Alexander

’s Conquests Essay, Research Paper

The Conquests of Alexander the Great

by

Michael Janusa

Mark D. Kuss

Western Civilization Class Rm 16

April 10, 1999

Alexander was the son of King Philip II of Macedonia born approximately on July

20th in 356 BC. His mother was Olympias, a young princess from Epirus. Alexander was

a remarkable person who loved to recite Homeric poetry. At age fourteen his father sent

him to study science, mathematics, and philosophy with Aristotle of Stagira. Alexander

looked up to Aristotle ‘like a father’, and it can later be seen that Aristotle gave

Alexander the knowledge it took to be one of the greatest rulers in history. Alexander was

a man of extremes and contradictions. At times he would have intense spurts of energy

and then long sulks. He showed extreme generosity and at the same time murderous

cruelty against former friends. One would guess given common knowledge that his

insecurities most likely were originated in his childhood; perhaps the relationship with his

father. 1

After the assassination of his father, King Philip II, Alexander was in direct line to

take over as ruler. Alexander was to go down in history as the “father of the Hellenic

world”, “the unopposed leader of the Greek world”, and last but not least “the Great”, a

title given for his numerous victories.

The mobile elite was Alexander’s Companion Cavalry consisting primarily of the

cream of the Macedonian aristocracy. The backbone of the army was the phalanx.2 The

phalanx was six infantry brigades, capable of fighting a compilation of different types of

warfare, but specializing in set-piece battle in an eight-deep hedgehog formation with five

and a half meter-long spears. The phalanx was the main weapon of warfare; yet, there

were also specialist units: skirmishers, archers, and light infantry with mountain training.

There were also units comprised of non-Macedonian Greeks whom, fighting for

Alexander, helped justify Alexander’s claim to be the “General in Chief of the army of

Hellenes”. 3

Alexander’s Army also had very important back-up units. These units carried a

siege train consisting of mobile siege towers, stone-throwing catapults, and javelin

throwers. Also comprised in the back-up units were engineers, bridge-builders, sappers,

and surveyors. To further insure a well developed army there needed to be non-combatant

personnel as well. They comprised of doctors, scientists, botanists, astronomers,

philosophers, seers, and an official historian record all of the conquests. With this unified

and flawless army Alexander would be able to conquer many lands with great speed and

diligence.

In the same aspect that most of our armies of today say prayers for a victory in

battle so was Alexander’s belief that a homage must be paid to a god for good luck. In the

beginning of his journey, Alexander rode up to the city of Troy where he entered the

archaic temple of the goddess Athena. Here he made a promise that if successful, he

would return to little Ilion and build a gigantic temple to Trojan Athene in gratitude for

her help. This visit would give him the additional benefit of the spirits of the Ancients in

his later conquests of Asia.4

Alexander and his army swiftly marched the plains along the Sea of Marmara. At

the same time Darius, the King of Persia, was busily setting traps in plans to stop the

pursuit of Alexander’s army. Darius had a plan to stop them, he would station several

thousand Greek mercenaries near the Dardanelles. The Persian army had vast resources

and great gold reserves to hire army after army to defeat Alexander’s pursuit. The leader

of the Greek mercenaries, Memnon of Rhodes, decided to burn the countryside to cut off

Alexander’s supplies. The Persian leaders decided against this idea and decided to fight

instead.

At dusk, Alexander approached the river in battle formation. On the opposite side

were the Persians lining the bank ten thousand strong. The Persian plan was just to hold

Alexander off and prevent him from crossing the river. Alexander’s senior general

Parmenio counseled Alexander that they should hold off until the time was right.

Alexander refused and within minutes the blaring trumpets roared as they marched on

into battle. Alexander launched a small attack of fifteen-hundred men to make the

Persians believe the real battle had started. They fell for it and soon the Persians had lost

the majority of their men along the banks. Alexander then proceeded in sending in his

elite cavalry squadrons down into the river and across into the face of his enemies.

Several of the Persian officers tried to kill Alexander himself, in the attempt eight were

killed, including Darius’s son-in-law.

The Greek mercenaries, meanwhile, who were among the Persian’s best troops

watched the battle at the river Granicus. The Persian cavalry retrea

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