Alexander The Great: Shaping A World Essay -- essays research papers

Alexander The Great was born in Macedonia in the year 356 B.C., several hundred years before Christ and even before the rise of Rome. Despite this fact he is still a topic of discussion and study more than two millennium later for a plethora of reasons. His insight and ability on the field of battle has made him a shining example of how to conduct the art of war. He has been studied for centuries by both military journals and colleges. He has also kept the scholars of this world as busy as well. His choices to build cities and centers for learning and the preservation of knowledge such as the library at Alexandria have been able to provide work for generations of archaeologists and other scholars. His image over the years has been one that is almost impossible to describe. He has been cast as tyrant, alcoholic, and Christ figure. It is impossible to explore the later facets of Alexander’s life without at least glimpsing the years of his childhood and early adulthood. Born to Phillip II of Macedonia and Olympias, Alexander was heir to the throne of Macedonia. Probably the most important influence in his young life was the tutoring he received from Aristotle and Leonidas starting around the age of thirteen. By Aristotle Alexander was imbued with an incredible background in science, literature, and rhetoric all of which would serve him well in the future. Though they did not always have like minds on subjects of policy it is clear that Alexander always kept his teachers musings in mind. Unfortunately his final reward for his teacher was the execution of Aristotle’s nephew Callisthenes many years later. Leonidas, was hired by Philip II to train and discipline Alexander’s body. He sent Alexander on frequent all night marches and rationed his food. Alexander’s schooling with his two teac hers continued until he was 16 years old. Alexander’s father Phillip, growing quite tired of his wife Olympias’ antics, chose to marry another woman. The woman he chose was Cleopatra, the niece of one of his commanders Attalus. During the wedding feast Attalus is said to have remarked that perhaps now Phillip would produce a legitimate heir to the throne. The strong spirited Alexander leapt to his feet demanding to know the meaning of this insult. Phillip, Alexander’s own father, stood with his sword drawn, prepared to defend his new father-in-law’s honor and immediately tripped t... ... Encarta ’98 Encyclopedia, 1997. Adams, Lindsay W. and Borza, Eugene N. Phillip II, Alexander the Great and the Macedonian Heritage. Washington D.C., 1982 Badian, E.. Studies In Greek And Roman History. Oxford, 1964 Bosworth, A.B.. A HistoricalCommentary on Arrians History of Alexander, Volume I. Oxford, 1980 Bosworth, A.B.. A Cut Too Many? Occams Razor and Alexander’s Footguard. The Ancient History Bulletin, 11.2-3 (1997), pp.47-56. Brunt, P.A.. Arrian History of Alexander and Indica I. Boston, 1976 Carlsen, J. (ed). Alexander the Great: reality and myth. Rome, 1993. Dodge, T.A.. Alexander a history of the origin and growth of the art of war from the earliest times to the battle of Ispus, 301 BC. New York, 1996. Milns, R.D.. Alexander the Great. New York, 1969. Popovic, J.J.. Alexander the Great, online: available at: http://1stmuse.com Sbarounis, C.N.. Did Alexander the Great Die of Acute Pancreatitis? Journal Of Clinical Gastroenterology, 24(4), 1997, pp. 294-296. Snyder, John William. Alexander the Great. New York, 1966 Tarn, W.W.. Alexander the Great. Boston, 1968. Thomas, K.R.. A Psychoanalytic Study of Alexander the Great. Psychoanalytical Review, 82(6), 1995, pp. 859-901.