The Legend of Alexander's Eastern Expedition: The Empire's Dream from Greece to India

Author: (English) Mike Wood
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-03-01
Features: Another meticulously crafted humanistic travel atlas by BBC! From Greece to India, the dream of an empire! An unprecedented and unparalleled empire, a fleeting one. A mysterious journey following in the footsteps of Alexander, restoring history. Only Genghis Khan and his descendants in later generations can rival him, yet Alexander's youthful prowess remains a unique chapter in world history! In the spring of 334 BC, Alexander crossed the Hellespont (Dardanelles Strait) and began his decade-long campaign in the East. The army he used to launch the expedition against the Persian Empire consisted of 30,000 infantry, 5,000 cavalry, and 160 warships. The Persian Empire, however, had a massive army of hundreds of thousands and 400 warships. Moreover, the Persian Empire's territory was about 50 times larger than that of the Macedonian Kingdom. What's more, the ancient and prosperous countries of Egypt, Babylon, Phoenicia, and many others in the Far East had already been conquered and incorporated into the Persian sphere of influence. Despite the vast disparity in strength, Alexander excelled at seeing the essence of things. He knew very well that although the Persian Empire was vast, its army was large, and its reputation was still formidable, its momentum was declining, and it was internally divided. King Darius was weak-willed, lacking wisdom and strategic acumen, making him an incompetent ruler. Meanwhile, the Macedonian Kingdom was at its peak, invincible. Leveraging the momentum of crossing the Hellespont, Alexander utilized his army's high morale and broke through the enemy's defenses in one go, securing a decisive victory. He completely shattered the Persians' morale and will to resist, opening the path to expand into Asia. Many city-states surrendered without a fight, even viewing Alexander as a savior who had freed them from Persian rule.