Online Document Assignment 4

ALEXANDER THE GREAT

Motives and Consequences of Conquest

Alexander's conquests led to the Hellenization of the eastern Mediterranean and the Near East, initiating a process of cultural, political, and economic transformation throughout the region. During and after his conquests, new cities were built, new governments were established, and cross-cultural exchange accelerated to unprecedented levels. The fact that dramatic changes occurred in the wake of Alexander's wars did not, however, mean that the traditions and institutions of the past were wiped out completely or that cultural uniformity reigned across the Hellenized world. For many outside of Greece, particularly in rural areas, the arrival of the Greeks represented little more than the substitution of one set of ruling elites for another. In Hellenistic cities, the adoption of Greek culture and language was often a prerequisite for the acquisition of political and economic power, but even in such cities Greek elites rarely made a deliberate effort to suppress local cultural and religious traditions. In some places the Greeks were seen as liberators, and in others as brutal conquerors; this led to differences in the reception of Greek culture.

Interest in the nature and significance of Hellenization is not a modern phenomenon. The debate over the causes and consequences of Alexander's conquests began during Alexander's lifetime and continued in the centuries that followed. Ancient historians and other observers have advanced a number of different explanations of Alexander's motives. These motives were sometimes linked to the long-term cultural consequences of his campaigns. As you examine the evidence, ask yourself what light it sheds on ancient views of Alexander and Hellenization. How did observers' backgrounds and agendas influence their views of the conquests and their importance?

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