Blog 1

LoriLee Davis

His 101 - W1

Blog 1

9/5/2011

Blog 1

            According to our text book, The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures, King Phillip II turned Macedonia into a powerful nation during his reign. However, after King Phillip II was murdered in 336 B.C.E, his  son, Alexander III, took the thrown. Alexander was a violent ruler. He had the city of Thebes wiped out for defecting. He ran one of the most powerful militaries in history.

            Early in his reign, he took control of Turkey, Egypt, and Uzbekistan. Because of this, he earned the nickname, Alexander The Great. He  his men to victory time and time again. In battle, Alexander showed no concern for his own safety. He was known for charging into battle on his warhouse. To make his build up his alliances, gave away his land to officers.

            During Alexander's conquest of the Persian Empire, he tried to untie a the Gordian Knot. It was predicted that whoever untied this knot would rule Asia. Using his sword, he sliced the knot. Despite capturing the wives and daughters of the king of Persia, he treated the women with honor and did not harm them. For this, the women wanted for him to be the king. Later, Alexander created a technology that allowed for him to break down the walls of Tyre.

            Alexander wanted to keep the governments the same in areas he took over. When he took control of Egypt, he created the city of Alexandria. He later married a Princess named Roxane.  He continued on his conquest. Many of his men were tired and no longer cared for the cause. They were so fed up that they turned against Alexander. This caused for him to return home.

            When Alexander was returning home, he went though the deserts of Iran. Due to starvation and lack of water, many of his men died. After returning home, perpetrations for his next invasion begun.. However, these plans never happened. He died of drinking and of a fever. As he died, Alexander expressed he wanted the next ruler to be the "most powerful."

            Based on studies, its believed that Alexander was obsessed with war and conquest, but at the same time, he wanted to cultivate and discover other lands. In his time, Alexander was seen as a legend and an idol. He wanted to be respected as a god. His followers gave him this treatment, however, he took it too literally. He actually thought he was Zeus's son.

            During his conquest, Alexander had the findings written and documented. This has helped in fields of science and in geography. The cities that were formed during his rule helped to enhance trade between the cities. Because of conquest, alliances were formed between Greece and his formed cities.

Works cited:

Hunt , Lynn A., Martin, Thomas R., Barbara H. Rosenwein, R. Po-chia Hsia, and Bonnie G. Smith. "Chapter 4: From the Classical to the Hellenistic World." The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures. Third ed. Vol. 1. Boston [u.a.: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009. 111-115. Print.