The Lasting Legacy Of Alexander The Great

2020 Words9 Pages

“I would rather live a short life of glory than a long life of obscurity” - Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great was a former king of Macedonia who lived from 356 BCE - 326 BCE, growing the small Greek Kingdom of Macedon into the great Macedonian Empire, one of the largest empires the world had ever seen. Educated by Aristotle and succeeding his father as the king of Macedon at the age of 20, Alexander had his sights set on achieving greatness. Within 12 years, Alexander had conquered the former Persian Empire, the entirety of the ancient Kingdom of Egypt, as well as parts of Central Asia and India, securing the loyalty and admiration of his subjects throughout the empire. Although Alexander died at the young age of 32 before he could further …show more content…

The great city of Alexandria in Egypt was built as a Greek city, with the Library of Alexandria being a major Hellenic center of learning. Even in modern times, Alexandria is the second largest city in Egypt, boasting over 3.8 million inhabitants in 2023. Although the number of Greeks living in the city has significantly declined in the last 70 years due to the 1952 Egyptian Revolution, the influence of Greek culture can still be clearly seen in the city, with many streets and neighborhoods still bearing Greek names. In addition, Alexander was able to leave a great personal legacy on the city, with it still being named after him, 2000 years after his death. He was also responsible for the creation of the Hellenistic Period in ancient history, which occurred between 323 BCE and 31 BCE. This period was a time of great scientific, mathematical, and cultural advancement for civilization across Alexander’s former empire, with famous figures like Euclid and Archimedes doing their work during this time. "The reign of Alexander the Great signaled the beginning of a new era in history known as the Hellenistic Age. Greek culture had a powerful influence on the areas Alexander conquered. Historian Abernethy states “The reign of Alexander the Great signaled