What would the world be like today if ALEXANDER THE GREAT did not join the cultures of the east and west

-- Anonymous, December 20, 2002

Answers

The Persians did want to take over the world, but after they were pushed out of europe by the greeks they gave up the idea.

-- Anonymous, June 05, 2004

loan rescheduling

-- Anonymous, June 16, 2003

Did these other web sites offer any evidence for their dubious claims?

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2003

Actually Iv read in a lot of books and on DIFFERENT internet sites that this was persia's plan (to take over the Known world)

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2003

After Xerxes launched the ill-fated expedition to conquer Hellas, Persia did not show the slightest interest in further armed conquest in that direction, so I very much doubt the inevitibilty of their "taking over the world" had Alexander not drubbed Darius. Their post-Thermopylae policy in the west was simple enough - set the Greeks fighting among themselves (never hard to do) and then buy influence with one side or the other. Once Phillip succeeded in dominating all Greece that policy became ineffective.

It was the Anabasis of the Greek mercenaries, described by Xenophon, that showed Phillip how weak the Persians were against Greek arms, training and tactics. Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis and Plataea were not flukes. Hmmmph! Take over the world, indeed!

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2003

Actualy if alexander hadn't invaded persia most of us probably wouldn't be alive 2day because they would have taken over the world. This was the same within that centuary (before Alexandros Was born) Where Sparta and Athens joined at arms and Fought at thermopoly

-- Anonymous, February 17, 2003

I smell a school assignment. But, what the hey! It's nearly Christmas.

First you have to look at how Alexander "joined the cultures of east and west". To know that, you'd have to know what things were like before he showed up and what they were like after the was gone.

Before Alexander, the Persian empire included the Ionian coast of Asia Minor (modern Turkey). This area was culturally Greek. In fact, the Persian court was very aware of western (Greek) culture and already included it. There was trade and the exchange of ideas between Persia and the Black Sea, Greece, Egypt and India.

Under the peaceful umbrella of the Persian empire, traders could and did move freely. Herodotus, the historian, was born in a Greek town within the Persian empire. His book is a tribute to the interchange of ideas, knowledge, customs and culture between the east and west that took place under Persia a century before Alexander. The Greeks knew a lot about the east. The Persians knew a lot about the Greeks. No Alexander needed.

What about after Alexander? What happened then? Well, his empire promptly fell into pieces after existing for all of... gee... 5 years or so? Macedonian-dominated Greece became one big piece. Egypt was another. The old Persian empire of the east was the third big piece. True, Eygypt and old Persia were now ruled by a small group of Greeks instead of a small group of Egyptians or Persians. Then they started a long period of fighting each other. Trade and travel became more difficult between east and west, not easier.

Some lousy knitting job, I'd say.

In all fairness, Alexander's conquests were of fairly middling consequence in the larger tides of east-west exchange. It was already happening before he got there. It didn't happen a whole lot faster after he died. The Romans came and stayed longer and made a whole lot more difference.

If I had to say what would be different today if Alexander hadn't invaded Persia, I'd be inclined to say "Not much. Hardly anything you'd notice." But, of course, the person who asked the question left obvious clues that this isn't the desired answer.

-- Anonymous, December 20, 2002