Thursday, 9 April 2015
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,
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.
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.
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. |
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
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.
‘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.
“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.
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/
Read by Isi Webb-Jenkins
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/alexander-the-great-war-poem/
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
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!
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