Thursday 9 April 2015

Just a few facts about Alexander the Great by Olivia F.




The First Leg of the Journey - Group 1

This picture shows Alexander's journey during the first passage in the text that we are working from. Group one have worked together to collect data and plot Alexander's journey on the map. We hope that you can see where he went!


The Conquest of Alexander the Great by Hamza

His campaigns were worthy of his name,
Alexander the Great, son of Ammon, the King of Gods.
To the Persian land he laid claim,
And he gained it, defying all odds.

Of these confrontations, the first was at home.
Watched over by Mt. Olympus,
Greece submitted to his dome,
Not allowing anyone to fuss.

With all the good omens, to Asia he trekked,
Defeating all who opposed.
Cities in Egypt he did erect,
Peace was hence forth imposed.

The man who conquered,
The man who will always be honoured,
Respected even after his fate,
Thus his name was Alexander the Great.


Logo

A logo about Alexander the Great created by Sarvesh
and Mital 



The border is a Greek temple mosaic.
To the top-left and top-right is a coin of Alexander the Great. He has the horns of Amun.
The shield represents how Alexander defended against rebellions.
In the middle of the shield are the long pikes which gave Alexander and his infantry victory.
To the top of the shield is the land Alexander owned by the end of his life. The empire spanned from Greece to modern day Pakistan.

Group 3 Drawings

Some of group 3's drawings.

A drawing of the bust of Alexander the Great

A war elephant (called Freddy) who fought against Alexander.



I drew this to show Alexander the Great as a figure who stood in the middle as a fire raged around him because he was the cause of all the carnage and death. As well as that, the Persians burnt down Greek temples and in return Alexander burnt down a Persian temple.

By Eliza Mills

The Battle of Granicus- a creative account from the point of view of a Macedonian soldier


The Battle of Granicus
written by Claire and edited by Kay, group 1

I watched through the sea of infantry in absolute horror as our King, Alexander, dismissed General Parmenion with a confident smile on his lips. My comrade and I exchanged looks. The first battle of our conquest of Persia was soon to begin, a battle where so many of us could die.  I quickly memorized my comrade’s twinkling blue eyes, so full of energy and life, life that could leave him so soon.

Alexander paused, turning towards our army and giving a reassuring smile that didn’t seem to reach his troubled gaze. The beginning of the battle was creeping ever closer. I stepped hesitantly forwards, the River Granicus stretching out in front of me, an obstacle separated us from the enemy army now, but in a few short moments would keep us safe no longer.

Thousands upon thousands of Persians were lined up on the far bank. They were dressed in shining armour, with swords and pikes raised threateningly. Behind them, the archer’s taut bowstrings were quivering with tension, all arrows pointing towards Alexander. I gulped, suddenly afraid, until the rallying battle cry of Alexander struck through the air, bringing me to my senses and sending adrenaline surging through me. My feet hit the ground with determined thumps (although they were nothing compared to the rushing river, whinnying horses and pounding stomps of the rest of the army), as we marched forward.

All at once, the whole army halted. Tension built. I resisted the urge to turn and flee: but I had to stay loyal to my country and bring revenge upon the Persians. I could feel my heart beating: da-dum-da-dum, quicker and quicker and quicker, seconds growing into minutes in a deafening, stifling silence. Nobody dared to utter a single word in fear of breaking the blanket of suffocating silence; start the battle from which both sides would surely suffer heavy losses.

I looked down at the large shield in my hand, checking that it was in place. A few strands of my curly coffee-coloured hair came loose: I promptly ignored them and straightened up. Sweat poured down my body as the sun beat down on me, but it was washed away as I waded into the apathetic river. My armour grew hot and uncomfortable, until it felt nearly as heavy as the insistent current that pushed against me and threatened to sweep me away.

I took a deep breath, sucking yet more dust into my dry lungs. I struggled not to cough, or to bend over to drink some of the cool river water beneath me. Instead, I focused of praying to the Gods about the battle to come.
‘Pallas Athena, guide me with your wisdom. Ares the warrior, give me strength to persevere. Nike, help my country to be victorious against the Persians.
If only my prayer had been answered.

Soon the first to follow Alexander into the river had reached to edge. A steep bank separated them from the Persians, but they were soon scrambling up and over it to begin the conflict. The clang of weapons followed by screaming and the pungent smell of blood filled the air. I was pushed from behind, and stumbled towards the bank, where spears and flying arrows were piercing man after man as they attempted to scale the bank and reach the flat land. Red blood flowed down into the river, staining its clear waters a permanent ruby colour.

All of a sudden, the river ended and it was my turn to scramble up the bank. I managed to reach the top without being injured. With a shout to hide the fear growing up inside me, I thrust my spear forwards. It clanged off a Persians soldiers shield and bounced back, causing me to lost my grip on it. Unarmed and vulnerable, I looked up at the Persian. He stared back at me, a face of indifference. I watched, helpless, as his spear came down on top of me. I was forced to the ground, forgotten and trampled over like a dead insect.

I did not blame the Persian for the searing pain that ensued, nor did I blame Zeus and his fellow Olympians. There was no hatred in my mind as I wavered between the world and unconsciousness, only shock.

The battle continued as my last breath escaped my lips, and I felt my soul detach from my body. My wife, who had taken the hand of Thanantos a year ago, appeared in front of me, beckoning. I drifted up into the clouds. The sounds of the battle faded away as I took her hand gently, plating upon it a small kiss. A tear snaked its way down her cheek as she turned to speak to me.
“My dear Philip, it is time for you to join me”
I glanced at the raging battle below me, and the dark hooded figure of Thanantos before me. Taking his hand also, I floated away.

 
What was the Legacy of Alexander the Great?  Share your ideas on the Padlet wall below...



So...how do you think Alexander the Great met his end?  What do you think actually killed him?


Bucephalas by Group 1
(Hattie)




This amazing portrait of a statue of Alexander the Great was drawn by Felicity Wootton using a biro pencil and paper.


 ...and then edited into an Andy Warhol effect using the Paper Camera app on the iPad...


This poem summarises Alexander's conquest across Turkey and Asia Minor.


listen to ‘Alexander the Great War Poem by Tom Zart’ on audioBoom

Read by Isi Webb-Jenkins

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/alexander-the-great-war-poem/


The battle of the River Granicus by group 1
(Hattie and Kay)




                                      


                                                           Pictures by Claire





Whilst studying the victorious campaign of Alexander the Great, we have been very lucky to be based in the historic town of Cambridge. With a population of 123,867 and 24,488 students, the city is full of life and ingenuity. The university itself was founded in 1209 and as well as being the home to some of the best Ancient-History minds, the architecture of the old colleges often shows inspiration from the classical period, even in a conservative English town that is far away from the blood-thirsty world of Alexander’s campaign across Persia and Asia Minor.  Being able to work with the university’s students and equipment really helped us to get an idea of university life and how the university works on a day to day basis, which is especially useful for people in the group who are thinking about studying at university in later life. 

Ellen and Isi 
The Macedonian Phalanx

What do you think were the strengths and weaknesses of the Macedonian Phalanx?






Arrian Anabasis, Book 1, Chapter 1, Section 1 (Translated by Nick Thompson, student on the project)

Greek-  Πτολεμαῖος ὁ Λάγου καὶ Ἀριστόβουλος ὁ Ἀριστοβούλου ὅσα μὲν ταὐτὰ ἄμφω περὶ Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ Φιλίππου συνέγραψαν, ταῦτα ἐγὼ ὡς πάντῃ ἀληθῆ ἀναγράφω, ὅσα δὲ οὐ ταὐτά, τούτων τὰ πιστότερα ἐμοὶ φαινόμενα καὶ ἅμα ἀξιαφηγητότερα ἐπιλεξάμενος.

Translation- Ptolemy son of Lagus and Aristobolus son of Aristobolus as great as on the one hand both accounts write in agreement of these things about Alexander son of Philip, I write these things as the complete truth, on the other hand as great as these things do not [write in agreement], the more trusted of these things seems for me also at the same time that which has been attributed as being more worth telling.

Commentary- Arrian was not an eye-witness of Alexander’s deeds. He merely reports upon an amalgated history made up of the accounts of Ptolemy (a bodyguard and general of Alexander) and Aristobolus (a close friend, architect, engineer and historian of Alexander). Therefore, we can presume that this is a reasonably reliable account of Alexander’s exploits geographically but is likely to be subjective to Alexander’s point of view whilst relaying events as it relies solely upon the evidence of his trusted friends.

                Sikandar Nama, e bara (The Book of Alexander the Great) by Nizami is the only other major text concerning Alexander and is written from the Persian perspective. However, this relies upon aural traditions passed down generations of Persians and so is also likely to be subjective in its approach. Another issue with Nizami’s version of events is that they were written in around 1202AD and therefore suffer from a lack of detailed, accurate knowledge of Alexander and his exploits.

                Our maps are entirely based upon Arrian and so, as accurate as we may try to be, we can only be faithful to Arrian to the exclusion of all other writers so as to have as much of a likeness as possible to the shape of Alexander’s journey to infinite power.
-Nick Thompson, Group 5
Click here for fun poems about Ancient Greece which are suitable for everyone. Everyone has been rapping them while we work!

http://www.history-for-kids.com/ancient-greece-for-kids.html

 Was Alexander the Great becoming 'too Persian'?!




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Odj__qpqEE: Alexander the Great is one of history’s most famous figures; he is also one of the most enigmatic. Aged just twenty when he inherited the throne of Macedonia in 336 BC, he led an invasion of the Persian Empire, then the most powerful empire in the world. Within ten years, Alexander had conquered vast swathes of territory, stretching from modern Egypt and Turkey in the West, to Afghanistan and Pakistan in the East. Conquering an empire is one thing, but consolidating it is a totally different matter. How was Alexander to go about integrating culturally and linguistically diverse peoples into a cohesive whole? This film explores one of the methods Alexander tried. In 327 he attempted to impose a Persian court practice, called proskynesis, on his Macedonian subjects. His reasons for doing so, however, are unclear and modern historians are deeply divided about his motivation. The film recreates the historical event and introduces the scholarly debate. By the end, you will have heard all of the available information and be able to take a stance on the issue. We’d love to hear your thoughts, tweet @olympusnews and visit: http://olympusnews.weebly.com/

Researcher: Stephen Harrison
Department: Classics
Film maker: Meghan Horvath
We're working hard designing and researching!



The end of Darius by group 1
(Hattie and Kay)




Sometimes the 100 year old atlas IS mightier than the computer! Modern technology has it's place but so does 'traditional technology'!


We've started getting creative with the Typedrawing app on the iPad!

Find out more about Alexander the Great by checking out our interactive timeline below: