Announcements Today s film clip: Alexander (2004) Ptolemy, one of Alexander s soldiers 40 years earlier, reflects to his students in Alexandria, Egypt, on Alexander of Macedon s legacy Alexander the Great & the Hellenistic World Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Μέγας 1
Alexander & Hellenistic World I. Alexander of Macedon II. Hellenistic World: political, social, cultural III. Hellenic vs. Hellenistic Alexander of Macedon Born 356 BC to King Philip of Macedon Tutored by Aristotle Cavalry chieftain at age 18 King at age 20 Rules 336-323 BC Dies 323 BC, age 33 Myth vs. Reality? Alexander s birth and boyhood (15th C. illuminated mss.) Alexandrian Legends: -Birth -Bucephalus - Gordian Knot 2
15 th c. illum. Mss. in Budapest; Legend of Alexander by Curtius Ruffilus (1 st c. AD Roman writer) More Legends of Alexander 16 th c. military treatise shows Alexander handing a sword to Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden Alexander s route 3
Battle of Issus (vs. Persians) Battle of Issus, 333 BC Asynchronous Troop numbers: 250,000 Persians vs. 40,000 Macedonians Yet Alexander s strategy forces Darius to flee, and causes 50,000 Persian deaths vs. 500 Macedonians. Similar results at Gaugamela (332) and Arbela (331), thus crushing the Persian Empire forever. 4
Why was Alexander so successful? Disciplined troops Well-paid, year-round Innovative strategy Sarissa & heavy infantry Companions (cavalry) & flanking maneuvers Light infantry w/ archers, slingers, pikemen; = hinge Ballistae & catapaults Battlefield adaptation Fusion & alliances instead of domination More details at http://www.nrotc.net/310/3.ppt#302,1,alexander and the Macedonian System Macedonian Phalanx w/ Sarissas 5
Alexander the Great He had great personal beauty, invincible power of endurance, and a keen intellect; he was brave and adventurous, hungry for fame Noble indeed was his power of inspiring his men. Arrian, Campaigns of Alexander, 2 nd c. AD See Noble, p. 110 for full text Significance of Alexander Hellenistic fusion b/w E. & W. E.g., Rosetta Stone, Plenis (p. 113, 118), Koine Lavish, centralized monarchies; courtly societies > public Urbanization Military developments and strategy; extent of conquest Legend of kingship in later centuries Alexander in the Modern World? Perhaps the greatest military strategist, tactician, and ruler in history, Alexander the Great has been an enduring influence on world business and military leaders for thousands of years. Ted Turner keeps a bust of him in his office. General Norman Schwarzkopf credits his brilliant tactical strategies as the inspiration for his troops' approach to Desert Storm, including the "Hail Mary" flanking move that inflicted the final defeat on Saddam Hussein's Iraqi army. His innovative strategies and winning philosophies (Aristotle was his mentor) are as relevant today as they were in 330 B.C. Learn how he, and you, can: o Build a successful organization o Establish visionary leadership o Create a winning philosophy o Motivate others o Overcome seemingly impossible odds o Become an expert in the element of surprise o Prepare for the unexpected 6
Political Federalism, decline of democracy Economic Expansion, trade, inflation, slavery Social Cultural medicine Hellenistic World Hellenistic fusion in art Evolution of Architecture http://www.urtonart.com/history/ancient/greece.htm Doric column Ionic style Corinthian style (Hellenistic) 7
Evolution of sculpture Archaic Classical (Aphrodite) Late Classical (Amazon) Hellenistic Hellenistic sculpture Lack of idealism Restlessness & tension Innovative groupings More emotion (pain, anger, jealousy) More realism, and exaggeration Laocoon Hellenic male statues, homoerotic sculpture farmer/citizen warrior (male) Greece = center poleis w/ republics; national/regional Greeks and barbaros, ostracism public life (agora, acropolis); rhetoric balance, golden mean idealism Question: Which tradition will Rome adopt? Hellenistic females depicted, strong queens any subject loyal to monarch Anatolia / Egypt = center kingdoms and empires w/ monarchs; int l fusion of East and West, migration private life (palace); prayer/meditation tension, restlessness Question: Which tradition dominates W. C.? 8