Alexander the Great Essay Questions

What defined Greek culture?

1. Religion

   • Panhellenic festivals (Olympic games)

   • Panhellenic sanctuaries (Olympia & Delphi)

2. Governance: Democracy

   • Polis culture

     • No one citizen can monopolize power

     • Citizen assembly

     • Council of leading aristocrats

     • Officials served for a set period

3. Language: Greek

4. Warfare: Hoplite Warfare

5. Symposium

6. Philosophical inquiries, idea sharing, art

What defined Macedonian culture?

1. Religion: flexible? - Greek gods

2. Governance:

   1. monarchy

   2. palace-based with kings

   3. absolute power

      • Military, politics, & religion

      • Owned natural resources

   4. Aristocratic

   5. Court (special people to the king - companions)

3. Language: Macedonian language (NW dialect of Greek?)

4. Warfare: Macedonian Phalanx, sarissa, siege warfare

5. Hellenization

   • Worshipped Greek gods

   • Later emulated Greek poleis

   • Royal family more Greek

   • Symposium

6. Maleable/flexible culture

What defined Persian culture?

1. Religion: Monotheism

2. Governance: Satraps

3. Language: not Greek (administrative correspondence in Greek)

4. Warfare: archery

5. Worship of kings (proskynesis)

6. clothing (pants)

7. Religious tolerance

   • Due to them conquering many different cultures

8. How ethnicity did and did not matter at different times and places for Greek and Persian relations.

How did Greek, Macedonian, and Persian ethnicities play into Alexander’s campaign?

• appealed to different cultures to better control them and gain their support

• Symbolism and cultural appropriation

Summarize aspects of the Macedonian military

• Reforms: by Philip II improved what he learned from Thebes

  • Use of the cavalry: charged more

  • Phalanx: close formation of soldiers w/ long sarissa

  • Torsion catapults and siege warfare

• Companion cavalry:

  • attacked in wedge formation (charges) and from flanks

  • Riders had long, light double-sided spears

  • Attack on move

• Foot companions – used sarissa (c. 14-20 feet long), smaller shields

• Shield bearers – veterans on flanks, faster, shorter spears, swords

• Hammer and anvil attack

  • Formation of attacking enemy from both sides

  • Foot Companions attacked on one side

  • Cavalry came around the back and attacked from the other

Explain Alexander as a general

• Strategy & Adaptability

• One with his men: fought on front lines

• Stubborn/passionate

• Intimidation (Sack of Thebes)

• Pursued his enemies

• Surprise (Sack of Thebes)

• Established secure bases/founded cities

• Use of cavalry

What made Alexander successful in his Campaigns?

• Maintaining local systems (satraps) = stability

• Alex appealed to each culture to gain their support

• Symbolism and cultural appropriation

• Veteran troops

• received advantages from Philip II

  • siege warfare

  • Macedonian phalanx

• tolerance

• propaganda

Summarize Alexander’s use of propaganda. Give examples of Alexander’s propaganda.

• Summarize

  • adopted cultures

  • portrayal as divine

  • control of the historical record

• Oracle of Ammon: diefication

• Emulation of Zeus Ammon

• Association with homeric heroes: Achilles

• Personal historians to share his legacy

• Symbolic gestures?

• physical representations of adopting cultures (reconstructing temples/tombs)

How did Alexander promote his image to different cultures?

• Adopted local cultures and religions to portray himself in whatever way was beneficial for him

• Incorporated aspects of different cultures:

  • proskynesis

  • Persian marriages

  • Persian adornments

  • Pharaoh

• Founded cities

• Hired historians & sculptors to depict him a certain way

• Often portrayed in a divine way

• Panhellenism? - spread Greek cultures w/ images

What did Alexander do during his conquest to set up his new kingdom?

• Founded cities (to help unify his empire)

  • ports = supporting economy

• United Macedonians & Persians:

  • weddings

  • banquets

  • adopting aspects of other cultures

• Collected tribute from conquered locations to support his campaign

• Intimidation to ensure loyalty

  • killing conspirators

  • Sack of Thebes

  • mercenaries after the Battle of Granicus

• Generally kept autonomy of regions

• Kept local systems in place but placed his own men in charge (stability)

• Monetary rewards to maintain loyalty

• Religious tolerance

In what ways were his actions successful?

• Successful:

  • Founded cities were successful

  • Spread Hellenistic culture successfully

  • Keeping local systems in place ensured stability across such a vast empire

  • Stubbornness & passion = success

In what ways were his actions unsuccessful?

• Unsuccessful

  • Satraps rebelled

  • Too big: overextended

  • Mutinies & disloyalty/resistance

  • No stronger, main system in place (after his death it dissolved quickly)

  • Stubborness & passion = strained his men

  • Lacked stable governance

Thesis ideas for: Greek, Macedonian, and Persian ethnicity – what defined these different cultures and how did they play into Alexander’s campaign?

1. Greek, Macedonian and Persian ethnicity differed in many aspects, but they could all be defined by the system of governance, religion, and warfare.

   • Body 1:

     • Religion:

       • Panhellenic

       • Panhellenic adoption

       • Monotheism

     • system of governance:

       • Democracy/polis

       • Monarchy

       • Satraps

     • warfare:

       • Hoplite

       • Macedonian phalanx, siege warfare

       • archery

   • Body 2: how Alex. used them

     • Greek: hellenization

     • Macedonian: military, more loyal

     • Persian: satraps, proskynesis

Thesis ideas for: Macedonian military and Alexander as general – what made Alexander successful in his Campaigns?

1. There were many reasons why Alexander was successful in his campaigns but two of the most prominent were his use of the military and his generalship.

   • Body 1: Military/generalship

     • siege warfare

     • phalanx

     • cavalry

     • overcoming larger numbers

     • front lines

     • charging

     • motivation (visited places, bribes, speeches)

   • Body 2: Success

     • Alex appealed to each culture to gain their support

     • Symbolism and cultural appropriation

     • Strategy

     • Loyalty to his troops & goal

     • received advantages from Philip II

     • Kept local systems in place

Thesis ideas for: Alexander’s propaganda – how did Alexander promote his image to different cultures?

1. Alexander promoted his image to different cultures by adopting aspects of those cultures, often portraying himself as divine this way, and controlling the spread of information.

   • Body 1: adopting aspects & emulation

     • Greek: Zeus, Heracles, Achilles

     • Pharaoh, rebuilding structures

   • Body 2:

     • coins

     • statues

     • historians

Thesis ideas for: Alexander’s empire and its dissolution – what did Alexander do during his conquest to set up his new kingdom? In what ways were his actions successful and unsuccessful?

1. During Alexander’s campaign he

   • Body 1: Set up - Successful

     • Founded cities were successful

     • Spread Hellenistic culture successfully

     • Keeping local systems in place ensured stability across such a vast empire

     • Stubbornness & passion = success

   • Body 2: Set up - Unsuccessful

     • Satraps rebelled

     • Too big: overextended

     • Mutinies & disloyalty/resistance

     • No stronger, main system in place (after his death it dissolved quickly)

     • Stubbornness & passion = strained his men

     • Lacked stable governance