Alexender's planned invasion of Arabia

[Yoni]

Did he realy planned to invade Arabia or did he just want rest and control his empire?

[Herakleios]

Arrian seems to have thought so:

Aristobulus says that he found at Babylon the fleet with Nearchus, which had sailed from the Persian Sea up the river Euphrates; and another which had been conveyed from Phoenicia, consisting of two Phoenician quinqueremes, three quadriremes, twelve triremes, and thirty triacontors. These had been taken to pieces and conveyed to the river Euphrates from Phoenicia to the city of Thapsacus. There they were joined together again and sailed down to Babylon. The same writer says that he cut down the cypresses in Babylonia and with them built another fleet; for in the land of the Assyrians these trees alone are abundant, but of the other things necessary for ship-building this country affords no supply. A multitude of purple-fishers and other seafaring men came to him from Phoenicia and the rest of the sea-board to serve as crews for the ships and perform the other services on board. Near Babylon he made a harbour by excavation large enough to afford anchorage to 1,000 ships of war; and adjoining the harbour he made dockyards. Miccalus the Clazomenian was despatched to Phoenicia and Syria with 500 talents to enlist some men and to purchase others who were experienced in nautical affairs. For Alexander designed to colonize the sea-board near the Persian Gulf, as well as the islands in that sea. For he thought that this land would become no less prosperous than Phoenicia. He made these preparations of the fleet to attack the main body of the Arabs, under the pretext that they were the only barbarians of this region who had not sent an embassy to him or done anything else becoming their position and showing respect to him. But the truth was, as it seems to me, that Alexander was insatiably ambitious of ever acquiring fresh territory.

[Farnan]

They controlled an important trade route with his Indian territory. It would have been a short war till he captured Medina and Yathrab.

[Herakleios]

Actually, the most powerful and wealthy polity of Arabia in that time was probably the Sabaean kingdom, with its capital in Ma'rib in the southwest of the peninsula, modern-day Yemen. They had grown rich thanks to their trade in frankincense and myrrh, which roused the attention of Augustus, who launched a (failed) Arabian campaign himself under Aelius Gallus, though at this time the Himyarites may have replaced Saba as the regional power. Anyway, it's no wonder that Alexander had set his sights on the area, its spice and cinnamon trade made it filthy rich, the Romans even called it Arabia Felix ("fortunate" Arabia, or "happy" Arabia).

[Manuel I Komnenos]

What we know for sure is that Alexander returned to Babylon to prepare and gather forces for another expedition but suddenly he fell ill..
We don't know what where his plans or where was he heading for.. Italy? Arabia?..

[Stark of Winterfell]

I'm pretty sure Alexander was going to conquer Arabia, and then Rome and Carthage, and then Iberia and Gaul, and wherever else he could find. So long as his troops would follow him, he would lead them to war. He wanted to outdo everyone. He wanted everything. He did. And he would've kept going so long as he could in all directions.

[Phoebus]

Assuming Arrian is correct, Alexander's focus was on the Persian Gulf, which would have been the surest way of consolidating his empire.

His colonies in modern-day Afghanistan were going to serve as a bridge to his easternmost territories. The development of harbors and transportation infrastructure in modern-day Iraq and Kuwait would have led to a nautical route exploiting Arabian wealth and linking his Indian outposts without having to depend exclusively on an overland route.

An invasion of Carthage would have been secondary to all that, I think.

What I'm really curious about is whether Diodorus was just waxing fantastical when he mentioned Alexander's plans for population movements for the purposes of injecting Greek elements throughout Asia (like his placing colonists and mercenaries in Bactria, Sogdiana, etc.) and breaking up ethnic-nationalist sentiments in favor of allegiance to his empire.

[Farnan]

What I'm really curious about is whether Diodorus was just waxing fantastical when he mentioned Alexander's plans for population movements for the purposes of injecting Greek elements throughout Asia (like his placing colonists and mercenaries in Bactria, Sogdiana, etc.) and breaking up ethnic-nationalist sentiments in favor of allegiance to his empire.

It could be, however it could also have been a plan of how to protect the Eastern edge of his empire far from his base of power. The colonists, his veterans, could then train locals and form defensive militias to fight off invaders till a Royal Army or Satripical Army could arrive. Remember that region was not densely populated and you know the terrain from personal experience.

[Herakleios]

It does seem that Alexander intended to make the Indian Ocean, rather than the Mediterranean, his lake. His ambitions always seem to have laid in the east rather than in the west, that's why I've always been skeptical towards the suggestion that he may have invaded Carthage, let alone the preposterous idea that he may have invaded (at this time irrelevant) Rome. Conquest of the Western Mediterranean would have been, if anything, an erratic detour in his expansionist policy.

[Phoebus]

Indeed!

[pannonian]

How was Bactria, BTW? Was it as spectacular as you thought it would be? I'd like to ask if you got the chance to do any sightseeing, but that might be asking for a bit too much detail.

[saxdude]

A shame, that place could have used some hellenization.

[garudamon11]

A shame, that place could have used some hellenization.

am i the only one who finds this racist ?

[Slaytaninc]

No.

[Phoebus]

pannonian,

I'm currently near the Pakistani border, around the upper third of the eastern length of Afghanistan. Unfortunately, deforestation caused by an illegal timber trade has robbed this place of much of its beauty. Soil erosion is quite evident, and the little bit of green about is thanks to irrigation projects from the main rivers, their tributaries, and mountain springs. From a high altitude, though, there are breathtaking views that make the hikes (few as they have been...) worthwhile.

[Phoebus]

Am I the only one who thought he was being sarcastic?

It did receive Hellenization.

[saxdude]

am i the only one who finds this racist ?

meh, it could have used some hellenization

It did receive Hellenization.

are you being sarcastic? by who the seleucids? ptolomies? do tell please.

[Phoebus]

meh, it could have used some hellenization

are you being sarcastic? by who the seleucids? ptolomies? do tell please.

No, I'm not.

Kingdoms and city-states ruled by Greeks and centered on Greek culture ruled Bactria for a good two centuries or so. Megasthenes called them the richest of the Greek realms. The ruins of the various Alexandrias feature fortifications, architecture, and remains of art that would indicate their inhabitants had little reason to be jealous of their western kin.

It all came to an end, of course, but the fact remains that this part of the world did receive Hellenization at some point. And, like any other foreign influence that doesn't really work toward integrating the native element fully, it eventually faded away.

[removeduser_052420]

Pakistan could have used more Hellenization. Greek genes FTW.

[Khalid]

Pakistan could have used more Hellenization. Greek genes FTW.

It did.