We started today with a visit to the ruins at Pella... the capital of Alexander the Great's empire that makes the organisation of Roman Empire look like a rabble! Do you remember Pella from your school-day history? I don't! The archaeologists are on the job and finding an ancient city of enormous proportions (relatively speaking). Our great grandchildren will soon have to submit a Pella paper in order to get the HSC... it will become so important!
Alex's dad (Phillip II) was a big thinker. He ruled an empire just a little bigger than Greece... and had strategic trading partners of about the same size again. But he said, "Fellas, we need to build a trading centre that will dominate the whole known world. To do that, we need..." and he rattled off the prerequisites for a healthy ecosystem... security... convenience... efficiency... trust... etc, etc. To realise his plan, he knew he needed a new capital... on a safe harbour... with broad straight roads to allow efficient moving of produce... he needed a market with lots of traders, organised into industry sectors, and all competing for the best possible deals... he needed prestige housing built to very high engineering standards... he needed plenty of water and excellent drainage... he needed administration quarters that could overlook the whole market... he needed monuments and pleasure domes to impress the visiting plebs. That's what he needed and we started today with a visit to the ruins of what he built. His capital stretched 2.5 klms in a North/South direction and 1.5 klms in an East/West direction. All this was built in the 4th century BC... when Rome was being overrun by the peasants of Gaul.
In the years prior to his death, Philip II was growing the business quite successfully... using salesmanship, charm and monopoly tactics to gain additional trading partners. Old age caught up with Phillip II and he died a hero of the Macedonian people. Alexander stepped up and displayed the impatience of youth. He liked a good fight at any rate... but he figured charm was not the only way to get new clients. And he was right.
Have you ever wondered how Alexander consolidated his newly won cities? He left Pella with a pretty small group and recruited along the way. But the number of trusted lieutenants he had to leave behind in each conquered city were few and far between. If some trumped-up local was left in charge, why didn't he set up his own arrangements when Alexander had travelled 1,000 on to the next battle? The reason probably had something to do with the ecosystem Alexander was able to arrange for them. They didn't want to rebel against Alexander because he left them the promise of life in easy street... a way to sell their special produce to the world through a trading centre that was unbelievably good!
How did a 30 year old manage to campaign his way through a hundred different kingdoms without losing a battle? Was he that much better at war than big Julie (Caesar)? Did he have some secret military tactic he pulled out of the hat... battle after battle? One theory is that Alexander raced into a new territory and scared the life out of ill-prepared opponents. Then Alexander would withdraw and say, "Now that I have your attention, here's a little business proposition I want to present to you". His secret weapon was the extraordinary trading floor his father built for him. Mark my words... the history of Alexander will be rewritten... he will cease to be the world's greatest soldier... he will become the world's greatest marketer!
So ends our Greek odyssey... tomorrow we tackle the Balkans.
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