Let's talk about Alexander the Great leaving his empire "to the strongest"

People talk about how great Alexander is all the time, but honestly, he's overrated. If you can't build something to last, did you actually build anything.

It's speculated by historians that he may have actually said the name Krateros, a Macedonian general rather than Kratistos, meaning "the strongest".

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People talk about how great Alexander is all the time, but honestly, he's overrated. If you can't build something to last, did you actually build anything.

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The dissemination of the Greek culture is Alexander's greatest legacy.

Is it not more fun to build an empire than to maintain it?

It worked out for Alexander-

If he did actually say and mean that on his death bed, it would actually be a natural outcropping of Greek cultural spirit.

Some might look back on it and see "one of the stupidest decisions in world history," but we have a tendency to apply our modern standards and modern hindsight upon people in the past without those viewpoints and benefits.

It's not idiotic. It's just... Greek.

The Greek agonal spirit, the spirit of competition, permeated every level of the ancient Greek cultural experience, from the upper to the lower classes. Competition drove these people in every single thing they did. That's one reason why this particular culture created the Olympics: to celebrate the very concept of competition (agone) and celebrate the excellence of the individual (arete). When Greek competitors faced off in the Olympics, for example, they didn't represent Athens or Sparta or Corinth. They competed as individuals.

Likewise, when Alexander conquered his territories in the Middle East and Asia, he didn't do it for Macedon. It wasn't "Macedonia." It's was Alexander's empire. Alexander, therefore, wouldn't just hand over what's his to a single subordinate and say "okay, Ptolemy's in charge now." That would be an insult to his generals, who were also very competitive people. Alexander, having no heir, would be denying his generals the chance to compete for their share of the empire. Alexander honored the Greek tradition of competition by giving them the opportunity to compete.

In this manner, Alexander is elevated, knowing that for all their efforts, his generals would never be able to match his arete, his personal excellence. The highest hope that one of his generals could have is to come closest to what Alexander achieved. By encouraging competition, Alexander assured his place at the top. Which is what a Greek individual wants most of all. The lasting nature of his empire is not Alexander's goal. The lasting nature of his excellence is what matters most to Alexander. That's why he sets the structure for everyone following him to fall short of him.

It's a little hard for modern folk to see it, but ancient ways are not our ways. We come close, but we are not the same.

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That sounds like a bunch of liberal mumbo jumbo. Sure it sounds like it could be true but I just don't by your fancy theory. I think it's simple: everyone knows before he died he was having all night drunk orgy parties cuz he was sad his gay lover died. When he was on his deathbed he was just in a drunken/hangover stupor and didn't care anymore. Just said frick you generals fight over it.

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Wow, I had never thought of it that way, until you explained to me. It's all so clear now.

It's about damn time somebody brought this age-old mystery to a close. to you, brah.