Page 118 - Western Civilization A Brief History, Volume I To 1715 9th - Jackson J. Spielvogel

Alexander and Darius at the Battle of Issus. This late second- or early first-century B.C.E. mosaic from the floor of a Roman villa at Pompeii is thought to be a copy of a panel painting made by Philoxenos of Eretria about 310 B.C.E. The mosaic depicts the battle between Alexander and Darius III, king of Persia, at Issus in 333 B.C.E. Alexander is seen at the left on horseback, recklessly leading his troops into battle. Darius is shown in his chariot, already turning around to flee from the enemy.
But how did Alexander view himself? We know that he sought to imitate Achilles, the warrior-hero of Homer’s Iliad. Alexander kept a copy of the Iliad—and a dagger—under his pillow. He also claimed to be descended from Heracles, the Greek hero who came to be worshiped as a god. No doubt, Alexander aspired to
divine honors; as pharaoh of Egypt, he became a living god according to Egyptian tradition and at one point even sent instructions to the Greek cities to “vote him a god.”
Regardless of his ideals, motives, or views about himself, one fact stands out: Alexander ushered in a new age, the Hellenistic era. The word Hellenistic is derived from a Greek word meaning “to imitate Greeks.” It is an appropriate way, then, to describe an age that saw the extension of the Greek language and ideas to the non-Greek world of the Near East. Alexander’s destruction of the Persian monarchy extended Greco-Macedonian rule over an enormous area and created opportunities for Greek engineers, intellectuals, merchants, soldiers, and administrators. While the Greeks on the mainland might remain com- mitted to the ideals of their city-states, those who fol- lowed Alexander and his successors participated in a new political unity based on the principle of monarchy.
Alexander had transformed his army from a Mace- donian force into an international one, owing loyalty only to himself. After his death, his successors used force to establish military monarchies that dominated the Hellenistic world. Autocratic power, based on mili- tary strength and pretensions of divine rule, became a regular feature of those Hellenistic monarchies and
CHRONOLOGY Macedonia and the Conquests of Alexander
Reign of Philip II
Battle of Chaeronea; Philip II conquers Greece
Reign of Alexander the Great
Alexander invades Asia; Battle of Granicus River
Battle of Issus
Battle of Gaugamela
Fall of Persepolis, the Persian capital Alexander enters India
Battle of Hydaspes River
Death of Alexander
359–336 B.C.E. 338 B.C.E.
336–323 B.C.E. 334 B.C.E.
333 B.C.E. 331 B.C.E. 330 B.C.E. 327 B.C.E. 326 B.C.E. 323 B.C.E.
80 Chapter 4
The Hellenistic World
Copyright 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples//Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY