Alexander came of age just after the so-called Golden Age of Greek civilization, which was at its height between 500 and 400 b. c.e. The Greeks were renowned as statesmen, philosophers, builders, poets, dramatists, and sculptors.
But by the time Alexander was born, Greek civilization had begun to decline. Even so, the Greeks were justifiably proud of their knowledge, language, and refinement, and their customs and ideas still had powerful influence in the world. They thought very highly of themselves-and not so highly of their neighbors to the north, the Macedonians. In fact, although the Macedonian kings claimed that the royal family was descended from the Greek heroes Heracles and Achilles, for the most part the Greeks considered the Macedonians to be uncivilized barbarians living on the fringes of Greece. But these tough frontiersmen became effective soldiers under the leadership of Philip II.
Ancient Super Heroes
Alexander and his friends did not have any comic books, television, or movies, but they did have super heroes. They read the accounts of their heroes' brave deeds primarily in The Iliad, an epic poem written by Greek poet Homer centuries before Alexander's birth. (The dates of Homer's life are not known, but he lived in the ninth or eighth century B. C.E.) In that book, Homer tells the exciting story of the Greeks' siege of Troy and the beautiful Helen, who inspired that battle, the legendary Trojan War.
The battles of great warriors and princes such as Achilles, Hector, Paris, and others, many of whom were believed to be descended directly from the Greek gods, may have inspired Alexander. In fact, the young king loved The Iliad so much that he memorized most of its 16,000 lines and used these super warriors as role models for his own life and values. He even slept with a copy of The Iliad under his pillow—right next to his dagger.
At the time, Greece was divided into many separate city-states, each of which had its own army.
Some of them relied on mercenaries (paid soldiers) for protection. The city-states often fought among themselves. Philip took advantage of this disunity by taking control of the Greek city-states one by one, through a combination of diplomacy and force. Eventually, Philip’s
Success transformed the minor kingdom of Macedonia into a dominant power that ruled all of Greece. His son later surpassed this surprising military and political achievement by making Macedonia, for a brief time, the most powerful kingdom in the world.
World History
