Alexander the Great's contributions to the world are numerous, including the creation of the Macedonian Empire and sparking Hellenistic civilization. But what if he died before he could become “the Great”?
When Alexander was twenty two, he fought and defeated the King Darius III and the Persians at the Battle of the Granicus River in Anatolia. He charged into their ranks, and came very close to death after a blow to the head. His bodyguard arrived in just in time to kill the attacker and save Alexander. But what if he didn’t? What if the attacker struck Alexander a second, fatal time?
All of world history as we know it would change irrevocably.
Alexander had just died, and his troops would manage to drive back the enemy with a hard won victory, …show more content…
But they had no interest in imperial expansion. They could flourish economically without an empire, as a major port and trading city. Athens and Persia maintained a good relationship, and trade between the two powers grew. Foreign peoples migrated to Athens, where they were welcomed as citizens. Athens became a cultural mecca, the center of Greek intellectual and social life. Some of the intellectual accomplishments of Alexander's empire might have been discovered here, along with advances unknown to us but many breakthroughs we take for granted might not have been discovered at all. As the population of Athens grew, revenue from trade and taxes increased. Athens looked towards Western Mediterranean to expand, but one problem stood in their …show more content…
There was very little transcultural exchange, and most people would speak their own local language and follow local laws, isolated from the world around them. Their contact with the empires that ruled them would be confined to paying taxes and occasional military service. The Persians were tolerant of different religions, so Judaism would remain a provincial religion with little effect on global society. Christianity also would not spread, because the Bible wouldn’t be translated into a commonly understood languages. The lack of Christianity and Judaism would have a major cultural effect on the world Muhammad grew up in. Islam, if it developed, would be radically different. Culture itself would have a different meaning, with cultures being small and isolated instead of impacting each other and creating
When Alexander was twenty two, he fought and defeated the King Darius III and the Persians at the Battle of the Granicus River in Anatolia. He charged into their ranks, and came very close to death after a blow to the head. His bodyguard arrived in just in time to kill the attacker and save Alexander. But what if he didn’t? What if the attacker struck Alexander a second, fatal time?
All of world history as we know it would change irrevocably.
Alexander had just died, and his troops would manage to drive back the enemy with a hard won victory, …show more content…
But they had no interest in imperial expansion. They could flourish economically without an empire, as a major port and trading city. Athens and Persia maintained a good relationship, and trade between the two powers grew. Foreign peoples migrated to Athens, where they were welcomed as citizens. Athens became a cultural mecca, the center of Greek intellectual and social life. Some of the intellectual accomplishments of Alexander's empire might have been discovered here, along with advances unknown to us but many breakthroughs we take for granted might not have been discovered at all. As the population of Athens grew, revenue from trade and taxes increased. Athens looked towards Western Mediterranean to expand, but one problem stood in their …show more content…
There was very little transcultural exchange, and most people would speak their own local language and follow local laws, isolated from the world around them. Their contact with the empires that ruled them would be confined to paying taxes and occasional military service. The Persians were tolerant of different religions, so Judaism would remain a provincial religion with little effect on global society. Christianity also would not spread, because the Bible wouldn’t be translated into a commonly understood languages. The lack of Christianity and Judaism would have a major cultural effect on the world Muhammad grew up in. Islam, if it developed, would be radically different. Culture itself would have a different meaning, with cultures being small and isolated instead of impacting each other and creating