6th Grade - Biographical Reports
2nd Place - Dylan L.
Alexander the Great
In this paper Alexander the Great will be explored. He was the handsome boy king who became one of the most successful military commanders of all times, undefeated in battle, conquering most of the ancient world.
Alexander was born in Pella, Macedon in 356 B.C. Macedon was a city-state in the north of what is now Greece. Alexander's father was King Phillip II. He claimed to be descended from Heracles. Alexander's mother was Olympias and she claimed she was descended from Achilles. It was viewed that Alexander came from gods and heroes and that he was destined for greatness.
As a young boy, Alexander enjoyed drama and poetry. He could play two musical instruments and he was a very fast runner. At age twelve Alexander tamed a wild horse and named him Bucephalas. This horse was with him during his battles over the next 20 years. When Alexander was 13 he received a tutor named Aristotle. Aristotle was one of the greatest Greek philosophers of all time. By age 14 Alexander had become a "man" because according to the culture at the time a boy had to kill a wild boar and a man. Alexander had done both.
In 340 B.C Alexander, at age 16, became king because his father was off fighting somewhere. Alexander was called a regent. A regent is a person who takes on the responsibilities of the king. King Phillip was assassinated in 336 B.C. Alexander was only 20 years old. The first thing Alexander had to do was quash a rebellion in the Greek city - states. In Thebes 6,000 people were killed and 30,000 were forced into slavery. Alexander's goal was to conquer the ancient world that was known at the time. At this time King Darius III of Persia had an empire that stretched from the Mediterranean Sea to what is now Pakistan and from the Aral Sea in the north down to Egypt.
The first major battle that Alexander won was in May 334 B.C at the river Granicus in what is now Turkey. This battle was against the Persians. Next he went down the Aegean coast of Asia Minor which is modern day Turkey, in the summer of 334 B.C. Once again Darius was defeated. After this battle, Alexander continued south capturing coastal cities.
After traveling south, Alexander conquered Gaza, (which is between Egypt and Israel), and went on down to Egypt. The Egyptians were actually happy to be liberated by Alexander because they were unhappy under Darius' rule. It is even possible that Alexander may have been made into a pharaoh in November 332 B.C. The city of Alexandria which is in Egypt was founded by Alexander and it became one of the leading cities of the ancient world.
Alexander thought the world went up to and ended in India. In 326 B.C. he captured the Northern states in present day India. However Alexander's troops were tired of fighting and they mutinied. On May 29, 323 B.C. Alexander came down with a sickness and died. He was only 32 years old when he died in Babylon.
Alexander's empire stretched from Macedon in the west to the Indus River in the east and from Egypt in the south to the Aral Sea in the north. In today's terms that would be like ruling Greece and Albania in Europe east through Turkey to Pakistan in Asia, and from Egypt in Africa through Uzbekistan. This was the biggest empire that the world had ever seen.
After Alexander died his empire crumbled and was eventually overthrown by Rome. What changed was the view of the world. Ideas flowed along the routes that Alexander made. After his death, Greek culture permeated the East with its language, architecture, government buildings and religious temples. This influence went on for hundreds of years.
The unity of Alexander's empire made it easier for Christianity to spread. The new testament was written in Greek and the apostle Paul was a Greek speaker. The dominance of Greek culture throughout parts of the world was helped along by Alexander the Great - a name that is still known today.
The basis of western civilization are the combined influences of Roman and Greek culture and Christianity. I have learned that without the achievements of Alexander the Great our western civilization might be very different today.
