Alexander the Great
Alexander III of Macedonia, called the Great (Alexander the Great) was King of Macedonia from 336 BC. C. until his death. He is considered one of the most important military leaders in history, for his conquest of the Achaemenid Empire.
Following the unification of multiple ancient Greek city-states under the rule of his father, Philip II of Macedon, Alexander conquered the Persian Empire, including Anatolia, Syria, Phoenicia, Judea, Gaza, Egypt, Bactria, and Mesopotamia, and expanded the borders of his own empire to the Punjab region.
Finding himself on the verge of death, Alexander summoned his generals and communicated his three last wishes:
1 – That his coffin was carried on the shoulders and transported by the doctors themselves of the time.
2 – That the treasures he had conquered (silver, gold, precious stones…), were scattered along the road to his grave, and…
3 – That his hands would remain dangling in the air, outside the coffin, and in full view of all.
One of his generals, astonished by such unusual desires, asked Alexander what his reasons were.
Alexander explained:
1 – I want the most eminent doctors to carry my coffin in order to show that they do NOT have, in the face of death, the power to heal.
2 – I want the ground to be covered by my treasures so that everyone can see that the material goods conquered here remain here.
3 – I want my hands to sway in the wind, so that people can see that we came empty-handed, and empty-handed we left.
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