Alexander To Carthage And Italy

[Greco-Roman]

Before Alexander the Great died coming back from India he planned to take over Carthage and Italy

what i want to know is if he didnt die of a fever do you think he could have successfully done so?

if he did how do you think the world would change?

Edited April 29, 2006 by Greco-Roman

[FLavius Valerius Constantinus]

Like every conquerer doesn't want to conquer the world. Actually, Alexader planned on conquering the Arabian Peninsula, not Italia or Carthago.

Edited April 29, 2006 by FLavius Valerius Constantinus

[Ursus]

With the possible exception of some Greek colonies in the south, I can't imagine Italy at the time was worth conquering.

[Greco-Roman]

well quoted in the national geograpphic it said he thought of first going for arabia and then carthage and italy

[Andrew Dalby]

well quoted in the national geograpphic it said he thought of first going for arabia and then carthage and italy

 

Yes, quite right, there is something in this. Whether 'truth' is in it is more doubtful. There was a document known as Alexander's Last Plans, which did include plans for conquests in Europe. Who made the document, that's the question.

 

I can't find any details right now: can anyone help me? But Richard Stoneman, in his introduction to his translation of 'The Greek Alexander Romance' (1991: p. 4) confirms that after Alexander's death 'Among his papers were controversial documents including his Last Plans -- for conquest of the West'.

[longbow]

Doidorus mentions it in book seventeen of his World History series.

Alexander's last Plans.

[Rameses the Great]

I don't know, he clearly expressed more interest of the Persian culture more than his own. Remember Rome at that time was ruled by the King of Epirus, which was an independent state in Greece. Also the threat of many barbarian hoards attacking Rome was not worth the bother. It still was not a great prize. Rome in my opinion is not a great area, the Romans made it great. The East was a place that the Greeks had been eyeing on, so they conquered it. Alexander the Great would have conquered any place, as long as it was available.

 

He could have easily taken Rome and Carthage, but a certain appeal called to him in the East.

[Segestan]

Alexander made those plans at Babylon after his return from Patala, marched through the country of the Oritae, the capital which was called Ora or Rhambacis. Here he was in much need of provisions , that he lost a great number of soldiers, and brought back from India just over a fourth of his army, which consisted of 120,000 foot and 15000 horse. Sickness , bad food, and excessive heat , had swept them away in great numbers; but the havoc among the troops in this barren land , which was neither ploughed nor sowed ; it's inhabitants being savages, who fared very hard , and led a most uncomfortable life. After they had eaten all the Palm tree roots that could be met with, they were obliged to feed upon the beast of burden, and next upon their war-horses; and when they had no beast left to carry the baggage , they were forced to burn those rich spoils of conquests, for the sake of which the Macedonians had run to the extremities of the earth. The plague, the usual attendant upon famine, completed the calamity of the soldiers, and destroyed great numbers of them.

The successful voyage of his Naval commander Nearchus from the mouth of the Indus into the Persian Gulf lead Alexander to plan for a Sea voyage conquest. He proposed no less than to sail from the Persian Gulf , round Arabia and Africa , and to return into the straits of Gibraltar , called at the time Hercules Pillars; a voyage which had been several times attempted , and once performed , by order of a King of Egypt , called Necho. It was afterwards his design, when he should have humbled the pride of Carthage, against which he was greatly angry, to cross into Spain, called by the Greeks Iberia, from the river Iberus; he next was to go over the Alps , and coast along Italy, where he would have but a short passage into Epirus, and from thence into Macedonia. For this purpose , he sent orders to his viceroys of Mesopotamia and syria , to build in several parts of the euphrates , and particularly at Thapsacus, ships sufficent for that enterprise; and he had felled , on Mount Libanus, a great number of trees, which were to be carried into Thapsacus. This project as well many others was halted by his death.

 

Yes ; Macedonia would have defeated Carthage and Rome. The armies of Carthage and Rome were at that time no match for Alexander and his battle hardened Army. The amount of Gold Alexander would have had at his disposal would have fielded huge armies. It was a known fact that Rome was growing in power that at some point a conflict would result between the Kingdom and the Republic.

You should remember that Alexander was a warrior; whose only purpose in life was to see the world bow to his will. He was a conqueror and a Prince who lived for the Will of the Gods. The Gods demanded the world be subjected to his conquering will. That was how his saw his role in life. A king who was to rule over the earth.

Rome would have fallen like all the rest.

The world would have changed ; but for the better or worse ? Depends on who would have been the great Diadochi.

 

regards,

[Greco-Roman]

Doidorus mentions it in book seventeen of his World History series.

Alexander's last Plans.

it sayed they reckoned that the tomb of Phillip was one of the 7 wonders how could they "reckoned" it if it was ever built?

[P.Clodius]

Remember Rome at that time was ruled by the King of Epirus, which was an independent state in Greece.

You have a lot of studying to do!

[Krackalackin]

Doidorus mentions it in book seventeen of his World History series.

Alexander's last Plans.

it sayed they reckoned that the tomb of Phillip was one of the 7 wonders how could they "reckoned" it if it was ever built?

 

They found it. It's a damn fine tourist attraction. It's got his armor and everything. The crown he had was even more fantastic than the one in the movie. How about that. Not to say the movie was any good but Val Kilmer played a good Philip.

[Krackalackin]

I personally believe, granted ofcourse he's not killed or caught a fatal illness, Alexander would have conquered the entire mediterranean at the very least. In his lifetime, he could have conquered all of europe as well. It's hard to say how far he would have gotten because there was no chance any force could beat him. I'm guessing if he used all white people, keeping off the mutiny, he could have damn well conquered africa. I'm guessing his capability with nothing going wrong for a mutiny or him dying, he probably could have conquered all of europe, a lot of africa, India and would have been an old man looking to see what the hell it was that was over those mountains...(China).

[Andrew Dalby]

I personally believe, granted ofcourse he's not killed or caught a fatal illness, Alexander would have conquered the entire mediterranean at the very least. In his lifetime, he could have conquered all of europe as well. It's hard to say how far he would have gotten because there was no chance any force could beat him. I'm guessing if he used all white people, keeping off the mutiny, he could have damn well conquered africa. I'm guessing his capability with nothing going wrong for a mutiny or him dying, he probably could have conquered all of europe, a lot of africa, India and would have been an old man looking to see what the hell it was that was over those mountains...(China).

 

Well, that would have created a United Nations rather quicker than anyone expected. But don't stop there. Alexander's coastal exploration of Arabia would surely not have satisfied him for long. I guess the next maritime step would have been to set out across the Pacific ... probably ending up in California.

[Gaius Octavius]

Anyone could have defeated anyone else - if the rabbit didn't stop to ....

Rome effectively created Hannibal. Hannibal effectively created Scipio Afracanus. Because this did not happen as a result of Alexander's efforts in the East, it does not follow that it would not happen in the West. Alexander was fearless and it seems that his object was the East - southeast Asia. His troopers did not see it that way. They seem to have had enough. Had A. marched westward, would he have kept the East?

 

I am only wondering here, but would a march by A. on the western Mediterranean nations, from east or west, not have driven them into alliance against a common foe?

 

In: "Alexander the Great and the Logistics of the Macedonian Army"; D.W. Engels; the author states that at one point in Alexander's march toward India, the van guard of his army would start the day's march and reach the new camp as the rear guard left the old camp. Engels also calculated that the maximum amount of supplies that A. could transport with the army was three day's worth.

 

How many men and animals would A. have taken around Africa - if that was one of his objects? Where and how would they have been supplied? Something was known of the East; what was known of 'Darkest Africa'?

 

Liddel-Hart, without denigrating A., holds that A. fought 'oriental mobs'. This was not the case in the west. Doubt has been cast by some on 'The Greek Alexander Romance'.

Edited September 19, 2006 by Gaius Octavius

[DecimusCaesar]

Gaius Octavius is right when he says that Alexander ran into trouble when he marched through unknown territory, especially if it consisted of the desert. On more than one ocassion Alexander got lost in the desert whether it was travelling to the orcale at Siwa, marching through towards Oxiana and his final march through the desert of the Makran.

 

If Alexander only had a short supply he would need to march closely to the coast of Africa in order to get to Carthage, something that would be made increasingly difficult with the Carthaginian navy, who would, no doubt trying to disrupt his supplies and his line of communication.

 

How Alexander would have overcome this, we will never know and we can't even be sure how the Carthaginians would have reacted to his invasion. If he had lived and his conquest of Arabia had been succesful and there were no plots to have him killed then I'm sure it was in Alexander's nature to carry on his wars of conquest.