Abstract
This paper examines how Alexander III (or 'the Great') conquered the land starting from Greece in the west to India in the east to create the largest empire the world had seen until that time. This was achieved in just thirteen years between his ascension to the Macedonian throne at age twenty to his death at Babylon on 10 June 323 BCE. One of the issues surrounding Alexander's reign that has long been discussed by historians is whether he planned his conquest of Asia or if he made it up as he went along. This paper evaluates and discusses both possibilities by taking a somewhat chronological approach to Alexander's life.

From the Paper
"Alexander was the son of King Philip II of Macedon and Princess Olympias of Epirus. Both his parents had strong personalities and influenced their son in different ways. Olympias had a fiery temperament and did not tolerate Philip having other wives and lovers. As Alexander was close to his mother, this bred further discontent between himself and Philip, who had a difficult relationship right up until Philip was murdered. Most importantly however, Philip was someone Alexander could emulate and because of his "passionate desire for fame," Alexander would attempt to surpass his father wherever possible. Philip II reinvigorated a formerly weak kingdom in Macedon to create the most powerful state in Northern Greece . From his childhood, Alexander had a legacy to continue and he was eager to prove himself in any way. Even Philip himself noted his son's great aspirations and perhaps put ideas in Alexander head; "My boy, you must find a kingdom big enough for your ambitions. "

Tags:Macedon, empire

Abstract
Greece was an established civilization around 500 BCE, reaching its peak in 400 BCE. During this era, a great young conqueror rose from the frontier state of Macedonia and shredded the might of great the Persian Empire. In the modern world, he is known as Alexander the Great of Macedonia. This paper analyzes his motivation and objectives that drove his conquest of Asia.

Outline:
Introduction
Brief Introduction to Alexander the Great
The Story Behind Alexander's Conquest of Asia
The Old Enemy
The Plunder
The Old Iliad's Impression
Ambition
Conclusion

From the Paper
"Before proceeding to discuss the reasons behind the Alexander's conquest of Asia, it is appropriate to take a brief look at the political situation of Greece at the time of Alexander. As per (Heckel 190), in 402 BCE Sparta earned a resounding victory over Athens which ended the balance of power in Greek world. As per (Heckel 192) the Spartan campaign was funded by Darius, the king of Persian Empire. The Persian Empire had an appetite for expansion, which according to (Skelton 8) led to wars of conquest around 500 BCE. The Persian efforts to undermine the Greeks continued openly and covertly throughout the times to come. The Spartan victory over Athens disrupted the whole balance of power and gave a chance of frontier kingdoms like Macedonia to rise. Philip, father of Alexander capitalized on this opportunity and made Macedonia a rising regional power. As per (Heckel 194), Philips forged an alliance named as league of Corinth, which united most parts of Greece under his flag. Philip planned an invasion of Persian Empire shortly. His assassination in 336 BCE halted the invasion temporarily."

Tags:Macedonia, Persian, Empire, War

Abstract
This paper examines how Alexander was born in 356 BC in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia, to King Philip II and Olympias, a princess of Epirus. It looks at how, only 16, Alexander was placed in charge of Macedonia during his father's siege of Thrace and later headed a force that crushed a rebellion by the Maedi people there in the famous Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC. It explores how he eventually became king of Macedonia, the conqueror of the Persian Empire, and one of the greatest military geniuses of all time.

From the Paper
"Many historians attested to his dream to unite the East and the West into a single world empire and a new one with a single enlightened brotherhood (Microsoft 2004). He trained thousands of young Persians in Macedonian tactics and enlisted them into his huge army. Although he went after the ancient Persian Empire and its remnants, he himself adopted Persian conduct and married Roxana of Bacteria and Barsine or Stateira of Persia, eldest daughter of Darius. He encouraged and even bribed his officers to do the same (Microsoft). Some of his governors took advantage of his absence by recruiting their own private armies and abusing the local people and, upon hearing the charges, Alexander had most of them executed."

Tags:macedonia, persian, empire

Abstract
The paper covers the role of Alexander the Great's father, Philip of Macedon, Alexander's quick response after Philip's death and the decisive subjugation of Greece. The paper describes the conquest of Persia, campaigns into India, and why Alexander had to turn back. The paper also discusses the death and historical significance of Alexander.

From the Paper
"Alexander the Great was one of the greatest military commanders and conquerors who has ever lived. In a period of only twelve years, he conquered nearly the entire Middle East, creating an empire that stretched from Greece to Egypt, Iran and the northwest part of India. By the time he died when he was only thirty-three, he ruled most of the world known to Greeks and their neighbors at that time. His enormous empire broke apart..."

Tags:alexander the great, Macedon, macedonia, military, India, Greece, greece, persian empire

Abstract
The paper conveys how the author, Paul Cartledge, attempts to read the mind of Alexander, speculating what motivated the great military leader. The paper discusses how the author centers on Alexander's great passion for hunting game and how it helped contribute to his career and fame. The paper relates that the historical situation is detailed and extensive, which helps the reader come to understand Alexander's world as well as Alexander himself. The paper recommends this book to those who are interested in Alexander's life or military history.

From the Paper
"The main historical figure in this biography is Alexander the Great, as most readers would imagine. The biography covers his life, but mostly discusses his motivations and accomplishments, and what motivated him to continue to conquer other lands. However, the author does weave short but compelling descriptions of other conquers who almost reached the status of Alexander, such as Julius Caesar, so other great leaders of the epoch do make at least an appearance in the book, which helps add to Alexander's stature and overall influence to the age."

Tags:Macedonia, Persian, Empire, military, accomplishments

Abstract
The paper discusses whether Alexander's victories were inevitable or not and if Darius could have been successful in defeating him. The paper explains that there is no doubt that Alexander the Great had a tremendous impact on the world. The paper shows how Alexander's uncanny grasp of human behavior, combined with his apparent belief that he was, if not immortal, at least touched by divinity, made him an extremely formidable opponent. The paper concludes that because he was so formidable, it is highly unlikely that Darius would have been able to prevent Alexander from taking over the Persian Empire.

From the Paper
"However, what if Alexander's desire to conquer the world had been thwarted? There can be no doubt that the face of the modern world would be dramatically changed if Alexander had not conquered the Greek city-states, and then gone on to conquer the known world. Since his death more than 2000 years ago, there has been a tremendous amount of discussion about the impact of his victories. In contrast, relatively little attention has been paid to discussing whether Alexander's victories were inevitable. Instead, the inevitability of Alexander's success has been treated as if it was a given. This attitude overlooks two critical facts."

Tags:Darius, Persia, Macedonia, conqueror, victory

Abstract
This paper explains that the Mongolian empire, which began about 1200 A.D., was selected as the best empire because its influential ideas and developments, horsemanship, militancy, nomadic lifestyle, leadership system, its fall and impact, make up all of the components needed to fully understand and appreciate the history of a great empire. The author points out that, in Khan's military system, which was derived from the philosophy of Alexander the Great, Khan's army integrated the commanders, bureaucrats, artisans, and professionals of the conquered peoples in order to produce new tastes in art, food, decoration, and clothing. The paper relates that the tremendous length of the Mongols' trade routes was directly related to their huge territorial domination and led, not only to the unification of the East and the West geographically, but also to cultural unification

From the Paper
"Under the rule of Genghis Khan, the Mongols started to dominate the world. He claimed power by saying that he was the "universal ruler." He basically used the Mandate of Heaven system of China, implying that he attained his power from God and he would be the ruler of the whole universe. This claim of Khan simply gives a clue on how he set up his ideology of ruling his state, eventually his empire. It seems like Khan's role model was Alexander the Great and his Greek Empire. Though the Greeks did not have a militaristic social structure, they had the idea of focusing on the expansion of the territory followed by more trades and getting wealthier. This was the system Khan set up as well. He was perhaps one of the greatest military innovators in human history, and his army consisted of perhaps the best-trained horsemen in all of human history. Khan's armies were incredibly mobile and could cover immense distances with numbing speed. Thus, it is clear that Khan established one of the major rules in rising of an empire: The tremendous military strength."

Tags:genghis, khan, unification, integration, trade

Abstract
This paper deals with the politics and reasons of Alexander the Greats? conquests. The author covers the effects on the conquered population, major clashes and military structuring during his conquests.

From the Paper:

"With the conclusion of the Peloponnesian War, Greek city-states never forgot that they were Greeks. But the Spartans, Athenians Thebans, and others were weakened to the point where Phillip II of Macedonia could influence them from the north. In the wake of their brutal civil war between the Greeks, their fierce, contentious independence made the Macedonian?s the unlikely conqueror to the Greeks, who were caught off guard. Phillip II set himself up as a protector of Greece . He had formed the cities into a league that in light of the Greek?s disregard for conquest. This action served to help Phillip II?s son Alexander to put together the biggest empire yet."

Tags:conqueror, greeks, history, ii, macedonia, phillip, sparta, athens, deity

Abstract
This paper discusses how much of the Western military legacy came from the Greeks, especially Alexander the Great, and looks at how, through his military genius and force, Alexander eliminated all dynastic rivals and promising monarchs in his first two years. In the next eight years, he annihilated the Persian Empire and expanded the Greek region 3,000 miles to the East. It analyzes his army, tactics, and use of weapons, such as the use of catapults, which made as much of an impact as assault artillery in the late 20th century.

From the Paper
"The 20-year-old Alexander set the stage for victory with the destruction of Thebes. At Grancius, his first major attack following his father's Persian invasion, he developed a model of military strategy for his subsequent wins at Issus, Gaugamela, and Hydaspes. This approach consisted of adjusting to a difficult battle topography, personally leading his men into an attack with no concern for his own safety, and focusing on a vulnerable spot in the enemy's flank, attacking the startled foe with the advancing phalanx and destroying the field troops with the goal of complete eradication. Like his father Philip, before him, Alexander stressed that war did not bring negotiations. Rather, it meant the total destruction of the enemy and its culture (Durant, 541)."

Tags:catapults, army, phalanx, cavalry, flank

Abstract
This paper gives a history of how Athens, originally looking for a united front against the invading Persian armies during the Persian Wars in antiquity, grew from an influential city-state to one of the world's first empires, stretching its power base across the entire Aegean sea. The paper begins by discussing how the Delian League, the pretext to what would become the Athenian Empire, came into being as a direct way to combat the invading Persians. The alliance was created out of necessity, as a united Greek front would be the only way to repel the massive Persian army under King Xerxes. A brief history of the Persian Wars is given, with Persia's invasion of Northern Greece and the burning of the Acropolis in Athens, but eventually their defeat at the hands of the Athenian general Cimon at the mouth of the Eurymedon River. After Persia was defeated and their troops driven back to Asia, Athens was firmly set as the predominant military and economic leader of all of Greece. The Delian League that was organized to fight against the Persians soon evolved into an Athenian Empire, with Athens collecting tribute and taxes from other city-states in exchange for protection and economic stability. Athens used their power to create a more safe and secure Greece, but was eventually corrupted by greedy politicians who abused other Greek city-states to the point of war. The second half of the paper goes into detail over how Athens was justified to create an empire, as it brought about prosperity for all involved. This includes the destruction of piracy and the opening up with trade routes to eastern Turkey. Ancient sources are heavily quoted to reinforce the argument that having a single dominant polis inevitably stabilized the once troubled area of Ancient Greece. This section also deals with Athens feeling morally obligated to spread their particular form of democracy to all of the other city-states, and their desire to see Sparta have their power limited. This ancient Cold War would eventually boil over into the Peloponnesian War, and the result ended in a weakened Greece that would not rise to prosperity again until Alexander The Great unified Greece.

From the Paper
"During the expansion of Athenian power, an economic concept developed that allowed a particular polis to form an economic alliance with a fellow Delian League member. This agreement would allow the two states to work together in transporting particular goods through their territories to a marketplace where the goods would be sold, and the profit generated from the selling of the goods would be evenly distributed between the two Greek states. Such an example of this economic unity can be seen in agreement between Athens and the polis of Phaselis, which held joint control over certain economic endeavors and even adopted the same coinage for a short span of history. Athens also made it clear that if the city-states were to live under the protection of Athens, then the economic system should be standardized."

Tags:xerxes, Thucydides, Samos