Journal Entry of Seleucus I: Life of a Soldier in Alexander's Army [Cannon Sloan]

June 11th, 323 BC

I've been marching in this army for 8 years, through the ups and downs of Alexander the Great's conquest. We marched through Greece, taking over the Balkans; through Persia, in the pursuit of Darius III; through Asia, over the Indus River in the conquest of India. I'm a general in Alexander's army under the name of Seleucus I.

Phalanx Formation 

Today, Alexander the Great was found dead in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II, in Babylon. How could the great conqueror of Egypt, Persia, Greece, Asia, and the founder of the Hellenistic League die in such a mortal manner? It's obvious that this man, our great leader was something more. The soldiers of his army knew about his illness for some time, but nobody expected it to be fatal. Alexander the Great should be remembered for his conquest. I've had many soldiers ask me why Alexander was so great, there are many reasons. Macedonia was a small underdeveloped country in Northern Greece, full of what the "real Greeks" considered to be barbarians. He transformed Macedonia from what it was to a grand empire, spanning all the way to the Indus River. He also perfected a military strategy using the phalanx formation, and this helped him win battles that we were extremely outnumbered in. Alexander was also considered the "King of kings" by the Persians and Egyptians, which shows his greatness.  However, his conquest is not the only reason he could be considered great, Alexander spread the Hellenistic Culture, which was a blend between Egyptian, Persian, and Greek cultures throughout his empire. The idea of a combined culture was brilliant to the citizens of Macedonia and Alexander's great empire. Without it, there would of been a great conflict between the cultures of the empire, with some cultures thinking they are better than each other. Egyptians or Persians might feel separate from the Greeks, so the Hellenistic Culture solves this possible conflict by bringing the people of the empire to a common bound.

After Alexander's death, because he had no legal heir, all of the other generals of his army, including me, divided the empire. As Seleucus I, I formed the Seleucid Empire, spanning from central Anatolia, Persia, Afghanistan, and northwestern parts of India. Ptolemy, another general under Alexander's command, claimed Egypt and formed the Ptolemaic Dynasty. Antipater, who was another experienced general under his command, became the King of Macedonia, lastly, Athens and Sparta, which were under Macedonian control after Alexander's death, revolted and eventually became separate city states again. What used to be a grand empire, was now completely separated. The most powerful nations after the division would be the Seleucid Empire, and the Ptolemaic Empire, with Macedonia and the rest of Greece left behind. Many people have started to call our kingdoms the "the successor kingdoms," because of the large separation after Alexander's death. As Seleucus I of the Seleucid Empire, I plan on reuniting the empire over time since our great leader is gone. However, there is talk of creating a tomb for the grand conqueror Alexander, who will be buried and preserved in a golden casket. I worry for the future of Greece, though, with such an influential family completely gone, how will things turn out?

Alexander's Empire After Death

I remember when Alexander ordered us to cross the Hellespont in 334 BC, in seemed like a bizarre idea; to attack Persia, which was a great empire at the time, but his men followed him anyway. I was hesitant about it at first, but as soon as I saw Alexander's phalanx formation in action on the field, I felt like we had a chance. The formation was made of soldiers equipped with extremely long spears so that they would break their enemy's formation for the cavalry to charge. After his victory in Asia Minor, Alexander then found another way to impress his troops. He untied the Gordian Knot, which was said to be an achievement that signified the future king of Asia. Many people thought it was impossible to undo the knot, but our leader found a way, he hacked it apart with a sword. Alexander's grand conquest continued throughout Persia, he defeated Darius III's largest army in Syria. After this, most of Egypt quickly surrendered to Alexander's rule, and he was named Pharaoh of Egypt. During his time at Egypt, he formed the prosperous and amazing town named Alexandria, which is now the capitol of Ptolemy's empire. Alexandria is located on the coast of Egypt, and it quickly became the center of the Hellenistic Culture. Alexander truly was a great leader, and should be remembered for all of his accomplishments.

Another person who could be compared to Alexander the Great could be Henry IV of France. While Alexander the Great took over most of the known world of the Greeks, Henry IV focused internally and passed new laws in France that would improve the economy. He also improved the quality of life for the common people. Lastly, Henry IV greatly improved French education. Compared to Alexander, who gained his title of "the Great" from his conquests or warlike actions, while Henry IV gained the title of "the Great" for bringing France to what it is today. While Henry IV didn't blend 3 different cultures successfully, or found a grand new city in his name, he is a great figure in French History for his perseverance and great concern for the welfare of his nation. However, Henry IV was extremely disliked during his reign, and the end of it was when he was assassinated by a Catholic extremist, while Alexander was loved by most of his people and died of the flu at a very young age. Alexander also was also a lot younger than Henry IV when they both became rulers. Henry IV was 30 years old when he ascended to the throne, while Alexander was 20 when he ascended to the throne after the death of his father, Phillip II, due to an assassination attempt. A long time after Henry IV's death, he was given the title of great because of his duties to the French. This shows that over time, the opinion of him was changed from being hated to being considered "great" by the French people.

Alexander the Great

Henry IV the Great

"Alexander the Great." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 16 September 
2013. September 25 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_the_Great>

"Seleucid Empire." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 18 September 2013. 
September 24 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seleucid_Empire>

"Selecus I Nicator." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc 14 September 2013. September 26 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seleucus_I_Nicator>

"Ptolemaic Kingdom." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 12 September 2013. 24 September 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptolemaic_egypt>

"Alexander of Macedonia." San Jose Sate University. 23 September 2013. <http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/alexandergreat.htm>

"Alexander the Great" Princeton University. 23 September 2013. <http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Alexander_the_Great.html>

"The Successor Kingdoms" Maxwell University 23 September 2013. <http://classes.maxwell.syr.edu/his301-001/Timeline%20(Successor%20Kingdoms).htm>