How Great Was Alexander?

U/C Berkeley ^ | 6-12-2003 | Kathleen Maclay

[LiteKeeper]

History SPOTREP

[Martin Tell]

Sounds like academic BS to me. Some prof trying to make a name for herself by bashing Alexander. Anyone who has read Xenophon knows there were extensive Greek colonies in Asia Minor. That was a chief reason for the conflict with the Persians.

Her stupidity is shown by one comment alone:rivals anything in Alexandria from the same period.How could it rival anything from Alexandria at the same period when her thesis is that it pre-dated Alexander and hence the city he founded (Alexandria)? Egypt was Persian territory at the time.

Other than that she suffers from the current academic sickness of placing today's values on anciet people. Ancient Greeks attending "Black and White Balls" (Truman Capote parties)? Give me a break!

So there were some Grecian art works in the Persian empire. That's probably because the Persians, being a race of slaves, didn't produce any decent art. The Persians were rich and could buy what they wanted. It was that wealth that corrupted and eventually destroyed Alexander.

Alexander was great - for his military prowess and conquests alone. His cultural contributions only make him greater. He was, after all, tutored by Aristotle, and for all his faults, it showed.

[Parley Baer]

The words Berkeley and Getty say it all. This study will have to be watched under the microscope. Parley

[P-Marlowe]

"There is, as far as we can tell, no boost given to this process by Alexander's conquests,"

These Berzerkley people just can't stand it that sometimes there are positive aspects to war. The Hellenization of the Mid East being one of them. They think that dramatic cultural change can occur through mere visualization of world peace and all that crap.

[jokar]

Bump read later.

[Cicero]

It's curious how some academics manage to get publicity for meaningless theories.

[BikerNYC]

He was, after all, tutored by Aristotle, and for all his faults, it showed.

You mean that Alexander, too, believed that women had less teeth than men?

[longtermmemmory]

look at the source, berkley. Alexander's success makes him a target for takedown. In the greek port of thesaloniki,greece there is a huge statue of alexander. The museum dedicated to the history of his life.

http://www.kadmos.gr/agora/docs/pd-1855525362.htm

if you read greek, this is an excellent book on the history of Alexander. It also deals with several myths about alexander. (ie Alexander was NOT a homosexual) It is excensivly documented and it even deals with quacks like the above article which try to pervert history. (btw: conqueors often said the conquered leaders were homosexuals. This was used to eliminate the legitimacy of successors. homo have no children. Alexander's son and wife were hunted down and killed. Love letters to her have been documented.)

The cover of the book has the statue. To the lower right of the cover picture are the shields with the groups untied under alexander. Behind is the white tower. It was a originally a cannon tower guarding the port. Later it became a courthouse and jail. The roof was used for executions. (which expains its prior bloody name of red tower)

[Skywalk]

I swear some people just HAVE to tear down something in order to build themselves up. It could be that guy who wanted to portray Superman as a Soviet superhero(not just for an interesting story, but to advance his leftist agenda) or the historians that say Alexander was a homosexual.

Alexander the Great WAS great, and unlike other conquerors in the ancient world his empire was generally civilized and enlightened. He even promoted synthesis between Hellenism and the Oriental cultures.

[strela]

What are they going to do - change his name to "Alexander the Mediocre?"

[blam]

Don't read Greek.

I'm presently watching The Private Lives of Pompeii on the A&E Channel.

[AlaskaErik]

Sounds like academic BS to me. Some prof trying to make a name for herself by bashing Alexander.

Look at the dateline. That says it all. Another liberal engaged in revisionist history.

[longtermmemmory]

oliver stone is making a movie about alexander, his premise is that alexander was a alcholic homosexual with a violent temper who was not reeeeealy Greek or had any interest in Helenistic culture.

[Thinkin' Gal]

"He spends much, much too much time indoors partying, likes the girls," he said, "and tends to wake up in the morning with a hangover. That's why his face is white, and that's why we thought it was female to begin with, because it is so pale and its lips are rouged. Well, they're rouged because he goes to the 'Black and White Ball' every night!"

[strela]

oliver stone is making a movie about alexander

Look at the bright side - at least it isn't Michael Moore doing the character assassination.

[A CA Guy]

So what is he to be called now, Alexander the significant?

[A CA Guy]

Thaat picture could scare the water off a fish!

[longtermmemmory]

true, but now we will have an alexander who was crogenically frozen in siberia and defrosted just in time to be recruited by the CIA, covertly trained, and was sent to take a shot on the grassy knoll.

[dighton]

Flu. ... What call you the town’s name where Alexander the Pig was born?  

Gow.  Alexander the Great.  

Flu.  Why, I pray you, is not pig great? The pig, or the great, or the mighty, or the huge, or the magnanimous, are all one reckonings, save the phrase is a little variations.  

Gow.  I think Alexander the Great was born in Macedon: his father was called Philip of Macedon, as I take it.

Flu.  I think it is in Macedon where Alexander is porn. I tell you, captain, if you look in the maps of the ’orld, I warrant you sall find, in the comparisons between Macedon and Monmouth, that the situations, look you, is both alike. There is a river in Macedon, and there is also moreover a river at Monmouth: it is called Wye at Monmouth; but it is out of my prains what is the name of the other river; but ’tis all one, ’tis alike as my fingers is to my fingers, and there is salmons in both.

-- King Henry V.