Реферат: Alexander

They marched on to Lycia and took over thirty cities here. They then moved along the

Anatolian plateau for about a three weeks’ march until they reached the ancient city of

Gordion.

Alexander came here for strategic reasons. Gordion was not only the main

junction to central Anatolia but also the place known for a weird legend. As legend has it

Gordion was originally the city of Midas whose father Gordius was believed to have

migrated from Macedonia to here in a wooden cart. His arrival fulfilled a local prophecy,

and Gordius became the king of this place. As a thanks offering Gordius left the cart in

the temple of Zeus with a leather knot on the end of it made of cornel bark with invisible

ends on it. The legend of the Gordion Knot7 states that whoever undid the knot would

become ruler of Asia. This of course was irresistible to Alexander who had based so

many of his victories on the strengths of the Gods.

Alexander went up to the acropolis and stood silent trying to figure out how to

undo the knot. As history tells us Alexander said ‘It doesn’t matter how the knot is

loosened’8 and at the same instance he drew his sword and hacked up the knot revealing

the ends inside. Alexander left believing that the legend had been fulfilled and that he

would soon be the ruler of Asia.

Throughout all of Alexander’s conquests the fear remained that Memnon might

attack Greece while Alexander was no where near to defend it. His fears became a reality

when Memnon’s forces, traveling by sea after their retreat at the Battle at Bodrun, made

way to Greece and took the cities of Chios and Lesbos. Luckily, for not only Alexander

but for the rest of the Macedonians, Memnon fell ill and died.

Darius, after learning about Memnon’s death, proceeded to search for an equal

replacement but failed to do so. Darius soon realized that he would have to fight his own

battles. Darius the King of Persia was not only a war leader but a semi-divine being in the

minds of the Persians. Divine being or not, Darius was about to get a reality check by

battling Alexander.

Alexander had journeyed down from central Anatolia to Tarsus. At Tarsus he fell

ill from malaria and almost died. Alexander, a true fighter, recovered and moved down