Saturday, May 11, 2013
Monday, May 6, 2013
ALEXANDER THE GREAT
Nearly 2,500 years ago an young lad from Greece from the province of macedon to be precise traveled some 6000 kilometers in conquest leaving modern day Greece and travelling Eastwards and is stopped on the banks of the river Jhelum called Hydaspes by the Greeks by Puru Singh alias Porus who might be of Rajput descent and ancestry. On his way back he is dead by poisoning in Babylon in modern day Iraq possibly after drinking poisoned wine apparently administered by some of his evil Generals who were more experienced in the mannerisms of life that a gullible lad would be worsted in the most devious of ways so that they could partake of the vast empire a good part of it later becoming the Roman Empire.
This is Alexander for you also called Sikander or Iskander ...most popularly known as ALEXANDER THE GREAT for his single ability at twisting imminent defeat into victory and not having lost any war in the bargain.
Apparently Alexander is the son of Phillippe of Macedon and his fourth wife Olympias. Alexander had a sharp mind at studying cause-effect which he depicts at a very young age. An Arabian trader brings a weird looking horse to Phillipe of Macedon and offers to sell it for ten talents..a talent being an equivalent of few coins of gold the trader having finished his work at the market place trading horses thought of selling his last spoil to the Emperor itself. Not many would want to buy the horse for there was something weird about its looks a head larger than most horses. However Phillipe volunteered to buy and tried to mount the horse but the horse would aleniate itself frightened of something. It was an embarassing moment snubbed bya horse. Phillipe calls for his Military generals and not many could do anything to embark the horse and the Arabian trader awry at the sight of things dcides to withdraw the horse...but the young lad Alexander barely eleven years of age notices the horse is uncomfortable with something..its own shadow and when someone comes to mout the horse the horse sees the shadow of both the man and itself and feels endangered. Understand the situation the morning sun hitting the back of the horse would leave a large shadow ahead and the horse was a witness of the shadow. Alexander pleads with his father that he be let to tame the horse. Alexander made th horse face the sun and within moments mounted the horse. Ever since this horse formed a very important part of Alexander's life and brought him good fortune. he named it BUCEPHALUS which in Greek would translate into OX-HEAD ..Bux means OX and Phalus means Head in Greek.
His father Philippe is delighted at the skill of his son and exclaims....FIND MY SON A KINGDOM MUCH LARGER THAN MACEDON TO RULE FOR MACEDON IS TOO SMALL FOR YOU....It appears to me that this exclamation from his father spurred Alexander to conquer the known world of that time and went about it in adulthood.
Murders were an important component of Greek life of these times. Phillipe of Macedon is murdered in cold blood by one who dashes at him with a sword one evening when he on his way entering a large hall of those times for some happening....Philippe married many times and made many enemies including his own son for his wanton acts and the military generals decide to appoint Alexander the king after many parleys and Olympias has a very stern hand in supporting the cause of his son who was adored by the military of Macedon. Alexander barely out of his teens well trained and tutored for his times finds himself king..spirited in many ways and despicable in others the lad who had a weakness for drinks but respected women found himself forced into being the king of Macedon. Note that murders went on to become an important component of Roman life too..Ceasar was stabbed in similar fashion in Rome and many Roman kings escaped attempts on their lives.
The route that Alexander took must be 7000 kilometers in all ....largely subduing many kings and chieftains on his way to India chasing many marauders and ultimately reaching the river Indus and signalling Porus to surrender who on the contrary opted to fight..and thus the BATTLE OF HYDASPES..a very closely fought combat between an Indian ruler and Alexander largely forcing Alexander to call-off his adventures at this point. Alexander for the first time encounters war elephants which he had not seen before..each of these elephants well trained at goring enemy horses and infantry. The greek horses failed to advance out of fear at seeing these enormous beasts who menacingly stampeded everything that came on its way. Wars in those days were a day to day affair with the nights sensing calm and the combat resuming the following day and is an ultimate show of strength. Here comes the greatness of Alexander ! he pulled the cavalry back and made columns of soldiers called Phalanx ...a rectangular array of soldiers of say 20 people arranged in rhythm to hurt the goring elephant with spears and shrapnel and the fate of the war change. At the same time in the secret of the night the cavalry is transferred downstream in the flow of the river and the cavalry attacking the enemy from the side and the strategy worked..Porus himself falling and hurting himself and the favourite horse of Alexander Bucephalus dead..Alexander neutralised the elephants and narrowly won the war and asked for Porus who was brought to him limping from a wound and the meeting was not among a victor and a vanquished as thought by many but was one among two people who respected each other for their skills. Alexander himself was taken aback by the loss of Bucephalus and asked Porus how he would like to be treated..Porus said as a king ....Porus was given dominion over his territory but was made a vassal of the Greeks. On the banks of the river Jhelum Alexander made the city Alexandria Bucephalus in honour of the horse who well served him and was a joy of his childhood..the city of Phalia today in the Punjab province of Pakistan..Alexander makes his return journey partially by sea using the Arabian sea to touch Arabia and thereafter into Babylon where he is murdered.
The vast Greek empire of this time initiated the greed of his Generals who thought it wise to rule parts of them and they saw Alexander as a hindrance..and getting rid of the young Alexander would not be a difficult task as he treasured and trusted many..it would not be difficult to poison him using one of the moles who served the king..a slow acting one and with the physicians back at Macedon medical advice would be too late to arrive. There was a Greek general of this time Bacterius and the word Bacteria appears to surface from his name for some evil foreign particle.This is the Greeks and their affairs of the bygone era. Greed for power, land, wine and women all ran in their blood in that order.
Alexander was sick for many days. He had a passion for his forces and led from the front and had the lethal ability of creating a blend and bond with his soldiers..largely briefing them before a battle and that is what Alexander did during his last days..meet his soldiers one by one in Babylon sleeping on his couch and waving as the vast number of his soldiers walked past him. What was he poisoned with? possibly herbs in the drinks which he possibly took celebrating his adventures and victory.
Thus there was a large Greek empire along this stretch for many years and every one wanted to be the king and deceit and counter deceit was the order of the day and the empire shrinks into many reasonably sizable bits and possibly lasted for few decades.
The route that Alexander took must be 7000 kilometers in all ....largely subduing many kings and chieftains on his way to India chasing many marauders and ultimately reaching the river Indus and signalling Porus to surrender who on the contrary opted to fight..and thus the BATTLE OF HYDASPES..a very closely fought combat between an Indian ruler and Alexander largely forcing Alexander to call-off his adventures at this point. Alexander for the first time encounters war elephants which he had not seen before..each of these elephants well trained at goring enemy horses and infantry. The greek horses failed to advance out of fear at seeing these enormous beasts who menacingly stampeded everything that came on its way. Wars in those days were a day to day affair with the nights sensing calm and the combat resuming the following day and is an ultimate show of strength. Here comes the greatness of Alexander ! he pulled the cavalry back and made columns of soldiers called Phalanx ...a rectangular array of soldiers of say 20 people arranged in rhythm to hurt the goring elephant with spears and shrapnel and the fate of the war change. At the same time in the secret of the night the cavalry is transferred downstream in the flow of the river and the cavalry attacking the enemy from the side and the strategy worked..Porus himself falling and hurting himself and the favourite horse of Alexander Bucephalus dead..Alexander neutralised the elephants and narrowly won the war and asked for Porus who was brought to him limping from a wound and the meeting was not among a victor and a vanquished as thought by many but was one among two people who respected each other for their skills. Alexander himself was taken aback by the loss of Bucephalus and asked Porus how he would like to be treated..Porus said as a king ....Porus was given dominion over his territory but was made a vassal of the Greeks. On the banks of the river Jhelum Alexander made the city Alexandria Bucephalus in honour of the horse who well served him and was a joy of his childhood..the city of Phalia today in the Punjab province of Pakistan..Alexander makes his return journey partially by sea using the Arabian sea to touch Arabia and thereafter into Babylon where he is murdered.
The vast Greek empire of this time initiated the greed of his Generals who thought it wise to rule parts of them and they saw Alexander as a hindrance..and getting rid of the young Alexander would not be a difficult task as he treasured and trusted many..it would not be difficult to poison him using one of the moles who served the king..a slow acting one and with the physicians back at Macedon medical advice would be too late to arrive. There was a Greek general of this time Bacterius and the word Bacteria appears to surface from his name for some evil foreign particle.This is the Greeks and their affairs of the bygone era. Greed for power, land, wine and women all ran in their blood in that order.
Alexander was sick for many days. He had a passion for his forces and led from the front and had the lethal ability of creating a blend and bond with his soldiers..largely briefing them before a battle and that is what Alexander did during his last days..meet his soldiers one by one in Babylon sleeping on his couch and waving as the vast number of his soldiers walked past him. What was he poisoned with? possibly herbs in the drinks which he possibly took celebrating his adventures and victory.
Thus there was a large Greek empire along this stretch for many years and every one wanted to be the king and deceit and counter deceit was the order of the day and the empire shrinks into many reasonably sizable bits and possibly lasted for few decades.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
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