Alexandria Kline

Professor Kimberly Lark

History 134: Ancient World History

18 June 2017

A Historical Reflection

History has affected our everyday lives and we hardly even notice. Humans are an

interesting species, that has evolved into creatures that learn from the past and build their

knowledge from it. For me personally, as a historian of the ancient world, I have learned a lot

from the religion, morals, and traditions of the ancient world. Learning about the roles of these

topics in various civilizations has changed my understanding of the background of different

people around the world. Whether it was Alexander the Great learning from Aristotle and

avenging Philip II death, Augustus Caesar being a truly exceptional leader and loved by his

people, or Muhammad spreading Islam, history has left a large impact on us today that makes

our society better.

Alexander the Great is one of the most interesting historical figures we studied. However,

he was destined for greatness from the start. Early on, Aristotle was his tutor, which is believed

to have set him up for a better future. He also trained with Leonidas. However, what Alexander

the Great did with his education, made him truly great. He followed the traditions and morals of

his father. He loved a challenge but kept morals along the way and that truly shaped him as a

person. He trained the untrainable horse Bucephalus, which lead to Philip II stating "O my son,

look thee out a kingdom equal to and worthy of thyself, for Macedonia is too little for

thee,"(Bucephalus). When his father Philip the II was assassinated, he did not give up and quit.

He studied his fathers military strategies and technologies, and took down the Persians to
avenge his fathers death. He created one of the largest empires, his people loved and respected

him, and was and is studied by leaders of the future. (Alexander the Great)

Alexander the Great is historical leader to study when looking for a figure who has

impacted us today. Many future leaders studied him and chose to lead their people how he lead.

History teaches us so many different life lessons and raises many new challenges and ideas. In

the article, What can History Teach us Today, the author states, History is a lesson: a lesson of

intentions, movements, experiments, and human production; a lesson that builds integrity and

character within our children, (Postma). History exposes our basic morality that makes us think

about the world around us before we make decisions. Alexander is just one example of a strong

individual who believed in his empire and the betterment of his people, and decided to show his

morals in making the world a better place and shaping the very society we live in today. From

Alexander, I have learned to think before I act. I found this to be a strong moral lesson from him

training Bucephalus. When Alexander trained him, he was calm and realized that the horse

feared his own shadow, which lead to him being able to train him. (Alexander the Great)

Another great leader was Augustus Caesar. Augustus truly made the most out of nothing

based off his moral decisions. Due to his exceptional character, his great uncle named him as heir

and his adopted son in his will. So, when he was assassinated, Augustus came into great power,

and became a great leader. He is known for expanding the largest empire, with a focus of

education. He tried to set up libraries and convert people to his empire. He was loved and

respected by many as a fair and just leader. (Augustus)

In the article Why Study History, the author states, Historical knowledge is no more and

no less than carefully and critically constructed collective memory. As such it can both make us

wiser in our public choices and more richly human in our private lives, (McNeil). Augustus
adopted both the traditions and morals of Alexander the Great, and his great uncle. Studying

them as historical leaders and their traditions made him a better and moral ruler. What I

personally admired about his morals, was that he chose to stay a great leader. Many of the other

leaders around his time decided to be evil or to live madly lavish lives, but he never succumbed

to it even though he had more power than most of the other leaders of their time. So often,

people succumb to peer pressure, but if Augustus can hold strong, so can I. (Augustus)

Muhammad was the next great leader. He felt that he had been personally selected by god

to spread Islam. He overcame struggles with believing in himself. He was thrown out of Mecca,

and still ended up spreading one of the largest beliefs in the world.

There is no doubt in what Muhammad has done for the World. He has truly bettered

society. He showed care for the world around him and went out of his way to be a better person

and to help others. He is responsible for one of the largest religious spreads, while still being

moral and following traditions. This reiterated for me, that kindness can get you a long way.

We look to the past to understand the present, and so did they, we construct appeals

regarding how things should be based on how they have been, (Hodges p.1). We may not

realize it, but the way we act and the things we do on a regular basis are based off what have

been done in the past. Our lives are shaped by the past, and this is how we determine how to live

today. Leaders like Alexander the Great, Augustus, and Muhammad have paved the way for us

today with their truly exceptional morals, traditions, and spread of religion.
 Works Cited

Hodges, Bair. On the Rhetorical Use to Understand the Present. 7 May 2012.

Postma, Michael. "What Can History Teach Us Today?" What Can History Teach Us

Today?ASCD Express, Vol. 6, No. 22., n.d. Web. 18 June 2017.

McNeill, William H. Why Study History? American Historical Association. 18 June 2017.

Wikipedia contributors. "Alexander the Great." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia,

The Free Encyclopedia, 17 Jun. 2017. Web.

18 Jun. 2017

Wikipedia contributors. "Augustus." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free

Encyclopedia, 10 Jun. 2017. Web.

18 Jun. 2017

Wikipedia contributors. "Bucephalus." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free

Encyclopedia, 30 May. 2017. Web.

18 Jun. 2017

Wikipedia contributors. "Muhammad." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free

Encyclopedia, 12 Jun. 2017. Web.

18 Jun. 2017