by Paul Lunde
Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) was the son of Philip II of Macedon (382-336 BC). In 334 BC, then 23 years old, he landed on the Anatolian coast, intent on avenging a series of recent Persian attacks on Greek territory. At the head of an army
of 10,000 men, Alexander defeated Darius II, Great King of the
Persians, first at Issus in 333 BC, and then, crushingly, at
Gaugamela, “The Place of the Camels”, two years later. In the interval
between the two battles, Alexander captured Tyre, Sidon, and Gaza,
conquered Egypt, and founded Alexandria, which was destined to become
perhaps the greatest intellectual and commercial centre of all time.
After Gaugamela, Alexander marched on Babylon, Susa, Persepolis (which
he burnt to the ground), and Ecbatana. He extended his sway beyond the
Oxus, founding a city on the Jaxartes River, and taking Bactria, in
modern Afghanistan, and Sogdiana, in what is now Uzbekistan – two places that for centuries thereafter would
play an important role in the trade with China.
Alexander’s lightning attack on India, his return march through the
desert to Susa and Babylon and his sudden death at the age of only 32, probably of fever, are the stuff of
legend, and his conquest of the mighty Persian empire with so few men
– perhaps no more than 80,000 at the most – left an indelible
impression on the literature and art of the East.
The frontiers of Europe had been extended to the Ganges, and the
effects are almost incalculable. The Greeks were exposed to very
ancient and civilised societies, with their languages, literatures,
dress, and luxuries. By a happy coincidence, Alexander’s conquests
took place at a time when Greek art and thought were in fullest
flower, and the people of Asia were quick to adopt – and adapt – the
aesthetics of Greece. The results were astonishing, and a single
example speaks volumes: a carved stone head of Buddha whose style is
Greek and whose features are recognisably those of the idealised
Alexander of Greek sculpture.
