Alexander the Great 🗿🏛📚

Marking the 2,375th anniversary of Alexander the Great’s birth on 21/7/356 BC

Alexander III of Macedon (Alexander the Great) is the single greatest leader in all of history because he lead one of the grandest armies in the world and established one of the largest empires of antiquity. Dozens of the cities which he established still exist today, and the culture he spread and assimilated is very evident in the lands in which his empire existed. Truly, Alexander’s exploits have stood the test of time for thousands of years, and likely will remain standing despite the few years the general took to establish his power.

Alexander the Great is the biggest general of all times, not only by military point of view, as with a small army but well equipped and organized and with a capable group of generals to assist him, managed to conquer and abolish the biggest empire of the known world at that time but also spread the greek culture to the East and created the hellenistic culture which had the well known impact in all aspects of our civilisation. Alexander brought with him in his campaign various scientists, philosophers, artist and historians. Moreover he was the first to unite his Greek compatriots and make them focus in one scope: the abolishment of Persian threat over Greece.

The image of a living god

Marble head of Alexander at the British Museum in London

This in one of the many marble portraits of Alexander the Great used by the legendary conqueror and his followers, during and after his reign, to disseminate and immortalise the image of a young and powerful leader, many times liked to deity. The sculpture is exhibited in a room of the British Museum dedicated to his era. Sometime ago, I read with keen interest a novel by Mary Renault about Alexander, The Persian Boy, at the peak of his life, depicted by his lover, Bagoas, and this pushed me in seeing closely some artefacts from the same period at the British Museum. This other marble head above is a Roman copy of an original 3rd century BC Greek bust depicting Alexander the Great, exhibited at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen.

Marble head of Alexander at Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen

The beauty of the face and the projection of the character’s charisma are obvious, although this is a Roman era copy of what was supposed to be an original and contemporary portrait of the young leader. The sculptor Lysippos, personally chosen by Alexander III, together with the painter Apelle, is normally associated with the production of images that perpetuate the iconography desired by the general through the immense empire. The similarity of facial features with the other statue is also evident, confirming the inspiration from a very similar original subject.

His campaigns and tactics

His campaigns and tactics were highly successful, leading to the spread of greek culture throughout the world. Not only did he utilize the military advances his father developed to defeat the most imposing army and empire of the time, often leading assaults himself (much to the worry of his officers and troops), but he then tried to join the cultures of Greece and Persia into a greater whole. To advance this idea, he even married a woman of that eastern empire and encouraged his followers to do so as well.

He was the greatest and brightest leader. He did not only conquered all the known world (for the Greeks until that time) but he also focused on unifying them.He also used a lot of scientist during his quest including doctors engineers and many more. All together united under the commands of Alexander made the greatest empire the world has ever known in such a sort time (if we take into account the huge distances and the difficulty of transportation during that period) and by one ruler.

No other military or political leader has really had the same long time effect of his rule, making sure that Greek culture became so dominant and making sure Rome herited it. Also he is seen as a great figure not only in the “western” world, but in the middle east and India as well, and few have had as brilliant military careers as he have.

Particular of mosaic in the Casa del Fauno in Pompeii

The fame of Alexander the Great in Roman times, more than 300 years after his death, is undeniable, as evidenced by the detail of this great mosaic found in Pompeii, in the Casa del Fauno, and representing the Battle of Issus. This military battle represents the total defeat of the Persian Empire and the demise of Darius III.

A close companionship

Hunting scene with Alexander and Hephaestion

It is interesting to note the anecdote about the meeting that immediately followed the battle with Darius’ mother, Queen Sisygambis, who did not recognise Alexander in the delegation of the victorious Macedonian generals, including Hephaestion, and she hailed as the winner. Alexander, to avoid her embarrassment, told her not to worry, for both were Alexander. The bond between the two characters was indeed very strong and described by their common tutor, Aristotle, as “one soul abiding in two bodies”. The two generals had grown up together in Macedonia and had started this legendary military campaign that had saw no defeats on its unstoppable path. They were surely very close friends and possibly lovers, in a similar fashion to the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus.

Hephaestion’s death, probably for typhoid fever, while the two generals were conducting a military campaign in Persia, devastated Alexander who organised one of the most expensive funerals in history to commemorate him. The loss of his companion was followed, a few months later, by the death of Alexander himself for similar reasons, while he was preparing further military campaigns, this time to invade the Arabian peninsula.

Alexander’s cultural legacy

Alexander and Hephaestion, by Andrea Camassei

Alexander the Great’s achievements and legacy have been portrayed in many cultures over the centuries where Alexandre figured in both high and popular culture, from his time to the present day. Alexander’s personal stories, in particular, had a significant impact on representations of Alexander in later cultures, from Persian to medieval European to modern Greek. Over time, art objects related to Alexander were created. In addition to literature, sculptures and paintings, in modern times Alexandre is still the object of musical and cinematographic works. Among the most recent is the colossal feature movie directed by Oliver Stone, with Colin Farrell as the protagonist character.