RAdio Programme - What if...

[Linda]

Apologies if this has been mentioned before, but a friend pointed out a BBC radio programme: "What If... Alexander the Great had gone West not East?", broadcast on Thursday 10 April 2003. I haven't listened to it, so no guarantee of quality, apart from it being BBC :)http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/wha ... 0410.shtml(I did search the archives, Nick...)

[gb]

I think I heard of it before, but thanks anyway. Is that in RealAudio? I can't seem to open it (and since I don't have RealPlayer that could be the problem...)EDIT: I just found it, yes it's RealPlayer. (since I don't officially own this computer and the real owner is paranoid about certain programs, I've got to find another way to listen to it.)

[agesilaos]

Interesting, but more for the scholars' hopeless grasp of reality. Turn West across Africa with Darius undefeated behind the Halys; SUICIDE. Rag-rag army of farmers not up to it? Who do these guys think defeated Xerxes the Grenadier Guards! The real point is that the Macedonian army would have no chance of financing itself in the West even if the level of farming could sustain it. Only with the wealth of the East behind him could Alexander even contemplate moving West.

[beausefaless]

Most scholars of ancient history forget, later in Roman history it was the Eastern part of the empire,(thanks to Alexander for laying down the foundation in the east), that survived long after Rome and the west fell.

[ruthaki]

Well, if he'd lived, he might have gone West. At the time of his death, wasn't he planning to prepare the fleet to sail to Carthage? There's no way he'd go there BEFORE he conquored Persia though.

[beausefaless]

I totally agree,As I've said before in a post in this forum, Alexander wanted to establish a trade route from Macedon to Spain. There were silver mines in Spain and since he already had just about all the money in the known world he could have financed a whole new campaign by sea and land was a good way to incorporate new soldiers with extraordinary fighting abilities as he'd done in the past. I'm happy to say this is one of the few times you and I agree.

[kuringlas]

I think if, as everyone seems to agree, ATG would have progressed to Western Europe, had he lived longer. I think the world would have been greatly different. For starters Christianity would not be the way it is. ie feed the chrisians to the lions, gladiators. I think the Huns would not have been as successful, and if ATG lived longer we may be praying to Greek Gods. I also think europe would have divided into North Europe and Southern Europe(Mediterranean).