In 331 B.C. when Alexander arrived in Egypt, he was welcomed as a great king for going to battle against the Persian Empire (Alexander in Egypt, 1996-2000) . The Egyptians even honored him by naming one of their major cities after him, Alexandria (Alexander in Egypt, 1996-2000) . Alexander then made a dangerous pilgrimage to claim his reign as son of Zeus Ammon (Alexander in Egypt, 1996-2000) . When he arrived, priests treated him as a god (Alexander in Egypt, 1996-2000) . They then proclaimed him to be the actual son of a Zeus and said he was destined to rule the world (Alexander in Egypt, 1996-2000) . The Egyptians then named him as pharaoh of Egypt (Alexander in Egypt, 1996-2000) . While in Egypt, Alexander gained the respect and praise of the Egyptians. He took great risks by leading his men through the desert on his pilgrimage to the oracle at the temple of Zeus Ammon (Alexander in Egypt, 1996-2000) . Luckily, it paid off.
The Battle of Gaugamela also known as the Battle of Arbela was between the Macedonian Empire ruled by Alexander the Great and the Persian Empire lead by Darius III of Persia (Battle of Gaugamela , 2011) . Taking place in 331 B.C., the Persian army greatly outnumbered the Macedonian army (Battle of Gaugamela , 2011) . When it was time for battle, Alexander led his flank of the Macedonian army to the right on horses (Battle of Gaugamela , 2011) . The Persian cavalry followed closely behind Alexander and his companion cavalry, not knowing where they were going (Battle of Gaugamela , 2011) . On Alexander the Great’s signal, him and his cavalry charged straight for the center of the Persian army (Battle of Gaugamela , 2011) . Since King Darius’s cavalry were following Alexander, they would not have enough time to reach them when they attacked (Battle of Gaugamela , 2011) . Therefore, the Persian’s cavalry left a huge gap right heading straight towards King Darius (Battle of Gaugamela , 2011) . When Alexander and his companion cavalry reached the center, Darius and his men began to retreat scared of being cut off (Battle of Gaugamela , 2011) . At the end of this battle, Alexander the Great and the Macedonian army completely destroyed the Persian’s capturing at least four thousand men (Battle of Gaugamela , 2011) . In the Battle of Gaugamela, Alexander lost many of his great men but it was also inevitable and a sacrifice he was willing to make for victory.
Alexander the Great had very high expectations so winning the Battle of Gaugamela was not enough for him. So instead he planned to chase the Persian army so he personally could kill King Darius (Battle of Gaugamela , 2011) . Bessus, however, who was one of Darius’s men had different plans. Before the Persian army could leave, Bessus kills King Darius (Battle of Gaugamela , 2011) . Shortly after Bessus proclaims himself as the king of the Persian Empire (Bessus, 2011) . They then leave Darius to be found by a Macedonian soldier (Bessus, 2011) . Once Alexander receives the news of this cruel murder, he then pursued to kill Bessus for betraying his king (Battle of Gaugamela , 2011) . Alexander eventually caught up to Bessus and his army a year later (Battle of Gaugamela , 2011) . The Persians were then so scared that they handed over Bessus to the Macedonians (Bessus, 2011) . Alexander the Great then ordered for Bessus’s nose and ears to be cut off (Bessus, 2011) . However, the reason for his actual death is unknown (Bessus, 2011) . Some historians claim he was crucified (Bessus, 2011) . Others believe he was killed by torturing (Bessus, 2011) . Either way Alexander the Great yet again was successful in his conquest.
When Alexander and the Macedonian army reached India, his men refused to go any further (Alexander in India, 1996-2000) . However, Alexander the Great was very persuasive. Because of this, he was able to convince his men to follow him into battle against Porus who was a very powerful Indian leader (Alexander in India, 1996-2000) . The battle was a victory for Alexander and the Macedonians even though the Indians fought with elephants, which Alexander and his men have never seen before (Alexander in India, 1996-2000) . In battle Alexander lost not only great men but he also lost his horse, Bucephalus which he had ridden into every battle before (Alexander in India, 1996-2000) . To honor the death of his horse, Alexander the Great names a city after Bucephalus (Alexander in India, 1996-2000) . This battle for Alexander had been one of the toughest battles yet consisting of sacrifice and victory.
Throughout Alexander the Great’s journey, he conquered many city states and won even more battles. But he also lost many of his men and even sacrificed his horse, Bucephalus (Alexander in India, 1996-2000) . Alexander knew the price of victory. He knew that there were going to be some great loses, fierce battles, and difficult obstacles in which he and his army would all have to overcome. But he also he knew the worth that would come out of all the sacrifices. In the end, Alexander had made history. He accomplished the impossible. What more could he ask for?
Bibliography
Alexander in Egypt. (1996-2000). Retrieved March 10, 2011, from Macedonia.org: http://faq.macedonia.org/history/alexander.the.great.html
Alexander in India. (1996-2000). Retrieved March 10, 2011, from Macedonia.org: http://faq.macedonia.org/history/alexander.the.great.html#g
Alexander the Great. (2011, March 7). Retrieved March 10, 2011, from Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_the_Great
Battle of Gaugamela . (2011, March 7). Retrieved March 10, 2011, from Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gaugamela
Bessus. (2011, February 5). Retrieved March 10, 2011, from Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bessus
This is a good start; nice thesis and support. I would like to see you vary up your sources, however. Look for primary sources and don't rely exclusively on encyclopedic information.
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