcomed there very easily because the Egyptians did not like the Persians, either. He named a city after himself called Alexandria. Alexander made the trip to visit the oracle at the temple of Zeus Ammon in Egypt (Macedonia.org 2000). That is where the absurd idea of him being the Son of Zeus came into effect. Apparently, the oracle also told him that he was destined to rule the world.
When Alexander the Great wanted to conquer the Persians, he reached their capital, Persepolis. He damaged several buildings. The Palace of Xerxes had received special treatment. The Macedonians were celebrating their conquest and were drunk, so they had an idea to set the palace on fire (Lendering 2010). In Persepolis, the Macedonians killed all of the men and raided their houses. They took women’s jewelry and expensive clothing. They treated the women as slaves. According to Lendering, “it has been argued that the Greek soldiers in Alexander's company had their revenge for the destruction of Athens in 480 BC” (2010). Alexander regretted what he did to the city of Persepolis, but he was still portrayed as a god to the Macedonians.
After the conquering of the Persian Empire and King Darius III being killed, Alexander the Great had a new enemy: the man who murdered Darius. Darius's murderer was one of Darius’s generals. His name was Bessus. Alexander chased and killed Bessus all the way to Afghanistan. Then, in 327 BC, Alexander invaded India. He fought against a leader in India named Porus at the river Hydaspes. Porus was defeated, though his army was bigger, and they fought with elephants. One of the tragic things that happened in India was the death of Bucephalus, Alexander’s horse. According to Macedonia.org, “on a trip down the rivers Hydaspes and Indus, Alexander sought out the Indian philosophers, the Brahmins, who were famous for their wisdom, and debated them on philosophical issues. He became legendary for centuries in India for being both a wise philosopher and a fearless conqueror.” Alexander the Great returned home, while suffering from an arrow wound piercing his lung (Boise State University 2010). He soon recovered from the wound, but died from a fever in Babylon.
Through all the hardships and battles Alexander the Great went through, it really shows how powerful and successful he really was. He conquered many places, and his experiences in different countries show the importance of his adventures. People believed that he was a true miracle. If he did not conquer places and stayed in Macedonia quietly, he would not be told he was the Son of Zeus or the ruler of the world, and he would not get revenge for the Persian wrongs. He achieved great things and will remain as one of the best world conquerors in history.
Sources:
Boise State University. 2010. Alexander the great. Retrieved from http://www.boisestate.edu/courses/westciv/alexander/11.shtml.
Cultural Property Training Resource. Alexander the great. Retrieved from http://www.cemml.colostate.edu/cultural/09476/afgh02-04enl.html.
Fildes, A.M., & Fletcher, J. 2010. Alexander in egypt. Retrieved from http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/alexanderthegreat.htm.
Lendering, Jona. 2010. Alexander sacks persepolis. Retrieved from http://www.livius.org/aj-al/alexander/alexander_t12.html.
Macedonia.org. 2000. Alexander the great. Retrieved from http://faq.macedonia.org/history/alexander.the.great.html#g.
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