Alexander the Great’s Conquest of Persian Empire

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Explain the rise of Alexander the Great and the importance of his conquest of the Persian Empire and lands further east

Before the rise of Alexander the Great, Athens and Greek city-states practiced a form of democracy and strongly defended it. The people held the power and rulers were elected and respected. The Greeks sought to obey the law and rightful rulers while defending the oppressed (Thucydides, 2010). This occurred after a time period between 650-550BCE when the region experienced the rise of Hellenic tyranny.

The population was heavily divided into socio-economic classes and city-states were warring, both due to internal politics and amongst each other (Ancient History Sourcebook, n.d.). Alexander’s father, Phillip II of Macedon, had been able to establish a foothold in Northern Greece, including control of non-Greek populations and stability of resources.

After Phillip’s mysterious death, Alexander, who was his controversial heir, began a rapid acquisition of power and further dominance of Greece as he commanded his military to overtake any city states that chose to revolt during the transition of power. After establishing the command of Greece in three short weeks, Alexander the Great had the resources and opportunity to expand the conquest into Persia. The troops originally sent by Phillip II were struggling as Persia regained control of its empire. The conquest of the Persian Empire was important as it helped cement Alexander’s power and legacy while providing significant lands and resources for the newly established Macedonian empire.

Alexander was not satisfied and despite his general’s recommendations pushed further with his conquests, capturing lands as far north as Thrace, North Africa, and extended east to parts of India, reaching the Indus river. His ambition was to reach the Pacific or Indian ocean, which led to his invasion of India. However, it also created certain challenges as the empire became overextended, Alexander became self-absorbed and unbalanced in his conquests, and there were deeply rooted tensions among his military commanders and their relationship with Alexander (Freeman, 2014). It can be argued that although the Persian conquest was important for the expansion and strength of the Macedonian Empire, it also led the downfall of Alexander the Great.

Describe the impact his death had on his empire

When Alexander the Great died a sudden death in 323 B.C., one of the largest empires was left leaderless and unbalanced. The empire consisted of not just lands and wealth but had become the definition and legacy of Hellenic civilization. The Greek world underwent a social and political transformation as the previous polis system was no longer relevant as a system of governance since cities became interconnected cultural centers rather than sovereign states. Greeks who had been previously isolated were now heavily interconnected with non-Greek cultures. The death of Alexander the Great shook the empire, beginning the process of the division and undoing of his legacy as many of the conquered regions saw opportunities to relinquish the Hellenistic rule (Green, 2013).

The Macedonian empire created as a result of Alexander’s conquests was a personal mission and failed to achieve proper integration of cultures that Alexander envisioned. This is partially because he had alienated himself from so many, including the Greeks, and failed to establish a proper system of governance. There was no immediate successor to leadership either, creating a vacuum of power left behind. Alexander’s family was not in contention and the power struggle began among various of Alexander’s top generals and local governors who sought to consolidate their rule in their local regions.

These included Perdicas, a senior cavalry officer, Antigonus, satrap of Phrygia, Seleucus, an elite regiment commander, and Ptolemy, a governor of Egypt. Each proclaimed their rightful place as ruler and began individual attempts to gain control of the empire, mostly failing to do so. This period is also characterized by numerous large battles that the remnants of Alexander’s military faced led by generals fighting for control of the empire amongst each other (Freeman, 2014).

Explain the final outcome of the division of Alexander’s empire

The Hellenistic age which began after the death of Alexander was a period of monarchies as various kingdoms appeared in the expanded Graeco-Macedonian world. A Hellenistic monarch was usually a military commander, leading the remnants of Alexander’s large army. The division of Alexander’s empire split four ways. Lysimachus ruled Thrace and a significant portion of Asia Minor. Cassander took control of mainland Macedonia and Greece.

Ptolemy I established himself in Egypt, also taking control of Cyprus and Palestine as well as establishing a famous Ptolemaic Dynasty. Finally, Seleucus I ruled the rest of Asia that was left of Alexander’s conquests, founding the Seleucid Empire which included Mesopotamia, Persia, and parts of India (Freeman, 2014).

Despite the generals initially warring with each other in major conflicts such as the Diadochi Wars, things began to stabilize as each monarchy established the Hellenistic presence in their respective regions. Ptolemy I was the most successful in reestablishing the power of Hellenic influence in his region of control, attempting to implement Alexander’s vision of a multicultural world. He combined Hellenic and Egyptian cultures, religions, and thirst for knowledge building great world wonders such as the Great Library and Lighthouse of Alexandria.

Meanwhile, other generals also spread Greek culture into Persia and Asia as Greek literature and through found its way into ancient texts and religious scripture of Judaism and Christianity. There is also evidence of Hellenic architecture, statues, language, and even artifacts such as coins found throughout Asia and Asia minor during the Hellenistic Age (Mark, 2018).

This division lasted for almost two centuries until the rise of the Roman Empire, who although borrowed significant amounts of influence from the Greeks, were not as tolerant of local cultures, attempting to suppress them during the conquests of many of the same areas where the Macedonian Empire once stretched.

References

Ancient History Sourcebook. (n.d.). Documents of the rise of Hellenic tyranny, c. 650-550 BCE: Corinth and Athens. Web.

Green, P. Alexander of Macedon 356-323 B.C.: A historical biography (1st ed.). Berkley, CA: University of California Press.

Freeman, C. (2014). Egypt, Greece and Rome: Civilizations of the ancient Mediterranean (3nd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Mark, J. J. (2018). The Hellenistic world: The world of Alexander the Great. Web.

Thucydides. (2010). 430 BC: Athens: Thucydides defines a polis. Lapham’s Quarterly, 3(4), 132-134.

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Alexander the Great’s Conquest of Persian Empire

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