2. Alexander the great Alexander’s ambition was not to conquer Persia but to unite east an west Asia and Europe He hoped this was the way he was remembered Alexander’s vision of empire was the capacity to provide a living space for diverse people Alexander’s greatness lies less in what he intended to achieve than in what he was believed to achieved
3. In the middle ages stories were told about his quest for hidden sources of the nile Also of his invention of a diving bell to reach the floor of the ocean On later Ottoman versions of his life became a prophet like Gilgamesh, the hero of a cycle of poems from Mesopotamia He was also described as the prince who had called the earth too narrow How alexander became a legend
4. Rome To its citizens Rome offered some measured of protection or a way of life Rome’s greatness was not build on military might alone Rome offered the prospect of wealth and more important glory Towards the end Roman society became a world in which bishops were soldiers, scribes were soldiers, and the emperor was a soldier
5. Roman law became the law of the whole of Europe, it has remained the basis of most of our understanding of what a law is until this day The history of the Roman begins in effect with the twelve tables Roman law also introduced into Europe the crucial idea that warfare itself had to be regulated Roman law was intended to confer an ethical purpose for the entire community Roman law
