Alexander III of Macedon, better known as Alexander the Great, conquered most of the known world at his time with an undefeated record. Alexander created the path for many future leaders through his display of unrivaled leadership, military strategy, and compassion for his people. Alexander the Great unquestionably earned and practically embodied his title of “the Great” through his conquest and cultural diffusion that far exceeded the controversy of his ruthless methods, planting his name as a figure of historical greatness. 

In my opinion, the title “Great” is describing the traits of a conqueror, not one’s morality. A conqueror by definition from the Merriam-Webster dictionary is, “one who wins a country in war, subdues or subjugates a people, or overcomes an adversary,” and Alexander the Great did just that. He did what was necessary to achieve his goals, controversial or not. Unlike most conquerors, Alexander was actually caring to his military and actually forced them to stop advancing and to rest. In the meantime, he would ride around on his horse and personally check on all of his men to see if they were in good health and fit to fight more. In conclusion, this unquestionably proves Alexander’s suitability for the title of “Great.”

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ALEXANDER THE GREAT Examining if Alexander was really “Great” Christian Barravecchio March 15th, 2023 1 Alexander III of Macedon, better known as Alexander the Great, conquered most of the known world at his time and was viewed as a demigod. Alexander created the path for many future leaders and showed how one should lead and unify an empire. He displayed unrivaled leadership, military strategy, and compassion for his people and achieved numerous extraordinary feats. Alexander the Great unquestionably earned his title of “the Great” through his conquest and cultural diffusion that far exceeded the controversy of his ruthless methods, planting his name as a figure of historical greatness. Alexander the Great perfectly depicted and practically embodied the title of “Great” through his numerous, legendary feats of conquest and worldwide known status. Furthermore, Alexander the Great showed his greatness by leveraging cultural diffusion to unify his people into a single massive empire. Alexander “the Great” was great because of his numerous conquests, impressive undefeated record, and how renowned and well-known he was worldwide at his time. Alexander the Great was an extremely successful military leader through his many years and many battles; He was a military machine.1 Throughout Alexander the Great’s entire military life, he was unbeatable and conquered everything and anything he wanted. At his time, people considered him a demigod, and he carried a copy of Homer’s Iliad and followed in the footsteps of the legendary hero Achilles. The art of war was ever changed when Alexander stepped on the battlefield using highly advanced and innovative tactical strategies to defeat his enemies with ease. Unlike the conqueror that comes to mind, a ruthless, barbaric, bloodthirsty man, Alexander was strategic and cared about his men. He would force them to rest and ride around them on his horse to check on them.2Alexander the Great gained an advantage in battle by using multiple 2 Arrien, Alexander the Great: The ‘Anabasis’ and the ‘Indica, trans. Martin Hammond (Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, 2013), [Page 290]. 1 Brooke Allen, “Alexander the Great: Or the Terrible?,” The Hudson Review 58, no. 2 (2005): [Page 9], JSTOR. 2. Allen, “Alexander the Great,” [Page 8]. 2 arrays of soldiers and flanking with various units. In one famous battle against Porus and his men, Alexander took his cavalry to various points and made noises of men ready to fight, causing Porus and his army to exhaust themselves from defending against seemingly nothing. Seizing the opportunity, Alexander and his army crossed the river and caught Porus’ forces off guard, leaving them no time to react and prepare. Alexander finished the battle by circling the army with cavalry and infantry locking shields.3 In an ink drawing, it shows the scene of a physician, Philip, giving Alexander a medicinal drink who had received a letter from a general that Philip may have been trying to poison Alexander. 4 Alexander shows his trust and drinks the medicine. The image depicts Alexander as a massive man with bulging muscles and a physique that is that of a god. Alexander deserved the title “Great” because of his legendary conquests, care for his people, and strategic mind. He listened to and trusted his people greatly, leading them like they were family. As he conquered, this “family” grew and united the unique regions he conquered through cultural diffusion. Alexander the Great displayed greatness by unifying and administering his people of various conquered regions and traditions through cultural diffusion. Alexander adopted the strategy of cultural diffusion to manage and unite the people he ruled over. Alexander the Great was a political leader whose main goal was to expand his empire, unite his empire, and create a Hellenistic civilization.5 Mandated by his Macedonian armed forces, he created unification 5 Monica Aneni O, “Cultural Diffusion and the Unification Policies of Alexander the Great,” Cultural Diffusion and the Unification Policies of Alexander the Great, November 2018, 8, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328930282_Cultural_Diffusion_and_the_Unification_ Policies_of_Alexander_the_Great. 4 Giuseppe Cades, 1750-1799., “Alexander the Great Demonstrating His Trust in Philip, His Physician, by Drinking a Medicinal Draught Prepared by Him after Receiving a Letter from General Parmenio Suggesting That Philip Is Poisoning Him. Pen Drawing Attributed to an Artist in the Circle of G. Cades.,” JSTOR, https://jstor.org/stable/community.24840652. 3 “Lucius Flavius Arrianus, The Campaigns of Alexander, citca 130 CE.,” abstract, The Campaigns of Alexander. 3 policies. Even though Alexander had the greatest army then, his military tactics were strategic in that they could take in the people and join them in his empire. After winning a war, Alexander the Great focused on the stability and development of his regions, religious freedom, and economic growth. The stability of his empire was vital as it kept chaos and rebellions at a low once Alexander and his army left the area. Alexander also founded many cities explicitly created to foster economic, political, and social development. The goal was to create a hybrid empire of various cultures, traditions, religions, and anything else that defined its people. Alexander the Great had great political organization, which was as important as stability. After conquering a region, Alexander maintained its political structure as much as possible, commonly keeping the region’s leaders in their position but having them swear an oath of loyalty and allegiance to his empire. He also pursued reforms, cemented favorable political conditions through marriage, and sometimes destroyed cities as an example for others. Understanding the massive role that religion played in the lives of man, Alexander strived to conciliate the conquered lands and their religious beliefs. Instead of destroying temples like other conquerors, Alexander the Great paid respect and reverence to their gods and associated himself with them and their culture.6 Unifying the conquered land was simple for him. His lack of ideology made him open to associating with and learning about any culture, tradition, belief, or anything the conquered people took pride in. All of these traits, practices, and feats show how the countless actions he performed pushed the world forward and for how deserving Alexander is of his title “Great.” 6 Aneni, “Cultural Diffusion and the Unification Policies of Alexander the Great.” 4 Bibliography Allen, Brooke. “Alexander the Great: Or the Terrible?” The Hudson Review 58, no. 2 (2005): 220-30. JSTOR. Aneni, Monica. (2018). Cultural Diffusion and the Unification Policies of Alexander the Great. African Research Review. 12. 10.4314/afrrev.v12i4.7. Arrien. Alexander the Great: The ‘Anabasis’ and the ‘Indica. Translated by Martin Hammond. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, 2013. https://ia601305.us.archive.org/2/items/cu31924026460752/cu31924026460752.pdf Cades, Giuseppe, 1750-1799. “Alexander the Great Demonstrating His Trust in Philip, His Physician, by Drinking a Medicinal Draught Prepared by Him after Receiving a Letter from General Parmenio Suggesting That Philip Is Poisoning Him. Pen Drawing Attributed to an Artist in the Circle of G. Cades.” JSTOR. https://jstor.org/stable/community.24840652. “Lucius Flavius Arrianus, The Campaigns of Alexander, citca 130 CE.” Abstract. The Campaigns of Alexander.