Alexander the Great Alexander the Great was an ancient Macedonian ruler and considered one of history’s greatest military minds who—as King of Macedonia and Persia—amassed the largest empire the ancient world had ever seen. By turns charismatic, ruthless, brilliant, power hungry, diplomatic and bloodthirsty, Alexander inspired such loyalty in his men they followed him anywhere and, if necessary, died in the process. Though Alexander the Great died before realizing his dream of uniting a new realm, his influence on Greek and Asian culture was so profound it inspired a new historical era—the Hellenistic Period. Alexander the Great was born in Pella, Macedonia, in 356 B.C. to King Philip II and Queen Olympias. At age 12, Alexander the Great …show more content…
The entire area from Greece in the west, north to the Danube, south into Egypt and as far to the east as the Indian Punjab, was linked together in a vast international network of trade and commerce. This was united by a common Greek language and culture, while the king himself adopted foreign customs in order to rule his millions of ethnically diverse subjects. Alexander the Great spread Greek culture throughout the Persian Empire, including parts of Asia and Africa. Alexander the Great respected the local cultures he conquered and allowed their customs to continue. Alexander the Great himself embraced local customs, wearing Persian clothes and marrying Persian women. Alexander the Great encouraged his soldiers to marry Persian women, in this way, the children of these marriages would share both Persian and Greek cultures. Alexander the Great created the Hellenistic Age, a time when Greek culture mixed with the various cultures of Alexander the Great's Empire. This was a time of advances in learning, math, art, and architecture. Some of the great names of learning in this Age include Archimedes, Hero, and Euclid. It was a time of relative peace, after the Wars of the Diadochi (322-275 …show more content…
Although none of these cities were in Greece, they all had Greek architecture. Alexander the Great was acknowledged as a military genius who always led by example, although his belief in his own indestructibility meant he was often reckless with his own life and those of his soldiers. The fact that his army only refused to follow him once in 13 years of a reign during which there was constant fighting, indicates the loyalty he inspired. While considering the conquests of Carthage and Rome, Alexander the Great died of malaria in Babylon (now Iraq), on June 13, 323 B.C. He was just 32 years old. Rhoxana gave birth to his son a few months later. After Alexander died, his empire collapsed and the nations within it battled for power. Over time, the cultures of Greece and the Orient synthesized and thrived as a side effect of Alexander's empire, becoming part of his legacy and spreading the spirit of