Today I want to introduce you to a very powerful and influential figure in history. His name is Alexander the Great. (I bet you’ve heard of him!) Alexander the Great conquered and Hellenized much of the ancient world. Let’s look more closely at how he earned his “great” reputation, which wasn’t necessarily that great at all!
Alexander’s father (Philip II of Macedonia) arranged for his son to be personally tutored by Aristotle, as in “the” Aristotle, a Greek philosopher of ancient times. The private tutor must have been worthwhile, for young Alexander grew to be very intelligent and cultured. He developed a love for Greek ideas and a taste for the world. He became a huge proponent of Hellenization, which is a mass spread of Greek culture to the rest of the world, by force or otherwise. Alexander the Great successfully Hellenized the Mediterranean world by expanding the boundaries of his empire and spreading Greek culture, currency, and language.
Alexander also loved horses and supposedly was able to tame one incredibly ferocious horse that no one else could handle. The horse’s name was Bucephalus (byoo SEFF uh lus). Alexander named a city in India after Bucephalus when the horse died. When Philip II heard of Alexander’s ability to tame this wild horse, he allegedly said, “My son, seek thee out a kingdom equal to thyself; Macedonia has not room for thee.”(1) Apparently, Alexander thought so, too. In 336 B.C., upon his father’s sudden death, he became king and set out to conquer more land. He was only 20.
Contributing to his reputation for greatness, according to an ancient Greek legend, the son of King Gordias tied an extremely difficult knot to his father’s ox-cart. Legend said that whoever could untie the knot would rule over all of Asia. Many had tried and failed to untie the Gordian knot. Outwitting them all, Alexander simply chopped the knot with his sword! Alexander then declared that he had fulfilled the prophecy. With confidence, and superstition working for him, Alexander was able to conquer most of the known world. (North and South America were yet to be discovered.)
Alexander’s kingdom was indeed vast (thus some would say, “great”) and included Greece, Egypt, Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Persia, and part of India. He made Babylon his capital after brilliantly defeating Darius III at the famous Battle of Arbela in 331. B.C. (It is also called the Battle of Gaugamela.) At Arbela, Alexander the Great demonstrated amazing military strategy—with his long-speared soldiers marching in his famous phalanx formation. Though sometimes clever, Alexander’s war tactics were also ruthless at times—and many thousands of men were killed or captured under the leadership of Alexander. He named many cities he conquered after himself, and placed Greek men into positions of leadership there. It was this that spread the ideas and language of Greece. Still bearing his name is the famous city of Alexandria, Egypt.
Despite success at a young age, Alexander the Great did not live long! In 323 B.C., at only 33, he fell extremely ill and died within 12 days. The cause of his death remains unclear. It could have been malaria, typhoid fever, meningitis, excessive alcohol, or poison that took his life. Knowing that he was dying, Alexander allowed his troops to pass by his side one by one and kiss his hand. Alexander died in Babylon. His body was placed in a golden coffin and sent to Memphis, Egypt. It was later moved to Alexandria, Egypt.
The Division of Alexander’s Empire
Now, the death of Alexander the Great is not the end of his story! After he died in 323 B.C., the division of his empire takes on new meaning. To grasp it, let’s first go to Palestine, where an interesting prophecy takes place. In Old Testament Scripture, Daniel prophesied about Alexander’s rise and fall about three hundred years before it ever happened! According to Josephus (joe SEE fuss), a Jewish historian, Alexander planned to conquer Palestine. However, upon his arrival outside Jerusalem, some priests went out to greet him. The priests showed Alexander the passages in the Book of Daniel that described him as a “mighty king.” The verse says “Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.” (Dan. 11:3) According to Josephus, Alexander was so pleased by the passage that he departed in peace. I wonder, though, what would have happened if the priests had explained that Daniel also foretold the end of Alexander’s empire!
The Empire Crumbles
You see, Daniel 11:4 says:” And when he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken up and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not among his posterity nor according to his dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be uprooted, even four others besides these.” Daniel also described Alexander’s kingdom and its breakup in Daniel 8:20–22, saying: “… And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king. As for the broken horn and the four that stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, but not with its power.” (Dan. 8:20–22)
After the unexpected death of Alexander, his generals fought over who would rule next and decided to break the kingdom up into four portions They didn’t know it, but they were fulfilling Daniel’s words to the last detail! They settled on this arrangement: The general named Ptolemy (TOLL uh mee) gained Egypt; Lysimachus (li SIM uh kuhs) ruled Trace and Asia Minor; Seleucus (suh LOO kuhs) got Syria, Mesopotamia, and Persia; and Cassander (cuh SAN der) took Macedonia and Greece.
Over time, three dynasties remained strong from the four kingdoms. (The kingdom of Lysimachus was absorbed by Seleucus’s.) They were the Ptolemies in Egypt; the Seleucids in Syria, Mesopotamia, and Persia; and the Antigonids in Macedonia and Greece. Eventually, the mighty Romans swallowed them all up to fulfill the rest of Daniel’s prophecy! I want to point out that Alexander’s unification of so many countries helped to set up the world for the future spread of the Gospel. Everywhere Alexander went, he took the Greek language, which was used in the New Testament to tell the Good News of Christ. And so once again, we see God’s marvelous hand in world history!
Activity Ideas
Younger Students—Phalanx Formation.
Find an image of the famous military formation used by Alexander the Great, and re-create it with your younger students (you may need to recruit more soldiers)! Arm yourselves with kitchen spoons, lids as shields, or any other utensils you can find as weapons! March around your house or classroom, pretending to conquer great lands.
Middle Students—Gordian Knot
Materials: rope or thick yarn or string. Research some knots on the internet or books and learn to tie a few (if you need inspiration, look up the monkey’s fist, prusik, boatswain’s handcuffs, and chain sinnet knots.) Practice them. After you have made some, combine your new-found knowledge of knot-tying to try to create a “Gordian knot”, or a knot that cannot be untied. Let anyone who thinks they’re up for the challenge try to untie it!
Older Students—A Fractured Empire
Write an essay describing the power struggle between Alexander’s four generals, and why he chose them instead of his related heirs. Include maps and boundary lines between the four territories.
References
1. Plutarch, “Life of Alexander,” trans. Bernadotte Perrin. Accessed on the Lexundria website: https://lexundria.com/plut_alex/1-77/prr.
