I. Egypt was first invaded by Libyans, then Nubians, followed by Assyrians, Persians, and finally, its last foreign rulers, the Greeks. A. A medieval legend held that Alexander the Great was the son of Nectanebo II, the last native-born ruler of Egypt. According to the legend, Nectanebo fled to Macedonia when the Persians invaded Egypt, where he seduced Alexander’s mother. B. Alexander’s real father was Philip II of Macedon. 1. Remember that at this time in history, Greece did not exist. The region was populated by independent city-states, such as Athens and Sparta. 2. Philip tried to unite these city-states as allies against the Persians. 3. When Philip was assassinated (336 B.C.), Alexander, at the age of 20, took over the Macedonian army. C. Alexander’s career (r. 332–323 B.C.) had three stages: Alexander as a military man, as a pharaoh, and as a legend. II. At the age of 20, Alexander continued the fight against the Persians and defeated Darius III at Issus (333 B.C.). With the Persians defeated, Alexander entered Egypt as a liberator. A. The Greeks, including Alexander, revered Egyptian civilization and traced their heritage to Egypt. B. Alexander’s goal in Egypt was to become the pharaoh—a god. He experienced three major events during his Egyptian sojourn, although we do not know in what order they occurred: He journeyed to the Siwa Oasis, he was crowned as pharaoh, and he founded the city of Alexandria. III. The Siwa Oasis is remote, in the west, 38 miles from Libya. A. To reach Siwa, it was necessary to cross a desert. One Persian leader lost an army of 50,000 men on this journey. B. Alexander made this dangerous trek to consult the oracle at Siwa. 1. Egypt had a tradition of oracles, some of which were represented by statues that were said to speak. 2. The oracles’ decisions on legal questions were just as binding as those issued by a court of elders. 3. The oracle at Siwa was a priest. The Greeks, of course, were familiar with human oracles. C. On the way to Siwa, Alexander and his men were lost, but according to legend, he was saved by crows. D. After the journey through the desert, the lush landscape of Siwa must have seemed amazing to Alexander. E. The oracle resided in a temple on top of a hill. Egyptian temples were designed to give visitors the feeling that they were progressing into ever-more sacred space. 1. The entrance was an open courtyard. Just inside the temple was the hypostyle hall, from which visitors ascended a series of ramps to increasingly enclosed spaces. 2. Only the high priests were permitted inside the holiest of holy places; Alexander probably did not venture this far into the temple. F. Alexander asked the oracle one question: “Who is my father?” Before Alexander could be crowned as pharaoh, the oracle had to declare that his father was the sun. Alexander received the answer he sought. IV. Alexander launched himself as a legend when he was crowned pharaoh; in essence, he was declared a god. A. Alexander wrote his name in a cartouche in the Egyptian fashion and even built a small temple at Thebes. B. He founded 12 cities named Alexandria, and one became great. 1. We know a good deal about the founding of Alexandria, including the architect’s name, Dinocrates. 2. According to tradition, Alexandria and Dinocrates walked the land, laying out the city in a grid. They planned the city to take advantage of the Mediterranean breezes. 3. Thinking like a Greek more than an Egyptian, Alexander constructed a great port from which to sail outward. C. The new pharaoh, however, did not stay long in Egypt; he had his sights set on other lands to conquer.
V. Undoubtedly, Alexander was one of the greatest generals in history, partially because of the loyalty he inspired in his men. A. From Egypt, Alexander set out with his Macedonian army of 50,000. 1. This army, with its contingent of hangers-on, women, merchants, and others, would have moved very slowly. An expedition with Alexander could take as long as ten years! 2. Supplying this army was a tremendous undertaking. Ships sailing along the coast supplied the troops with water. Movements were carefully planned to coincide with harvests along the route. B. With this army, Alexander marched from Babylon to Susa to India and was never defeated. After his men refused to go on in India, the army began the long march home. 1. Egyptians never mingled with foreigners and never colonized other countries. They believed that to die in another land, away from the embalmers and a proper burial, would be to forfeit immortality. 2. In contrast, Alexander realized that to truly take control of a people, the conquerors must integrate with them. He even encouraged mass marriages between his men and the widows of the men they had killed in battle. 3. As the army traveled home, then, the men would reencounter women whom they had married and, perhaps, with whom they had had children. C. When the army reached Babylon, Alexander became ill. He suffered high fevers for long periods, possibly from dysentery or malaria. It became apparent that he was going to die. 1. His generals gathered around Alexander and asked, “To whom does the empire go?” Alexander’s reply was, “To the fittest.” 2. After his death, Alexander’s generals divided his vast empire among themselves. Ptolemy received Egypt. D. The story of Alexander, however, was not yet over. His body remained in Babylon, lying in state, for a year. Tradition holds that it was preserved in spices. 1. The body remained in Babylon for so long because it was awaiting the construction of a gold catafalque for transport back to Macedon. 2. The catafalque was in the shape of a temple, and its walls were carved with scenes of Alexander’s victories. 3. The catafalque was pulled on wheels by teams of mules. Each mule wore a gold bell around its neck to announce the procession’s arrival. E. When the procession reached Syria, Ptolemy rode out with his army, ostensibly to salute the body, but he hijacked it to Egypt instead.
1. Ptolemy believed that the body of the legendary Alexander should be buried in Alexandria. 2. The body lay in state in Memphis for years while the tomb was being built in Alexandria. 3. The tomb was called the soma (Greek = “body”) and was located at the crossroads of the two main streets of Alexandria. 4. Alexander’s body has disappeared since his burial. Later Greek rulers of Egypt supposedly opened his tomb and replaced his gold coffin with a crystal one. Cleopatra also supposedly showed Alexander’s body to a visitor. F. For the next 300 years, Egypt would be ruled by Greeks.