The Great Emperors

Its the emperors commission to govern the country, but only some can really bring
greatness to the country and make contributions that will last exceed beyond their lifetime.
Ancient Greece and Roman featured two of the greatest rulers in early recorded history. Starting
with the remarkable conquest done by the emperor of Macedonia. Cities were conquered, lands
were ruled, a kingdom stretching as far as from the Mediterranean to the border of India; across
three continents, covering about 2 million square miles. Such an enormous empire could only be
established by a determined and vigorous ruler. Luckily for Greece citizens, they have one such
ruler named Alexander The Great. He was the only one in the Ancient Greece history known to
united Greece as well as vastly expand the empire. As for the ancient Roman, they were living
upon a period of peace and prosperity or Pax Romana, which was granted by the first emperor
of Rome, Augustus Caesar. The country was enjoying its peak in term of economic political and
social development. Many achievements were made during this period which hugely impact the
later civilization as well as the present time.
Alexander the great is a great king of Greek. He was the son of Philip. Alexander was
tutored and taught by Aristotle, one of the greatest philosophers in the history. He had a lot of
accomplishments. He helped his father, Philip to take over lands and areas. Even though he died
at the age of 33, he left so many things behind. He was also a role model for Napoleon, a French
military leader that conquered Europe. Alexander never lost a single battle. He is a very smart
and talented guy, he fought with Darius III, king of Persia in three battles and never lost once
even though, he had lower amount of soldiers in his army. He won the battles because of the
Phalanx formation that he used in his army. He named most of the lands Alexandria which is
from his name. Alexander became the king when he was just twenty years old.
The fact that he conquered many lands such as Asia and Persia, this is the way to spread
Greek culture to other areas around the world. Alexander married Roxanne, a daughter of Bactria
noblemen from Persia. Alexander also had other Macedonian men take Persian wives which is a
way to adopt Persian culture in Greek, such as their dress. By marrying Roxanne, it is also a way
of sending a message and showing that Alexander is the king of Persia too. Alexander is a very
smart guy, he is also talented in battles and wars. He fought three times with King Darius III and
never lost once. During the battle in Gaugamela, the number of Persian soldiers were a lot more
than his army but he was able to win the battle because of the Phalanx formation that his army
used which was trained and perfected under his leadership. Alexander usually choose the cities
that he wants. He chose the ones that have good locations such as trading routes, and ones that
can be defended. Some cities that he took over lasted a century after his death. Alexander also
has influences on Roman military. His achievements and accomplishments in military and battles
inspired the Romans which can maybe be one of the reasons that the Romans are very strong in
the army. Alexander spread Greek language and culture to many places and they are passed down
to the modern world too.
 Gaius Octavius or Octavian, the first emperor of Rome, was arguably the greatest ruler in
the history of Roman civilization. After the assassination of his great-uncle, Julius Caesar, he
formed the second triumvirate with Marc Antony and Marcus Lepidus and took back the control
of Rome. Then, he won the battle with Marc Antony and rose to power. He adopted the name
Augustus, and led the newfounded Roman Empire into a period of relative peace called Pax
Romana. As the emperor, he used his authority wisely by building roads and seaways and
uniforming currency to enhance trading. Moreover, he ordered the construction of buildings like
the aqueducts, reform the tax system, and made the laws called Twelves Tables. Not only was
he the first emperor, he was also certainly one of the best emperors Rome has ever had.
Augustus didnt just have impacts on Rome, in fact, his contributions greatly affect our
history. First of all, his reformed tax system is the basis of todays tax system. His system was
named Honest Tax, because many considered it to be fair to every social classes. Citizens
would be taxed based on their earnings which is much like todays system. Also, there were
people working as a tax collector or Breaton to ensure that citizens are taxed fairly. Secondly,
today's property, marriage and contract laws concept are based of form the Twelve Tables. Not
only did it impacted modern days laws, it also greatly influenced the laws of later civilizations
such as the Byzantines Code of Justinian and the Salic Law of the Carolingian Empire. Lastly,
many of his building projects greatly shaped todays engineering and construction. From the uses
of marble to the built-to-last road, they can all be founded in current days. His contributions to
the world is so great that his name, Augustus, became the name of a month and Caesar literally
means emperor in many modern languages like German.
In conclusion, Both Alexander the Great and Augustus Julius had a very significant roles
during the ancient time. Their contributions are known to have major effects on the world we are
living in. It was obviously shown that a huge change took place in Ancient Greece due to
Alexander the Great. Without him, Greek culture would not spread as far as it actually was. Who
knows we might be speaking Persian language and adopt their civilization instead of Greeces.
Greek civilization and culture might be gone forever and not be known by modern humans.
Democracy which was originated in Greece might not be known to us, instead we could have
severe and harsh ruling system ruling our countries. Everything would differ. Alexander had
opened the gates for Greece culture, ideas and value to spread widely around the world, which
also made the world the way it is today. Now on to Augustus Caesar, the greatest king of Rome,
we can concluded that peace and prosperity was brought throughout the empire by him. In
addition, he also influence construction, trading system and most importantly, laws. The present
law of owning property, marriage as well as contract laws are all derived from the Twelve Tables.
Also without Caesars contribution toward construction, we may not have pathway like roads for
transportations. In this case, Tarzans vine might be useful for us. Life would be very difficult.
Lastly, Ive learned that the capability of two emperors are widely recognized by the world, as
their contributions have impacted and incredibly influenced the world to be what it is today.
Bibliography:
Alexander the greats legacy - the Dougernaut digest. Retrieved February 19, 2017, from
https://sites.google.com/site/thedougernautdigest/home/traditional-research-essay
Bos, C. (2016, November 4). Alexander the great - summary. Retrieved February 19, 2017, from
Retrieved February 19, 2017, from https://youtu.be/9wf4I4QwjkQ
BBC. (2011, July 1). History - Augustus. Retrieved February 19, 2017, from BBC,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/augustus.shtml
Matthew Rossettini (2014, November 5). WHI lec 6 5 pax Romana Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfjIO2reHu4&feature=youtu.be
Terms, P. I. (2017). The impact of Augustus. Retrieved February 19, 2017, from
https://prezi.com/xovppjyohnmc/the-impact-of-augustus/

By :
Parewa Pichayamarin (Mai) 5961225 10/01
Kittitat Prutthiworamongkon (Peem) 5961169 10/01
Nutchanon Charnwutiwong (Nont) 5961217 10/01
Jirachaya Mahatongkum (Bow) 5961168 10/01
Chanika Poopattayakorn (Mind) 5961182 10/01