USO Canteen FReeper Style ~ Ancient Greek Military: Alexander The Great ~ December 23, 2003

Alexander The Great ^ | December 23, 2003 | LaDivaLoca

[LaDivaLoca]

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ANCIENT WARFARE

Part III: Ancient Greek Military:
 

Alexander The Great

Introduction.

Alexandros III Philippou Makedonon (Alexander the Great, Alexander III of Macedon) (356-323 B.C.), King of Macedonia, was born in late July 356 BC in Pella, Macedonia, he was one of the greatest military genius in history. He conquered much of what was then the civilized world, driven by his divine ambition of the world conquest and the creation of a universal world monarchy.

 Arrian describes Alexander: the strong, handsome commander with one eye dark as the night and one blue as the sky, always leading his army on his faithful Bucephalus. Alexander inherited from his father King Philip the best military formation of the time, the Macedonian Phalanx, armed with sarisses - the fearful five and half meter long lances. He was the first great conqueror who reached Greece, Egypt, Asia Minor, and Asia up to western India. He is famous for having created the ethnic fusion of the Macedonians and the Persians. From victory to victory, from triumph to triumph, Alexander created an empire which brought him eternal glory. He brought Greek ideas, culture and life style to the countries which he conquered, and assured expansion and domination of Hellenistic Culture which, together with Roman Civilization and Christianity, constitutes the foundation of what is now called Western Civilization.

 

Alexander's Origins

Alexander was born at Pella in Macedonia in late July of 356 BC, on the same day on which the famous Temple of Artemis at Ephesus was destroyed by fire. His father, Philip II of Macedon, was a brilliant ruler and strategist. His mother was Olympias, princess of Epirus, daughter of King Neoptolemus. Olympias was initiated into the cults of Dionysus and Orpheus. She was often jealous, vindictive and very protective of Alexander.


  According to tradition, Olympias' ancestor was the mythical hero of the Iliad - Achilles, while his father, Philip II of Macedon, was said to descend from the Zeus' son - Hercules.

The legend of Alexander of Macedon begins even before his birth. Alexander's parents, King Philip II of Macedon and Myrtali - the Princess of Epirus, later known as Olympias - were in their dreams warned about his birth. Philip and Olympias were initiated in the mysterious cults of Kabira of Samothrace, and they had believed in the messages in dreams, so that they have invited the most renowned prophet of that time Arixstandros Telmisy, to interpret their dreams. Olympias had dreamt of a loud burst of thunder and lightening that had hit her womb, while in Philip's dream, he was sealing her womb with the seal of the lion. Arixstandros determined that Olympias was pregnant, and that the child would have the character of lion. The oracle of Delphi advised Philip to worship Zeus-Ammon, more than any other god. That brought the advent of Alexander's birth. Ammon (also Amon, Hammon, Zeus, Jupiter) represents the principle of invincibility, and ancient Egyptians had called Ammon "The Invisible", so any other attribution is superfluous. The animal dedicated to the cult of Ammon was ram-aries, one of the "astral fire signs", with the active male principle and the symbol of Pure Will strength, that stands behind everything , which initiates each significant event and crushes all obstacles (like aries or thunder). The thought and vision, now become action. Only through action does it take form, power and is transformed into reality. The purely spiritual can not be stopped and is invincible. Alexander's historical mission was to prepare the impulse of a new astrologic era, to terminate the old one and to transform ancient-obsolete forms of culture and world dominion. (This transition period from Aries to Pisces astrologic era in history is known as the Hellenistic period, and it has lasted for more than two centuries. One astrologic era has a duration of 2000 years.)

The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, one of the largest temples ever built by the Greeks, circa 550 B.C.

Alexander, Prince of Macedon
 

Even as a young boy Alexander was fearless and strong. At the age of twelve, he tamed the beautiful and spirited Bucephalus ("ox-head" in Greek), a horse that no one else could ride. Philip was so proud of Alexander's horsemanship that he said:

• O my son, seek out a kingdom worthy of thyself, for Macedonia is too little for thee.

Later, this famous stallion carried him as far as India up to the Hydaspes River, where he died. There Alexander built the city of Bucephala, in memory of his beloved horse.
The court at which he grew up was the centre of great deeds, and Philip, by war and thorough diplomacy, was raising Macedon to the guidance of the Greek states, and the atmosphere was charged with grand ideas. To unite the Greek race in a war against the Persian Empire (Isocrat's political project) was set up as the ultimate mark for his ambition, Prince Alexander was even more ambitious than his father; he was even desperate when he heard of Philip's conquests:

My father will get ahead of me in everything, and will leave nothing great for me to do.

Alexander knew the Iliad by heart. He loved Homer, and always slept with a copy of the Iliad under his pillow.
His first teacher was Leonidas, a relative of Olympias. Leonidas instilled in Alexander his ascetic nature for which he became famous during his future campaigns; he lived simply, in a Spartan way, eating and sleeping together with his troops. Leonidas was replaced with Lysimachus, who taught Prince Alexander to play the lyre, and to appreciate the arts.

Plutarch writes: The care of his education, as it might be presumed, was committed to a great many attendants,   preceptors, and teachers, over the whole of whom Leonidas, a near kinsman of Olympias, a man of an austere temper, presided, who did not indeed himself decline the name of what in reality is a noble and honorable office, but in general his dignity, and his near relationship, obtained him from other people the title of Alexander's foster father and governor. But he who took upon him the actual place and style of his pedagogue was Lysimachus the Acarnanian, who, though he had nothing to recommend him, but his lucky fancy of calling himself Phoenix, Alexander Achilles and Philip Peleus, was therefore well enough esteemed, and ranked in the next degree after Leonidas.
 
343-342

By the 5th century BC. the Hellens have achieved the cultural stability necessary to develop a common tradition of religion, literature, Olympic sport, art, craft, philosophy, folklore and mythic history. That great cultural achievements lay already far enough behind to have become invested with a classical splendour and the importance of Hellenic culture had been made solid in a way which might maintain respect and passion for ideal values, deep-rooted by tradition, present and aprecited even in the modern Western world. And this sum of tradition was brought upon Alexander in his thirteenth year through the person of the man who beyond all others had gathered it up into an organic system of knowledge. In 343 Aristotle came to Pella at Philip's bidding to direct the education of his son. Alexander from age 13 to 16, together with the other boys belonging to the Macedonian aristocracy, was taught by Aristotle at the Mieza temple- about 30 kilometers from the royal palace at Pella; it was the great Greek philosopher himself who introduced them to the world of arts and sciences. He was also early schooled in war. Aristoteles who conquered the world with thought, was the teacher of Alexander who conquered the world with the sword.

 

Character of Alexander

Alexander's actions were inspired: by one god, one demigod, one hero and one sovereign. Dionysios - a divinity. Hercules - a demigod. Achilles - a hero. Cyrus the Great - The Persian emperor. His actions were guided by the sprit of Homer, who appeared in Alexander's dreams, while the Illiad was his manual of war. Like Achilles he was a superhuman hero and warrior, he exposed himself often to the extreme danger during battle. Alexander could support pain, hunger, thirst, heat, desperation and great suffering with immense patience, like Hercules. As a boy, his mother introduced him to the cult mysteries of the Dionysios. Through Dionysios, Alexander took extreme mobility and love for adventure. During the course of his conquest, Alexander repeated the same journey as Dionysios, only in reverse. Alexander admired the personality of the Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Persian Empire, whose example and politics he imitated during the creation of his universal empire. Like Cyrus, Alexander respected the tradition and religion of dominated peoples. The Illiad thought him that he could have only two epic and noble passions: furious anger and disinterested generous friendship. To live with such a multitude of images and multiplicity of souls inside one personality was difficult and dangerous, as such a coexistence was not often harmonious and pacific. Alexander's epic actions were often guided by the ghost of Homer, like Hamlet's were by the ghost of his dead father.

Some notion of the personal appearance of Alexander may be got from the literature and the surviving monuments. He is described as of an athletic frame, though not taller than the common, and a white and ruddy complexion. The expression of his eyes had something liquid and melting and the hair which stood up over his forehead gave the suggestion of a lion. He had a way of carrying his head somewhat aslant. (See especially Plut. Alex. 4; de Alex. fort.ii. 2.) The greatest masters of the time executed portraits of him, Lysippus in sculpture, Apelles in painting and Pyrgoteles in graven gems. Among surviving monuments, we have no completely certified portraits except the Tivoli herm (now in the Louvre) and the coins struck by his successors. The herm is a dry work and the head upon the coins shows various degrees of idealization. There are, however, a considerable number of works which can make out a better or worse claim either to be portraits of Alexander or to reproduce his type, and a large field of discussion is therefore open as to their values and classification
 

Alexander, Prince Regent

 

During Philip's expedition against Byzantium in 340, Alexander, then sixteen years old was left in Macedonia in the charge of the royal seal; at that time, he was anything but idle: he managed to subjugate the rebellious Maedi, a Thracian tribe. He took their capital town by storm, drove out the barbarous inhabitants, and created a colony of several nations in their region, calling the new town Alexandropolis.

 

Philip's autocracy was not appreciated by the Athenians, and Demosthenes considered him semi-barbarian. Obviously the hegemony of Macedonia presented a threat for the autonomous politics of Athens.

Next Tuesday, continuation : Alexander The Great
Philip's Kingdom

 

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning beachn.

Happy Holidays to you and yours.

[Old Sarge]

Greetings, Canteeners, Troops,
and All the Ships at Sea!

Tuesday morning at The Homestead brings rain and cold, coffee and computer, and The Great Laundry Round-up. Having a trainable 6-year old as a house-elf can be a good thing.

Duty-related Story: Sarge reports back on duty yesterday to a big surprise. Seems that while the Home Detachment was in Florida, the new CG of the Kentucky Guard issued a holiday order: Duty uniform will now be civilian attire, effective until 01 JAN 04! So now, the Command center watch gets to dress down - within reason. Feels wierd to show up looking like everyone else.

We're trying to get some of the Florida pics in a digital format, so we can share it all with all y'all.We've got most of them, and the Goddess has the rest; we'll work it out for all concerned.

LINDA AND KATHY: I know you two were scheming about the wedding attire, but kindly don't forget to include THESE in the ensemble:

Oh, and BTW on that same subject, Public Announcement: There ISN'T one, yet. The parties involved are still in negotiation over details - the date, the dowry, etc. But never fear, we'll keep you updated as things are decided.

Sarge will be back on watch normal time tonight, so we'll check out the fun later!!

SARGE

[Soaring Feather]

Good morningNMGA!

[tomkow6]

 

SALUTE!

 

 

[tomkow6]

Good morning, LaDiva! Good morning, Canteen Crew! Good morning, EVERYBODY!

GOODMORNING

TROOPS!

 

[tomkow6]

 

Today's FEEBLE attempt at humor:

I had to take April to the hospital some time ago for a series of tests.  She was unexpectedly required to stay overnight.  So she gave me a list of things to bring from home.  One thing on her list was "comfortable underwear."

I asked her, "How will I know which ones to pick?"

She said, "Hold 'em up and imagine them on me.  If you smile, put them back."

[tomkow6]

 

Chicagoland Weather

December 23, 2003
Chicago, IL
Sunrise	7:16 AM (CST)
Sunset	4:23 PM (CST)
Hrs. of Daylight	9 Hrs., 7 Mins

Currently
32°

Cloudy

	Hi: 35

	Lo: 21

5 Day Forecast

WED

THU

FRI

SAT

SUN

AM Clouds/PM Sun

High:	28
Low:	16

Mostly Sunny

High:	32
Low:	18

Partly Cloudy

High:	37
Low:	30

Cloudy

High:	45
Low:	41

Showers

High:	45
Low:	29

[tomkow6]

Good morning, Ms Feather!

[tomkow6]

Good morning, Ms Feather!

[tomkow6]

Good morning, Ms Feather!

[Soaring Feather]

Tomkow,
It's good to be Queen.

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on December 23:
1174 Louis I Duke of Wittelsbach
1544 Anna duchess of Saxson/wife of prince Willem of Orange (1561-71)
1732 Richard Arkwright, inventor (spinning frame)
1805 Joseph Smith Jr, Sharon Vt, founder (Mormon Church)
1818 David Addison Weisiger Brigadier-General (Confederate Army), died in 1899
1834 Thomas R Malthus, English vicar/economist (moral restraint)
1853 Giacomo Puccini Italy, composer
1885 Vincent Sardi (restaurateur: Sardi's Bar & Grill - New York)
1907 Don McNeill (radio host: The Breakfast Club
1918 Helmut Schmidt, Chancellor of Germany
1918 Jose Greco (Flamenco dancer)
1923 Bob Barker Darrington WA, TV host (Price is Right)
1923 James Stockdale admiral (Vietnam)/Ross Perot's 1992 running mate
1924 Dan Devine (football coach)
1924 Floyd Kalber (newscaster)
1926 Robert Bly, US, (poet/editor/translator)
1929 Dick Weber (bowler)
1932 Reverend James Cleveland Chicago IL, gospel musician (Old Time Religion, It's Me O Lord)
1935 Paul Hornung ('The Golden Boy': football: Green Bay Packers')

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Deaths which occurred on December 23:
0558 Childebert king of France (511-58), dies at about 62
1569 St Philip, metropolitan of Moscow, martyred by Ivan the Terrible
1588 Henri de Guise, French leader of Catholic League, murdered at 37
1652 John Cotton Massachusetts Bay Puritan preacher, dies at 68
1939 Anthony H G Fokker, Dutch airplane builder, dies at 49
1948 Hideki Tojo, Japan PM (1941-44) & 6 Japanese, hanged for war crimes at 64
1959 Edward Halifax English viscount/viceroy of India, dies at 78
1972 Charles Atlas, [Angelo Siciliano], body builder, dies at 79
1975 Richard S Welch, CIA station chief in Athens, shot dead
1982 Jack Webb, actor (Joe Friday-Dragnet), dies of a heart attack at 62

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Reported: MISSING in ACTION
1965 SHANKEL WILLIAM L.---SAN ANDREAS CA.
[02/12/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1966 REEVES JOHN HOWARD---CANADA
1970 BOOTH GARY P.---OLYMPIA WA.
[ACFT BROKE UP, SAR NEG]
1970 MC ANDREWS MICHAEL W.---FORT LAUDERDALE FL.
[ACFT BROKE UP, SAR NEG]
1970 WISEMAN BAIN W. JR.---TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCE NM.
[ACFT BROKE UP, SAR NEG]

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

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On this day...
0619 Boniface V begins his reign as Catholic Pope
1482 Peace of Atrecht
1569 St Philip of Moscow martyred by Ivan the Terrible
1620 French huguenots declare war on King Louis XIII
1672 Giovanni Cassini discovers Rhea, a satellite of Saturn
1688 English king Jacob II flees to France
1690 John Flamsteed observes Uranus without realizing it's undiscovered
1724 Emperor Charles VI names Maria Elisabeth land guardian of Australia Netherlands
1728 Prussian Emperor Karel VI sign Treaty of Berlin
1751 France sets plan to tax clergymen
1776 Continental Congress negotiates a war loan of $181,500 from France
1776 Thomas Paine writes The Crisis ("These are the times that try men's souls")
1779 Benedict Arnold court-martialed for improper conduct
1788 Maryland votes to cede a 10 square mile area for District of Columbia
1823 "Visit from St Nicholas" by C Moore published in Troy (New York) Sentinel
1834 Joseph Hansom of London receives patent for Hansom cabs
1852 1st Chinese theater in US, Celestial John, opens in San Francisco
1861 Lord Lyons, The British minister to America presents a formal complaint to secretary of state, William Seward, regarding the Trent affair
1862 Union General Ben "Beast" Butler is proclaimed a "felon, outlaw & common enemy of mankind" by Jefferson Davis
1867 1st self-made millionairess (Sarah Breedlove-hair straightener)
1876 Turkey's 1st constitution proclaimed
1888 Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh cuts off his left ear
1893 The opera "Hansel und Gretel" is produced (Weimar)
1899 Tentative Turkish & German treaty on construction of Baghdad railway
1909 Albert becomes king of Belgium
1912 1st "Keystone Kops" film, titled "Hoffmeyer's Legacy"
1912 Aswan Dam in Nile begins operation
1913 President Woodrow Wilson signs Federal Reserve Act into law
1919 1st hospital ship built to move wounded naval personnel launched
1919 Alice H Parker patents gas heating furnace
1920 Ireland divided into 2 parts, each with its own parliament
1920 King George V signs Home Rule Act
1921 President Warren G. Harding frees Socialist Eugene Debs and 23 other political prisoners.
1922 BBC Radio began daily newscasts
1922 Pope Pius XI pleas for peace: encyclical Ubi arcano
1925 Sultan Ibn Saud of Nedzjed conquers Djeddah
1926 KEX-AM in Portland OR begins radio transmissions
1928 NBC sets up a permanent, coast-to-coast radio network
1933 Howie Morenz takes over NHL career goal lead at 251
1933 Marinus van der Lubbe sentenced to death
1933 Train crash in Eastern Paris; 230 die
1938 Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch of the West costume catches fire in filming of "Wizard of Oz"; she is severely burned and off the film for over one month
1939 Finnish counter offensive at Summa
1941 American forces on Wake Island surrender to Japanese
1941 British troops overrun Benghazi Libya
1941 Japan begins assault on Rangoon Burma
1943 1st telecast of a complete opera (Hansel & Gretel), Schenectady NY
1943 General Montgomery told he is appointed commandant for D-day
1944 General Dwight D. Eisenhower confirms the death sentence of Private Eddie Slovik, the only American shot for desertion since the Civil War.
1945 Frederick Astons "Cinderella" premieres in London
1945 Pope Pius XII encyclical Orientals omnes, about Rutheense church
1946 University of Tennessee refuses to play Duquesne University, because they may use a black player in their basketball game
1946 Belgian Council of State forms
1946 Highest ridership in NYC subway history (8.8 million passengers)
1947 Transistor invented by Bardeen, Brattain & Shockley in Bell Labs
1951 1st coast-to-coast televised football game (Dumont paid $75,000); Los Angeles Rams beat Cleveland Browns 24-17 in NFL championship game
1951 Last Belgian communities get electricity
1958 Abdallah Ibrahim forms government of Morocco
1960 De Quay's Dutch government falls
1961 Fidel Castro announces Cuba will release 1,113 prisoners from failed 1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion for $62 million worth of food & medical supplies
1961 KICU TV channel 43 in Visalia-Fresno CA (IND) begins broadcasting
1962 Cuba starts returning US prisoners from the Bay of Pigs invasion
1962 Dallas Texans beat Houston Oilers 20-17 in AFL championship game
1963 Beach Boys 1st appearance on "Shindig"
1963 Fire on Greek ship Laconia, 128 die
1964 India & Ceylon hit by cyclone, about 4,850 killed
1967 Lyndon B Johnson meets Pope Paul VI at the Vatican
1967 Brussels: NATO-Council accept "Flexible Response" - strategy
1968 1st documented US case of space motion sickness
1968 82 members of US intelligence ship 'Pueblo' released by North Korea
1968 Borman, Lovell & Anders become 1st men to orbit Moon
1968 North Korea releases Pueblo crew
1970 7,511th performance of Agatha Christie's "Mousetrap" (record)
1970 New York World Trade Center reaches highest point (411 m)
1972 "Immaculate Reception" Steelers turns around a 7-6 defeat with a last second touchdown reception against the Raiders to win 13-7
1972 16 plane crash survivors rescued after 70 days, survived by cannibalism
1972 6.25 Earthquake destroys central Managua Nicaragua, 10,000 die
1973 "The Young and the Restless" premieres on TV
1973 6 Persian Gulf nations double their oil prices
1974 The B-1 bomber makes its first successful test flight
1975 Congress passes Metric Conversion Act
1978 Islanders score 7 goals in 1 period against the Rangers.
1979 New York Islanders greatest shutout lose (8-0) vs Chicago Black Hawks
1983 Journal Science publishes 1st report on nuclear winter
1986 Rutan & Yeager make 1st around-the-world flight without refueling
1987 Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, serving a life sentence for attempted assassination of President Gerald R Ford escapes from Alderson Prison
1990 Slovenians vote to secede from Yugoslavia
1994 Baseball owners impose salary cap, fiercely opposed by players
1996 4 women ordained priests in Jamaica, 1st in 330-year Anglican history
1997 Chicago Bull coach Phil Jackson is quickest to reach 500 wins (682 games)
1997 Terry Nichols found guilty of manslaughter in Oklahoma bombing
1997 US Agriculture Department estimates it costs $149,820 to raise a child to 18

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Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Egypt : Victory Day
Montego Bay Jamaica : John Canoe Day
Mexico : Night of the Radishes
Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

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Religious Observances
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St Thorlac, bishop, patron of Iceland
Roman Catholic : Memorial of St John of Kanty, Polish priest, theologian (optional)
Fourth Day of Hanukkah

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Religious History
1648 Birth of Robert Barclay, Scottish Quaker theologian. He published his most famous work, "An Apology for the True Christian Divinity," in 1676, making him the most prominent theologian in the early Quaker Church.
1790 Birth of Jean Francois Champollion, French Egyptologist. In 1822 he successfully decoded the hieroglyphics of the Rosetta Stone (uncovered in 1799), and is recognized today as the founder of modern Egyptology.
1841 Birth of Handley C.G. Moule, Anglican theologian. He succeeded B.F. Westcott in 1901 as Bishop of Durham. A profound scholar, he could nevertheless speak and write for ordinary people, and published commentaries on nearly all of Paul's letters in the New Testament.
1862 Birth of Amos R. Wells, American Christian educator. He was first editorial secretary of the newly organized Christian Endeavor Society (forerunner of modern church "youth fellowships") from 1891 until his death in 1933.
1950 Pope Pius XII declared that the tomb of St. Peter had been discovered beneath St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

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Thought for the day :
"If it weren't for the last minute, I wouldn't get anything done."

---

Qusetion of the day...
When they first invented the clock, how did they know what time it was to set it to?

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Murphys Law of the day...(Ehrlich's Rule)
The first rule of intelligent tinkering is to save all the parts.

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Amazing fact #101,937...
The Saturn V moon rocket consumed 15 tons of fuel per second.

[Soaring Feather]

Sticky fingers this morning?

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!!

[HiJinx]

The parties involved are still in negotiation over details - the date, the dowry, etc.

And isn't there some sort of May/December thing to work out as well?

[Fawnn]

tomkow6!!! #50!!!

[HiJinx]

She said, "Hold 'em up and imagine them on me. If you smile, put them back."

You think picking up comfortable underwear from home is bad, try getting sent to the store to buy some! I mean, it's not like you can ask the shoppers around you what's comfortable...

I mean..."Pardon me ma'am, would you wear these...?"

[MeekOneGOP]

And a Merry Christmas to you too and everybody on the USO Thread ! ...

ESPECIALLY THE TROOPS !! ...

lookin' for robert blake.....

[USAF_TSgt]

"1938 Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch of the West costume catches fire in filming of "Wizard of Oz"; she is severely burned and off the film for over one month"

This explains why she looks so bad in the movie -- or was that makeup?

[Conspiracy Guy]

Thought I'd pop in for a second.

Remember

As you observe the season,
With family and friend.
Please take some extra moments,
A prayer I hope you’ll send.
For God to Bless the US Troops,
Away in foreign lands.
Protect them and inspire them,
With His dear loving hands.
Merry Christmas to you all,
And Happy Holiday.
Thank our Troops and all who serve,
His light will guide our way.

Conspiracy Guy 12/23/03