Alexander the Great and Scipio Africanus took the ancient world by storm, leading campaigns that took thousands of men traversing through deserts, jungles, and foreign enemies to obtain glory and honor. Both were leaders of men in every sense of the word, and they earned such respect by their sheer fighting prowess, superior intellect, compelling generosity, and iron will. Also, both leaders’ origin was steeped in rumors of the divine. Alexander was said to be a child of Zeus and Scipio of Jupiter, both supposedly destined by the gods to achieve greatness. Alexander didn’t quite acknowledge his divine origin until he was provided validation from the Oracle at Siwa. Following this encounter, Alexander was convinced of his divinity, and his acceptance …show more content…
Leadership is usually associated with the wisdom that comes from age. Both leaders’ military leadership was cultivated at a young age by means of a Greek education and experience through battle with their fathers. Alexander and Scipio became accomplished and talented cavalrymen by experiencing battles firsthand. Scipio, outnumbered and facing seemingly insurmountable odds, plunged deep into the heart of the enemy to save his father at the battle of the Ticinus River at he young age of eighteen. Alexander, also at the young age of eighteen, plunged headlong with his Companion cavalry into the formidable Theban Sacred Band at the battle of Chaeronea. Alexander and his Companions cut down the Sacred Band in its entirety, and following the battle, Macedonian troops exclaimed, “Philip is our general, and Alexander is our king.” Commanding loyalty from their troops on the grounds of combat prowess was not a lacking skill for either Scipio or Alexander. Troops were fiercely loyal to Alexander, even in the worst of conditions, and his ability to inspire them was divine. Alexander also worked to ensure that his troops were supplied sufficiently by constructing a reliable supply train, a concept that his father, Philip, had conceived. Scipio mostly relied on supplies from Utica, a port city, and the farms located in the Carthaginian mainland. Scipio would not engage in battle unless his supply needs were