In the footsteps of Alexander the Great is an itinerary that develops through the Greece and theAsia.
Introduction
Geographical notes
Alexander's conquests covered a large area. A first approximation to follow his path today would be the hippy path from the 70s, by land from Istanbul to Delhi. However that route generally omits the Greece and various areas it has conquered: the Levant, L'Egypt, L'Iraq and the northern parts of the Persian Empire in Central Asia.
Background
Alexander III of Macedonia, more commonly known as Alexander the Great or Alexander the Great, was the king of the ancient Greek kingdom of fruit salad, inheriting the kingdom at the age of 20 in 336 BC. By the age of 30 Alexander had created one of the greatest empires of the ancient world, uniting the Greek city-states and neighboring enemies, conquering theEgypt, conquering theAchaemenid Empire (First Persian) and successfully invading theIndia North Western. He died at age 32 of a disease, so he didn't rule his empire for long, but after his death the dynasties descended from his generals ruled parts of it for centuries.
Never defeated in battle, Alexander is regarded as one of the most successful and influential military leaders of all time. Even today, in most armies, trainee officers study his tactics.
Trade along the Silk Road it became well established not long after Alexander, and much of that route lay in the territory he had conquered.
Alexander founded many cities. Wikipedia has a list of around 30, here we mention a few. Most were in strategic positions, and many of the initial inhabitants were veterans.
Alexander did Babylon the capital of his new empire and withdrew there after the expedition in India, building a marina on the Persian Gulf thinking of new conquests, starting with Arabia. He died in Babylon only a few years later, possibly of typhus although the details are controversial.
After Alexander's death in 323 BC, the empire was divided among his generals and there was a partition conflict.
The most important of the generals was Seleucus I Nicatore which was given Babylon in the original division but conquered many more territories later. The map shows the Selucid Empire and other states ruled by the Greece at the time of his death. This empire lasted until 63 BC, when the Roman general Pompey put an end to it.
After the secession from the Selucid Empire, a Greco-Bactrian kingdom ruled much of theCentral Asia until 125 BC about. In the 2nd century BC, sent by them and the Chinese court they reached Kashgar and they met. This appears to have been the first contact between the China and the Europeans and led to the creation of the trade of Silk Road, with the Fergana Valley as a main route between Kashgar and Samarkand. Around 180 BC the Bactrian kingdom invaded the Indian subcontinent and a Greek-Indian kingdom survived there until 10 AD. about.
Another general, Ptolemy, became Pharaoh of Egypt with its capital ad Alexandria, and built the famous library and the lighthouse there. The last ruler of the dynasty he founded was Cleopatra, died in 30 BC After that, Egypt became a Roman province; the Romans they were appointed to the highest jobs, while the Ptolemaic Greeks were a large part of the professional class both in and outside government. The Greek it was the language of government and Greek culture was quite influential until the conquest Muslim in 641 A.D. The Egyptian language now called Coptic, soon written in an alphabet of Greek derivation, is still used liturgically.
How to get
Stages
In the footsteps of Alexander the Great: full screen map.Greece
His father's and Alexander's early conquests gave the Macedonians control of the whole Greece and some nearby areas:
- 1 Pella - Alexander's birthplace and capital of the fruit salad. In 168 BC was sacked by Romans and his treasure was carried to Rome. Nowadays it is a rich archaeological site.
- 2 Chaeronea - In 338 BC, Philip II of Macedon led the Macedonians against the combined forces of Athens is Thebes. Alexander was in charge of the left wing and was the first to break the ranks of the elite force of the Theban infantry, known as the sacred band.
In 336 BC Philip was assassinated by his bodyguard and Alexander was proclaimed king. Philip had forged and led an alliance, the Hellenic League, which joined most of the Greece to attack the Persians, who had invaded Greece during the previous century and still controlled many predominantly Greek areas in Anatolia (now Asian Turkey). After Philip's death, Alexander was appointed head.
- 3 Pelion - In 336 BC, Alexander undertook a siege of Pelion against the Illyrian coalition led by Glaucia the Taulantian is Clitus the Dardan. The Macedonian army of 15,000 men defeated the Illyrians, built a new outpost and, crucially for Alexander, gained a quick entry point to march towards Thebes. While Pelion is known to be in today's Albania, the exact location is unknown. It is thought to be close to the village of 4 Gorna Gorica or 5 Selcë and Poshtme in eastern Albania.
- 6 Thebes - This was the most important city-state in the Central Greece at the time. While Alexander was dealing with the Illyrians, Thebes and other cities of the Hellenic League rebelled. Alexander took Thebes and destroyed the city; after which the other allies became cooperatives again. The modern city of Thebes isn't particularly large or interesting, but it does have an excellent archaeological museum.
Mediterranean
With the Greek base secured and many Greek allies, Alexander moved against the Mediterranean areas held by Persia:
- 7 Grain River - Philip had sent a force in Anatolia, and shortly after he ascended the throne Alexander went to join them, bringing reinforcements. The Persians tried to stop it near the site of the ancient Troy.
- 8 Gordium (Central Anatolia) - This city was the capital of Phrygia, once an independent kingdom that ruled most of Anatolia, but by the time of Alexander Phrygia had been reduced to a province ofPersian Empire. Here there was a complex knot, presumably linked by the founder of the city, and a legend according to which whoever managed to untie it would have ruled theAsia. Alexander then took the sword and cut the Gordian knot. Today Gordio is an archaeological site about 80 km south of the Turkish capital Ankara.
- 9 Isso (Mediterranean Turkey) - This was the before the battles of Alexander where the opposing Persian forces were led by their emperor, Darius III, in person. The Greeks won, despite being seriously outnumbered. The battle took place in 333 BC.
- 10 Alexandretta (Mediterranean Turkey) - Born as Alexandria to Issum, to control the pass of the "Sirian Gate" on which the battle of Issus was fought. Today it is the largest city in the Turkish province of Hatay, on the shore of the Mediterranean, with a pleasant promenade lined with palm trees.
- 11 Shot (Southern Lebanon) - Alexander's most famous siege site. It features a huge amount of Roman relics, including the largest and best-preserved example of a Roman hippodrome. Today it is the fourth largest city in Lebanon, known for well-preserved Roman architecture and beautiful beaches.
- 12 Gaza - Alexander has besieged this city. After three unsuccessful attempts, on the fourth attempt he broke through the walls and his infantry overwhelmed the defenders. Once the city fell, most of the fighting-age men were massacred while women and children were sold as slaves.
The conquest of Gaza opened the way for Macedonians toEgypt, and once Gaza fell, the Persian satrap of Egypt surrendered without a fight.
- 13 Alexandria of Egypt - The largest city founded by Alexander, an important port in his time but also today. Alexander called it his "window on Greece". The Greeks built an extremely tall lighthouse there which was one of the seven wonders of the world. However, the lighthouse is no longer standing. The famous Library of Alexandria had a size that no library in the Mediterranean world would have surpassed until long after the invention of printing and every book brought into the busy port had to be given to the library for copying before it could go on its way. .
Persia
After taking the Mediterranean territories of Anatolia and the Persia and refusing a series of peace offers from Darius, he continued east to conquer the rest of thePersian Empire:
- 14 Babylon - After the defeat at Issus, Darius retired to this ancient city to regroup forces. Alexander later chose Babylon as his capital and died there while planning further conquests. Today there are only ruins, located in the modern Iraq.
- 15 Gaugamela - In this place Darius's army marching from Babylon met Alexander's army coming east. It was the decisive battle of the Persian campaign, fought near Dihok in what today is the Iraqi Kurdistan. Again the Greeks were considerably outnumbered, but still won. Their troops were mostly better armed and trained, and Alexander was tactically smarter.
- 16 Susa - This was the administrative capital of Persia; Alexander took it and used it as a base for further campaigns. Today the city is called Shush and it's not particularly significant, but the ruins of ancient Susa are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- 17 Persian door - This is a step on Zagros mountains where an outnumbered Persian force managed to hold Alexander at bay for a month as he led his army along the Royal Road from Susa to Persepolis.
- 18 Persepolis - This was the ceremonial capital of thePersian Empire at the time. Much of the city was destroyed by fire shortly after Alexander conquered it; some historians believe this was accidental while others think it was deliberate, possibly a revenge for Cyrus who burned Athens 150 years earlier. Today, its ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a major tourist destination. The closest large city, and the usual starting point for visits to Persepolis is Shiraz.
Central Asia
After the fall of Persepolis, the Persian emperor Darius fled to the northern parts of his empire, in Central Asia. Alexander pursued him, also conquering that region.
- 19 Merv - This was the satrapy capital of Margiana, the far northwestern part of the Persian Empire. Alessandro took it and founded the city of Alexandria in Margiana. Merv was destroyed during one of the bloodiest conquests of theMongol Empire in the thirteenth century; it was rebuilt but never recovered its former glory. It was again destroyed by the Emir of Bukhara in the 18th century. Today there are only ruins, close to Mary, in Turkmenistan.
- 20 Sogdiana (Transoxania) - This was the northernmost satrapy of the Persian Empire, the region north of the river then called Oxus and now Amu Darya. Its largest cities were Samarkand is Bukhara further west. Alessandro took them both. Today the centers of both are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, mainly for Islamic architecture built long after Alexander's arrival.
- 21 Battle of Jaxartes - This was Alexander's northeastern battle, fought along a river then called Jaxartes and now Syr Darya, which formed the northern boundary of the Sogdiana. The battlefield was close to the modern city of Tashkent. The opponents were the Saka, nomadic knights of the northern steppes.
- 22 Xuçand - Founded as Alexandria Eschate (the furthest of the cities) mainly to protect the border along the Jaxartes in the far northeast of Alexander's empire.
All the cities mentioned above later became commercial centers of the Silk Road and they remained so until the Middle Ages. All except Merv they still exist. There Fergana Valley became the main route of the Silk Road from Kashgar to Samarkand.
- 23 Bactria - Before Alexander this region was also part of the Persian Empire; today most of them are located in the north ofAfghanistan. A Greco-Bactrian kingdom he ruled Bactria, Sogdiana and Margiana for about two centuries after Alexander's death. Their capital is indicated as Bactres on the map and is called today Balkh.
Afghanistan
FromCentral Asia Alexander moved through Bactria and theAfghanistan with the intent to invade the Indian subcontinent. Along the way he founded several cities:
- 24 Bagram - Alexander built a city called Alexandria of the Caucasus to check the passes north of Kabul. Location is still strategically important; both the Russians and the Americans set up major bases nearby when they invaded Afghanistan.
- 25 Herat - Founded as Alexandria Ariana, today Herat is the third largest city in Afghanistan and the most important city in the west. It is close to the border and has always had strong links with Persia before and theIran after.
- 26 Kandahar - The city was founded in 330 BC. such as Alexandria in Arachosia, the name recorded for this city until the Islamic conquest. The name "Kandahar" probably evolved from "Iskandar", the local dialect version of the name Alexander. It was the capital of the country in the 18th century and again under the rule of the Taliban. Today it is the second largest city in Afghanistan and considered one of the most dangerous.
The subcontinent
The Persian empire under Darius had included Gandhara, now in Pakistan, like the most eastern satrapy. Alexander invited the leaders to submit to him as the new ruler of the Empire. Some did, but he had to invade them to subdue the others.
- 27 Khyber Pass (Pakistan) - Like other conquerors before and after him, Alexander led the army through this pass to get to the subcontinent from Afghanistan. The hill tribes of the region had always been downright ferocious, and even Alexander couldn't get through until he managed to bribe some of the local leaders to assist him.
- 28 Taxila - The ruler of this important trading city of Gandhara allied himself with Alexander. It would later be a Buddhist art center with strong Greek influences. Today it is an important archaeological site and a tourist destination on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
- 29 Battle of the Idaspe - This battle was fought close to Jhelum in what is now the province of Punjab in Pakistan. Hydapses it was the Greek name of what is now called the Jhelum River. The defeated local ruler surrendered and became a subordinate of Alexander.
After the idapsi, many of Alexander's men refused to march further east and some generals supported them, pointing out that they had already done a lot and were away from homes and families. Alexander reluctantly agreed and led much of the army back to Persia, taking the Sindh and the Baluchistan along the way.
Safety
Alexander's conquests had established new trade routes and relative stability in the region, today the path is similar to that hippy but it is largely dangerous.
In 1979 theAfghanistan was invaded bySoviet Union and this country has not been safe ever since. In this century the coalitions led by the USA invaded Afghanistan and theIraq , while the Syria a fierce civil war is underway; in mid-2020, these conflicts are perhaps less severe than a few years ago, but none of them have ended. Other countries in the region also have some problems like the Pakistan.
Check out the safety articles if you are even considering a trip to Afghanistan, Iraq or Syria.
