Alexander's Legacy

I finished In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great this morning, and am starting The Romans For Dummies.  The ending didn't quite fulfill the intensity of the rest of the book.  You had to draw a lot of the conclusions yourself, which is fine for me in school on a history test, but that's too much work for me if I'm reading a book for pleasure.  It left you with a couple questions at end that were pretty interesting to think about though!  The final section (besides the epilogue) was subtitled "WHAT IF HE HAD LIVED?".

There had been talk of Alexander returning to India to try and continue his journey to the ends of the Earth (sorry, but (Captain) Jack beat you to it!  =P) and the Eastern Ocean.  There was also some talk about going west, perhaps even circumnavigating the British Isles!  Well, apparently a document was uncovered, probably written by the king's secretary, Eumenes, all of which was going to be the territory of the empire Alexander had planned on epic proportions.  He probably would've succeeded too, had it not been for his U-turn in India and his bout of fever (most likely due to his excessive drinking (notice what I'm hearing)) in Babylon.

It was his mindset to lead a campaign to Carthage, North Africa, and west of the Mediterranean to Rome and beyond!  There were cities left to found!  There were six gigantic building projects to complete, one of which was a pyramid, greater than the Great Pyramid itself, to house his father Phillip, his greatest rival.  He believed his father was jealous of him, who he believed took credit for his achievements, and who he believed bore him the greatest of ill-wills.  In his final hour, it appears he'd finally realized his erroneus ways.

Alexander was an alcoholic and manic-depressant and sociology is befuddling even to the psychologists of today!  The concept of his own greatness became an obsession to him!  He wanted not only to surpass the glory of all of his predecessors, but also to leave them without a doubt that no one shall ever equal him!

"And, with the man-power and resources of Asia behind him, Alexander could well have succeeded" - In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great

If Alexander had known of the Chinese civilization, there's no doubt that he'd have intent to unite them into his empire comprised of the entirety of the Old World, stretching fromEngland to Oriental shores of the Pacific, and perhaps further!  To Alexander, there was no limit to the possibilities!

The two largest religions of the present day, Christianity followed by Islam, would blossom in the Hellenistic world, and be subject to the fusion of allthe cultures that Alexander's empire was composed of, giving them a unity that preceeding worships had lacked.  The melting-pot quality of these faiths, especially concerning Christianity, is what makes it so agreeable with society in America today.  Their diversity make them acceptable to many parties, which is undoubtably one of the key reasons they have been so successful.

So what if he had lived, and continued on with his dreams?  Would the rest of to-be-conquered world fall into place with the others, making an even greater blend of cultures?  If you think our mix today is grand, thinking about what it could've been is incredible!

If ever there was a credo for Alexander, (in my opinion) it would be this,

"If they ever tell my story, let them say I walked with giants. Men rise and fall like the winter wheat, but these names will never die"

I think I'm suffering from Mad Cow Disease.  I've been forgetting things, and I can't remember whether that quote is from The Odyssey or The Iliad.  Please help!

Tags: Life, History, Culture, Books, Heroes, Religion, Mythology