S.A.T.A
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@Johnee
Alexander was a western hero and hence his deification must also be understood from the point of view of the Western civilization.Persian empire was at the time the largest land based empire,it was not weak,rather it suffered from all the encumbrances that massive empires suffer from,Persia's position in Egypt had been weakened by revolts,but militarily it still reigned supreme,no wonder Darius was called the 'Lord of Asia'.Historically speaking Greece almost always was at Persia receiving end,ether under Cyrus or Xerxes,all tales of Greek courage and valor were epic tales of Greek struggle,often in vain, against Persian preponderance.Alexander perhaps for the first time reversed the time attested Greco-Persian power equation and stamped Greek(western) supremacy over Persia.
Infact as history would attest it was not the Greek who added the epithet Great(Megus)to Alexander's name,rather it was the Romans,wary of Alexander's deified status,who brought some sense of balance in how we perceived Alexander.Greece and Greeks veritably deified Alexander had for them Alexander had transcended the realm of mortals and become a demigod,enjoying the same exalted status as hector,Achilles or Hercules.Alexander's influence on western military intellect was quite immense,the Carthaginians and Romans swore by him,everybody from Julius Caesar,Napoleon to Rommel paid a military pilgrimage to Siwa,where Alexander himself had his Oracular vision of military glory.under Alexander Greece came o age and it was this Greece that western Europe,from Caesars Rome to Napoleons France found its most profound inspiration.This is why for west Alexander is the first of the greatest.Who can really contest that.
Alexander recorded magnanimity would not be entirely uncharacteristic.Like mentioned in the previous posts,Alexander had an axe to grind with the Persian and it was historical,after all Alexander had vowed to avenge all the humiliations Greece had to suffer from the Persians,all the way from Xerxes to Artaxerxes.Alexanders hatred for Persians and Darius was understandable,after they have been accused of plotting his father Philip II murder.However even Alexander would have known Porus was no Persian and hence would have faced the wrath of Alexander.Moreover it must be remembered that the battle of Hydaspes is hailed by western scholars as his greatest and most challenging,the production of the Elephant Medallion,which is believed to be the only physical commemoration of any of Alexander's ten year long battle,attests to its importance to Alexander himself.
Its conceivable that when you are involved in a duel with a worthy opponent,an opponent who has given you a fight that you would want to commemorate,you probably might want to spare him if he was captured or surrendered.Alexander abhorred regicide,Bessus,Daruis's ally who betrayed the Persian emperor and murdered him,was put to death by Alexander for the crime of killing the Persian king.Alexander followed this up by giving Darius a dignified ceremonial farewell.Arrain states how porus impressed Alexander by demanding a treatment 'befitting a king',hence we can assume that was how a magnanimous Alexander treated him.
Moreover all attested evidence,the only record of Alexander's conquest by Greek historians,the Numismatic evidence all declare Alexander was victorious.We have nothing to contradict them.
There were several reasons why Alexander preferred a march through the Thar and along the makaran coast.This was by far the swiftest way to reach Persia proper(now the Macedonian stronghold) as compared to the treacherous march across Punjab,Hindukush,Bactria and eastern Iran.
The Macedonians still remembered the harassment they were subjected to by steppe nomads in Bactria(whom they were not able to subdue completely).At the time of his Indian campaign Alexander's army was quite immense,swelled by the Persian and other mercenaries,and Alexander had to choose a passage which could supply this huge retinue.Going back by the route he came would have meant passing through regions which his army had only recently devastated,besides hostile populations,these devastated regions couldn't have have supplied the necessary food, water and other necessary provisions.
This is precisely why the Alexander loaded his sea fleets with provision enough to last their passage to Persia.When presented an opportunity Alexander actually preferred this kind of arrangement, where his land forces could be supplied with provision without the danger of being harassed.This was how Alexander marched to Egypt through the Palestinian coast and burning desert on the other side.Desert did not necessarily scare Alexander.
However his immaculate planning for the trip along the Baluchistan coast came undone because of the onset of the Monsoons,which forced his sea fleet to fall behind troops marching along the coast,by several months,this eventually turned disastrous for the Macedonians.
Lack of proper information on the subcontinental weather pattern and sheer bad luck put paid for their planning ,but still it was a good and reasonably solid retreat plan.
Alexander was a western hero and hence his deification must also be understood from the point of view of the Western civilization.Persian empire was at the time the largest land based empire,it was not weak,rather it suffered from all the encumbrances that massive empires suffer from,Persia's position in Egypt had been weakened by revolts,but militarily it still reigned supreme,no wonder Darius was called the 'Lord of Asia'.Historically speaking Greece almost always was at Persia receiving end,ether under Cyrus or Xerxes,all tales of Greek courage and valor were epic tales of Greek struggle,often in vain, against Persian preponderance.Alexander perhaps for the first time reversed the time attested Greco-Persian power equation and stamped Greek(western) supremacy over Persia.
Infact as history would attest it was not the Greek who added the epithet Great(Megus)to Alexander's name,rather it was the Romans,wary of Alexander's deified status,who brought some sense of balance in how we perceived Alexander.Greece and Greeks veritably deified Alexander had for them Alexander had transcended the realm of mortals and become a demigod,enjoying the same exalted status as hector,Achilles or Hercules.Alexander's influence on western military intellect was quite immense,the Carthaginians and Romans swore by him,everybody from Julius Caesar,Napoleon to Rommel paid a military pilgrimage to Siwa,where Alexander himself had his Oracular vision of military glory.under Alexander Greece came o age and it was this Greece that western Europe,from Caesars Rome to Napoleons France found its most profound inspiration.This is why for west Alexander is the first of the greatest.Who can really contest that.
Alexander recorded magnanimity would not be entirely uncharacteristic.Like mentioned in the previous posts,Alexander had an axe to grind with the Persian and it was historical,after all Alexander had vowed to avenge all the humiliations Greece had to suffer from the Persians,all the way from Xerxes to Artaxerxes.Alexanders hatred for Persians and Darius was understandable,after they have been accused of plotting his father Philip II murder.However even Alexander would have known Porus was no Persian and hence would have faced the wrath of Alexander.Moreover it must be remembered that the battle of Hydaspes is hailed by western scholars as his greatest and most challenging,the production of the Elephant Medallion,which is believed to be the only physical commemoration of any of Alexander's ten year long battle,attests to its importance to Alexander himself.
Its conceivable that when you are involved in a duel with a worthy opponent,an opponent who has given you a fight that you would want to commemorate,you probably might want to spare him if he was captured or surrendered.Alexander abhorred regicide,Bessus,Daruis's ally who betrayed the Persian emperor and murdered him,was put to death by Alexander for the crime of killing the Persian king.Alexander followed this up by giving Darius a dignified ceremonial farewell.Arrain states how porus impressed Alexander by demanding a treatment 'befitting a king',hence we can assume that was how a magnanimous Alexander treated him.
Moreover all attested evidence,the only record of Alexander's conquest by Greek historians,the Numismatic evidence all declare Alexander was victorious.We have nothing to contradict them.
There were several reasons why Alexander preferred a march through the Thar and along the makaran coast.This was by far the swiftest way to reach Persia proper(now the Macedonian stronghold) as compared to the treacherous march across Punjab,Hindukush,Bactria and eastern Iran.
The Macedonians still remembered the harassment they were subjected to by steppe nomads in Bactria(whom they were not able to subdue completely).At the time of his Indian campaign Alexander's army was quite immense,swelled by the Persian and other mercenaries,and Alexander had to choose a passage which could supply this huge retinue.Going back by the route he came would have meant passing through regions which his army had only recently devastated,besides hostile populations,these devastated regions couldn't have have supplied the necessary food, water and other necessary provisions.
This is precisely why the Alexander loaded his sea fleets with provision enough to last their passage to Persia.When presented an opportunity Alexander actually preferred this kind of arrangement, where his land forces could be supplied with provision without the danger of being harassed.This was how Alexander marched to Egypt through the Palestinian coast and burning desert on the other side.Desert did not necessarily scare Alexander.
However his immaculate planning for the trip along the Baluchistan coast came undone because of the onset of the Monsoons,which forced his sea fleet to fall behind troops marching along the coast,by several months,this eventually turned disastrous for the Macedonians.
Lack of proper information on the subcontinental weather pattern and sheer bad luck put paid for their planning ,but still it was a good and reasonably solid retreat plan.
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