Instructor: Doctor Thomson

Student: Mugeeth Mousawi

Date: Sunday, May 29th, 2016
Assignment: Nano-History

Philip II, Olympia, Alexander the Great and Aristotle

Alexander III of Macedon, also known as Alexander the Great, was the greatest
leader of his day. He was born to king Philip II and queen Olympias in the year 356 B.C.
King Philip and queen Olympia ruled over the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. And
in turn, Alexander was the successor and ruled over the Ancient Greek kingdom of
Macedon and was a member of the Argead dynasty. Although he only ruled for 14 years,
dying at the age of 32 from malaria (some argue that he was poisoned), he is still talked
about today as one of the most powerful rulers of all time. Alexander believed that he was
superhuman and destined for greatness from his moment of conception. This may have
been fabricated as well to get people to adhere to whatever he said. He believed a story,
which was passed on, that his father was about to take over the city of Potidea on the
peninsula of Chalcidice, but Olympias was in labor with Alexander and the king held off
the siege just because of Alexander's birth. Because kings did not do this regularly, this
led to the pious belief that he was more than human.
Aristotle tutored Alexander from 343 B.C. on; this undoubtedly had a great
impact on Alexander's life. And conversely being Alexander the Great's tutor, this brought
about many opportunities for Aristotle, also many supplies. One such opportunity was

that Aristotle was able to open up a library in the Lyceum, which brought about the
production of many books and school of thought. Aristotle was a pupil of Plato and had
many other pupils under him, but none as important as Alexander the Great.
Alexander's father, Philip II, was assassinated in 336 B.C. He had begun invading
Persia before his passing but Alexander continued his mission and was victorious. After
the death of his father, Alexander strengthened and improved the pre-dominant army that
was inherited by from his father. By adding on allied forces he further strengthened the
army, employed weapons specialists (to improve their weaponry), and also employed
engineers. This strategic move, on Alexander's behalf, made Alexander and his army
invincible war machines.
Alexander's most notable historical achievement was indeed the defeat of the
Persian Empire that removed a bloc. This bloc held back the spread of Greeks settling
into the East. It is also implied that this defeat of the Persian Empire helped to promote
the policy of Hellenization. The Hellenizations were Dynasties formed after Alexanders
passing which spread the ancient, Greek culture, language, and bringing those areas that
were conquered under Greek influence. Alexander's empire (at the peak of his reign)
stretched from the Adriatic Sea to the Indus River. This was about 3,000 miles east to
west and about 1,500 miles north to south. Alexanders notability was to such a degree in
the world during this time, that even after his death he had about 20 cities named after
him; the most famous being Alexandria in Egypt.
There were other worthy successions made by Alexander. During the famed king
Darius' reign, Alexander decided to take over king Darius' land, Persia. Alexander chases
king Darius into Media, then Parthia, and was finally captured and stabbed to death.

Darius' empire, the Archaemenid Empire, was now under the rule of Alexander.
Most warriors in battle like to strike first and ask questions later, but not
Alexander. He was very strategic when it came to conquering areas in the world he knew
then. For example, Alexander plotted Asia's demise for almost two years. His strategies
paid off as he was able to dismantle the western sections of the Persian Empire and
eventually Mesopotamia and the Iranian plateau. Alexander's plan was to reach the ends
of the world and the Great Outer Sea. But he never did make it that far. He invaded India
in 326 B.C., but was forced to turn back as his troops would march no further.
Though Alexander was undefeated, he still faced problems; three (actually are
documented) to be exact. As he and his army marched along the Indian frontier, his
officers decided they would not march any farther east than they had already gone.
Another setback he faced was after his return to Babylonia, his Macedonian troops turned
against him, because they did not wont to integrate Asian troops within the ranks. Lastly,
Alexander faced a horrific loss of army men in the Makran desert, upon their return from
India to the Persian Gulf due to a lack of water and food. This great loss was more than
Alexander had faced during any battle in the young man's life.
Alexander died in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II in Babylon in 323 B.C., this
was the city that he dreamed of making his capital. His dream never became a reality,
rather, he faced his fate in the great city of Babylon. His death was not believed by
anyone. Everyone in the world knew of him and thought it was impossible that anyone as
great as Alexander could ever die. A quote by an Athenian orator who was told of
Alexander's untimely death:
What? Alexander dead? Impossible! The world would reek of his corpse!

Alexander was undoubtedly hated, had many enemies, and many that wished for his
death, but there is no denying that Alexander was a conqueror among men, a champion, a
strategic warrior, and the world has never seen anyone like him before or since his reign.
His greatness and fame undoubtedly came from his Instructor Aristotle. He
seemingly constructed a perception that built him up to possess heroism. Even in
contemporary societies there are uplifting epithets being said about his character by many
scholars and thinkers. His father also helped make him great, as he built up the army
before his death, but ultimately, Alexander's cunning, wit, strategic thinking, and the
building of a better army came from his brilliant teacher. Aristotle already had a name for
himself before he became Alexander's teacher, which is why Alexander's father employed
him to teach his son. Not everyone is considered smart enough or skilled enough to teach
the child of a king, but Aristotle was, and by teaching the conqueror of the world,
Aristotle's name is still known today, along with Alexander's. Two famous men, one
mission, and they succeeded, and Alexander became Great.

Work Cited and Endnotes

1) "Alexander the Great." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 29 May 2016.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_the_Great
Read the fist paragraph for more details overview on Alexander
personal life and the battles that related to his time. And way below on
the site describes his childhood life.
2) History.com Staff. "Alexander the Great." History.com. A&E Television
Networks, 2009. Web. 29 May 2016.
http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/alexander-the-great
Read the second paragraph to learn about Alexander battle innovations.
A more detailed understanding on how the technology in battle
essentially aided in the construction of his triumphing history
3) "Philip II of Macedon." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 29 May 2016.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_II_of_Macedon
This website lays out a closer look at Philips success, assassination, and
his marriages.
4) "Aristotle." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 29 May 2016.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristotle
You will find a detailed overview of Aristotle and the knowledge he
possessed on this link. In addition, how Aristotle was affected by
teaching Alexander the great.