GREAT EMPIRES OF THE PAST E MPIRE OF A LEXANDER G THE REAT Revised Edition GEofP-Alexander_FNL.indd 1 8/27/09 3:00:18 PM GREAT EMPIRES OF THE PAST Empire of Alexander the Great Empire of Ancient Egypt Empire of Ancient Greece Empire of Ancient Rome Empire of the Aztecs Empire of the Incas Empire of the Islamic World Empire of the Mongols Empires of Ancient Mesopotamia Empires of Ancient Persia Empires of Medieval West Africa Empires of the Maya GEofP-Alexander_final.indd 2 8/19/09 7:26:59 AM GR E AT E M PI R E S OF T H E PA ST E MPIRE OF A LEXANDER G THE REAT Revised Edition D S & P D EBRA KELTON AMELA ELL JOHN W. I. LEE, HISTORICAL CONSULTANT GEofP-Alexander_final.indd 3 8/19/09 7:27:02 AM Great Empires of the Past: Empire of Alexander the Great Copyright © 2009 Debra Skelton & Pamela Dell All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, contact: Chelsea House An imprint of Infobase Publishing 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Skelton, Debra Empire of Alexander the Great / Debra Skelton & Pamela Dell. — Rev. ed. p. cm. — (Great empires of the past) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-60413-162-8 (hardcover) ISBN 978-1-4381-2782-8 (e-book) 1. Greece—History—Macedonian Expansion, 359-323 B.C. 2. Alexander, the Great, 356-323 B.C. I. Dell, Pamela. II. Title. III. Series. DT234.S58 2009 938'.07—dc22 2009005723 Chelsea House books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quantities for businesses, associations, institutions, or sales promotions. 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C ONTENTS Introduction 7 PART I HISTORY CHAPTER 1 Th e Beginning of Alexander’s Empire 19 CHAPTER 2 Th e Empire at Its Largest 37 CHAPTER 3 Final Years of the Empire 55 PART II SOCIETY AND CULTURE CHAPTER 4 Society in Alexander’s Empire 73 CHAPTER 5 Living in Alexander’s Empire 89 CHAPTER 6 Art, Science, and Culture Across the Empire 109 Epilogue 127 Time Line 137 Glossary 138 Bibliography 140 Further Resources 142 Picture Credits 145 Index 146 About the Author 152 5 GEofP-Alexander_FNL.indd 5 8/27/09 3:00:25 PM GEofP-Alexander_final.indd 6 8/19/09 7:27:20 AM I NTRODUCTION IN 336 b.c.e., A PROUD, INTELLIGENT, AND SUPREMELY OPPOSITe ambitious young man rose to become king of Macedon, which is a king- This is Alexander dom on the northern border of modern-day Greece. He was only 20 the Great as British artist James Sherwood years old and already wanted to take over the mighty Persian Empire to Westmacott imagined the east. He accomplished this feat and much more, despite the wealth, him in 1863. Alexander’s power, and military strength of his opponents. And he did it in just legendary life has inspired under 12 years. This illustrates his extraordinary gifts as a leader and artists and writers for military strategist (a person who sets strategy). It has also kept his name thousands of years. at the top of the list of legendary “action figures” even into the 21st century, more than 2,300 years later. He is still known throughout the world as Alexander the Great. BoRn to gReAtness Alexander III of Macedon (356–323 b.c.e.) was the son of King Philip II of Macedon (382–336 b.c.e.) and Olympias of Epirus (ca. 376–316 b.c.e.) (Epirus is in what is now northwestern Greece and southern Albania), daughter of King Neoptolemus I. Alexander’s birth was accompanied by various unusual events. One of these was the burning down of the Temple of Artemis, the goddess of the wilderness, wild animals, and the hunt. Soothsayers (those who foretold the future based on signs) consulted by King Philip predicted that these events indicated his son’s great destiny. Whether or not the prophecies were legitimate, the fact remains that Alexander became the most successful warrior in the history of the world. 7 GEofP-Alexander_final.indd 7 8/19/09 7:27:28 AM EmpirE of alExandEr thE grEat Philip II, king of Macedon, was an aggressive leader who set a bold example for his son, Alexander. From the age of 20 until his death at only 32, Alexander and his armies swept across a vast region that included Persia, Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt. He traveled thousands of miles with his army. Ulti- mately, he ruled an empire that stretched approximately 2 million square miles over three continents. In his conquest of the world he knew he overcame armies far more powerful than his by being smarter, more resourceful, and more determined than his enemies. He also changed history by introducing Greek culture into Egypt and Asia. The spread of Greek government, language, art, and ideas laid the ground- work for civilizations that continue to this day.  GEofP-Alexander_final.indd 8 8/19/09 7:27:31 AM introduction After Alexander’s death, CONNECTIONS his huge empire quickly fell What Are Connections? apart, but his legendary status increased as tales of his deeds throughout this book, and all the books in the great were told, passed down, and Empires of the past series, there are Connections boxes. retold. His life was instruc- they point out ideas, inventions, art, food, customs, and tional for many other great con- more from this empire that are still part of the world today. querors and rulers, including nations and cultures in remote history can seem far away Julius Caesar, Queen Cleopatra from the present day, but these connections demonstrate VII, and Napoleon Bonaparte. how our everyday lives have been shaped by the peoples The young prince had the of the past. best possible background for someone with great ambitions. King Philip II was an aggres- sive leader who set an example for his son by conquering neighboring lands when Alexander was just an infant. Alexander spent much of his childhood among the soldiers of his father’s army. Philip was also a great diplomat. He married seven times, and each new marriage made a new alliance with his neighbors. Another important influence on the young prince was his teacher Aristotle (384–322 b.c.e.), one of the greatest Greek philosophers ever to have lived. Aristotle, who wrote or edited several hundred books, taught the young prince geography, botany (the study of plants), zool- ogy (the study of animals), logic (the study of the rules and tests of sound reasoning), and many other subjects. gReek disunity The Greeks were renowned as statesmen, philosophers, builders, poets, dramatists, and sculptors. But Alexander grew up just as the Greeks were experiencing a period of disunity. At the time, Greece was divided into many separate city-states (a city and its surrounding farms that functions as a separate nation). Each city-state had its own army. Some of them relied on mercenaries (paid soldiers) for protection. The main city-states, Athens and Sparta, increasingly fought among themselves for dominance. They also pulled various other city-states into alliances with them. The Peloponnesian War began between Athens and Sparta in 431 b.c.e. Eventually it involved almost all of Greece. When it finally ended in 404 b.c.e., Greece was greatly weakened. 9 GEofP-Alexander_final.indd 9 8/19/09 7:27:32 AM