Alexander the Great (356–323 BCE)

The influence of Alexander the Great on the ancient world is undeniable, as seen in his initiation of Hellenization and contact between diverse populations through imperial expansion. During [Page 29]Alexander's childhood and adolescence, he was taught by multiple tutors, the most notable of whom was Aristotle. Aristotle helped develop a deep respect for Greek civilization in the Macedonian Alexander. And though Alexander's conquests were principally driven by imperial glory, Alexander's desire to spread Greek culture was a major motivation as well. But this may have been an unintended side effect of imperial conquest, and the deep Greek cultural influence throughout the conquered territories needed time and influence to develop, which Alexander was unable to give because of his death at the early age of 32. However, the empires that succeeded and divided Alexander's empire were able to provide that power and time. These empires continued to support the influence of Greek thought and culture, especially the use of the Greek language, throughout their existence. From this came the development of Hellenistic Judaism; the influence of neo-Platonism in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; the preparation of the region for Roman conquest; the diffusion of Christianity through the common Greek tongue; and the later preservation of Greek philosophy by Muslim scholars. And this influence spread even further east. For example, around the time of Alexander's expansion to the Indus River, statues of the Buddha took on a significant resemblance to those of the Greek god Apollo.

During his conquest of Egypt, Alexander was greeted as “the son of god” by the priest of Amun at Siwa, Libya. Amun was associated with the Greek god Zeus, and Alexander welcomed or demanded worship of himself as a divinity from his own people as well as those he conquered from that point on. This type of leader worship, characteristic of the Egyptian religio-political structure of the time, was significantly different from existing Greek and Macedonian norms. Still, it continued with Alexander's successors, especially Ptolemy II, and this innovation was eventually taken up by the emperors of the Roman Empire along with so many other aspects of Greek culture and religion.

Finally, Alexander's imperial expansion eventually ruined the city-state system of the Greeks through the cosmopolitan incorporation of new religio-political practices as well as other cultural (especially Persian) elements into his dress and habits. Along with this, Alexander's expansion required that, when he did not completely annihilate a community, he leave religious practices in place along with the local rulers for the sake of expediency. And all the while, he brought in native warriors for his army and built new cities. Of these new cities, the various cities of Alexandria had the double function of spreading Greek culture and religion as well as being nodes of Greek military strength. The most important of these, Alexandria, Egypt, has been a religious, cultural, commercial, and intellectual center for thousands of years.