Alexander the Great and His Empire

            Alexander the Great took over his father Philip II of Macedonia's throne at age 20.  Alexander had been an army commander since the age of 16. 

            Alexander was physically strong and good looking.  He was also smart.  Aristotle taught him.  For this reason he included scientists and philosophers in his army.  He collected plant samples from conquered land and gave them to Aristotle for examination.

            Alexander was an amazing general who had no fear.  He destroyed the Persian Empire and marched to India.  He could have gone farther, but his troops refused.  Alexander covered more than 22, 000 miles in his conquests.  He also never lost a battle.

            Alexander had a dream of uniting the world in a peaceful state.  He wanted to have unity and justice in his empire.

            Alexander believed that the only way to do this was to unite the Macedonians, Greeks, and Persians.  He began by enrolling Persian soldiers in his army.  Next he and 80 of his leading officers married Persian women.  Then, he dressed like a Persian and followed Persian customs. 

            One custom was for rulers to claim that they were gods, so Alexander did this.  The Macedonians and Greeks refused to treat him this way.  The Greeks also objected to equal treatment of the Persians.  They looked down on all non-Greeks.  They called these people barbaroi.  Because of this, Alexander's attempt at world peace was unsuccessful.

            In 323 B. C., Alexander died in Babylon He was 33 years old and had ruled for 13 years.  He was buried in a glass coffin at the Royal Tombs in Alexandria.  More than 80 versions of his life have been written in more than 20 languages.

            After Alexander's death, fight broke out over who was to rule his empire.  The areas in India that Alexander had conquered returned to their original rulers.  Three of Alexander's generals divided the empire among themselves.  Antigonid became the king of Macedonia.  Ptolemy established the Ptolmaic Dynasty in Egypt.  Selucus formed the Selucid Empire in Persia.  The Greek city-states became independent again.

            Greek influence became stronger even after Alexander's death.  The rulers who took Alexander's place adopted the Greek language.

            Trade grew, and from Africa and Asia came spices, ivory, incense, pearls, and rare woods.  From Syria and Egypt came glass, metals, and linen.  From Greece came olive oil, wine, and pottery.  From Sicily and Egypt came wheat.

            The cities that had been part of Alexander's empire now existed for trade.  City officials made laws, language, calendar, and coins Greek.  Teachers used Greek customs and ideas.  Merchants and bankers used Greek methods in their businesses.

            The Greek city-states kept their political independence, but they could not regain their past power.  Economic conditions grew worse.  Most Greeks left the area, and by 146 B. C., the city-states were under Roman control.