Alexander The Great: The Contributions Of Alexander The Great

Alexander the Great lived from 356-323 B.C. and was the son of Philipp II and Olympias. Being the crown prince, he was educated by Airstoteles and as early as 340 entrusted with important administrative functions. After Philipp had married Cleopatra, conflicts with his stepmother ended in his banishment. Even after he had returned he feared for his life and uncertain of his throne until Philipp was murdered in 336, most likely with Alexander’s and his mother Olympias’ knowledge. Alexander destroyed Thebes in 335. Two years later he conquered the Persians under Dareios III near Issos, in 332 he lay siege to Tyros - still an important port in Lebanon. During 332-331 he occupied entire Egypt where he was crowned Pharaoh. Moreover, in 331 he went south along the Euphrates and Tigris rivers through today’s Iraq. In Babylon Alexander enthrowned a Persian satrap in order to win over the Iranian aristocracy. In 327 Alexander invaded India, made the princes in the Panjab his vassals and tried to reach the Ganges river. A mutiny made this endeavor impossible, and so he sailed down to the mouth of the Indus river. The last months of Alexander’s life were filled with megalomania and when he died in 323 he had not nominated any successor. Alexander the Great can be seen as a genius when it came to tactical warfare, but his uncontrolled desire for power made him follow opportunistic politics. His friendly attitude towards the Persians estranged him from the Greek and the Macedonian