S3 Ep. 210 Echoes of Alexander the Great: Ancient Influences on Modern Global Commerce

Speaker 1: Hello there, welcome to the World Cafe podcast. This podcast has been designed with created content that centers on the power of words. Can we really do anything without speaking? Can we really do anything without the agency of words? Yes, that is what this podcast is all about, and I am your host , amakri Isubie, your neighborhood word trader. I believe in the power of words , for it is the unit of creation . I trade in words to profit my world. You're wondering what I'm doing, right? Yeah, it's coffee. I'm starting with coffee this morning. Uh-huh, started with coffee today. It's always a beautiful thing to start my day with a cup of coffee, then get myself ready for the day's activity. I didn't forget that. No, I didn't, and I have to start with that. Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, good everything. Wherever you are at this particular moment on the surface of the earth, listening to me or viewing, how are you? I always love asking this question because it's not with Oracle, I mean it. No matter what is happening on the earth, I always ask this question because you never can tell. We're all going through one thing or the other, I know, but you have life, you have the breath of divinity running through you, and that alone should point to something. Okay, what are we going to be doing today? What are we going to be doing today? I want to begin today's conversation from my growing up. Things I encountered which somehow triggered some curiosity . Well, it didn't kill me. Like I said, curiosity killed the cat. Not, it didn't kill me. It set me on a path. And I started asking questions, wanting to know have you ever imagined ask yourself this question the path we are walking today, how they were created, the disciplines we are walking today, how they were created, the disciplines we get involved in oh, I want to be a doctor, I want to be an engineer, I want to be a lawyer, I want to be a financial analyst, I want to be a HR expert, or whatever you want to call it how all of this came about. Have you ever wondered Somehow people who came before us, with all due respect, created a path, followed the path, they were on this path, they held on to this path, their belief system and all of that, and they created a discipline, and somehow these disciplines cuts across the different aspects of our lives and the earth. We live in the universe and all of that, and we just grow up. I remember growing up reading the Lady Bird series. For those of us who know the Lady Bird series, most of the books then, or most of the stories then that I mean, I got drawn to a story that had to do with heroes. You know people who fought wars , how they conquered and all of that. I read stories like Nelson of the Seas yes, admiral Nelson, the British Sea, mighty Sea how am I going to describe him now? He's well known. Then stories about Napoleon, and you know a lot of them, but one that never left me was that of Alexander the Great One, because that name, if you go through the scriptures, the Bible, you see his name there Alexander the Great. He is from Macedon, you know Macedonia and he did a lot, but he started at an early age and he also died early. So these books, reading them and all of that, it's like okay, why are they so famous? They are legends, outlive them and somehow in the cosmos their names are all written there. You know, just like if you remember that movie, the Gladiator, when Maximus was telling them that what we do in life echoes in eternity. So these people, what what we do in life echoes in eternity. So these people, what they've done in life. They echo in eternity and these things are coming back to us and somehow everything we do or most of the things we do, falls within this mold. What they have done falls within this mold. What they have done, they influence our culture, our belief system, our writing and all of that. So today I want to talk about Alexander the Great and I'm going to read one or two things His conquest, the path he created and how all of this has come to influence modern thinking and even the future. Like I said, he's from Macedon. His father was King Philip and he started his military conquest at the age of 18. Historically, he did a lot, even when his father was assassinated anyway, and they thought his father was a king who wanted to bring all of Greece Greece, as we know as a nation from history, were scattered all around whatever he wanted to bring them together to form one mighty entity, and he was assassinated. That's his father, king Philip. Then he came up. When he came up, as in Alexander the Great, he was taught by Aristotle, one of the greatest minds from history. You know Aristotle could be likened to Ahithophel. If you're a Bible scholar, you know you remember that story when David Absalom was to overthrow his father and he went around gathering his father's counselors One, one one, one very one that his father got weary and was worried was Ahithophel, and his father prayed a prayer that these guys' counsel. They're as good as God's and the only way we will feel is for God to make his counsel foolishness. And God answered his prayer. So I mean, aristotle operated in that, in my opinion, space. His father, king Philip, assigned him to be tutored by Aristotle and his conquest. Obviously, everything about him was reflective of the lessons he got from Aristotle. All right, so we're going to go through one or two things and you come to see that Alexander the Great's conquest was not just conquering lands, he was conquering minds and infusing and injecting into them his philosophy, his ideology. And it's the Greek order, greek way of thinking, which has come to influence Western thinking, because after the Greeks came, the Romans and the Romans built on how the Greeks came. The Romans and the Romans built on what the Greeks did. Yeah, okay, I'm talking too much, am I? I'm giving you enough, I mean too much information, as usual. This is what we do in this space. Yeah, coming to share. All right, I'm going to read some stuff and we'll take it from there. Most of his conquest, as in Alexander the Great, you know, was not really on sea exploration. You know he went through lands, conquering lands and all that. But there's no how, if you go through lands, that you will not come through the sea, because the earth is 70% water, yep, so every ton on the earth you come in contact with water and you can practically move anything on water. Yes, you can't move everything by air or land, but you can move anything and everything by sea. My opinion so Macedonia to Asia Minor. Alexander initially crossed the Aegean Sea from Macedonia to land in Asia Minor, modern-day Turkey. That was in 334 BC. His control of the coastal cities along the Mediterranean allowed him to secure key ports and maintain naval superiority. Siege of Tyre Tyre is T-Y-R-E. That was 332 BC A significant coastal siege. The city of Tyre was a major Phoenician port You've heard of that word Phoenician or Phoenix Port of the Mediterranean. Alexander built a crossway to the island city and once it fell he gained control over the eastern Mediterranean trade routes. So you see now the way he was moving. He was moving with a troop, but for him to have done all of this crossing, moving blah, blah , blah. Imagine the technology he had, the engineering prowess, the commercial prowess For you to take over sea routes or routes, whatever as you want to call it, and creating trade routes. So imagine, you know, one lesson Aristotle taught him was, whenever you conquer a city, or you take over a plane or a place, try and see how you can make both ends communicate, economically and commercially. Simply, that is trade, movement of goods and services, even human. So you see how this influenced this aspect. So Egypt and Alexandria. After conquering Egypt, alexander, yes, he came to Africa, founded the city of Alexandria in the Mediterranean coast, which later became one of the ancient world's most important port cities, an intellectual hub. You know, I don't know if you've heard about the Library of Alexandria. It is alleged I use the word alleged now because a lot of us will have arguments about it the library of Alexandria had so much that when knowledge was used I use this word carefully stolen from that library, they burnt it down. Yes, it was burnt down and, in my belief, is most of the Greek philosophers schooled, went to school in Egypt. They were tutored in Egypt. They went to learn Pythagoras, socrates, pluto, binomial, that's, pascal, the binomial expansion. You know about that. So most of them went there. So these were offshoots of Alexander's, would I say, vision . So the Red Sea and Persian Gulf. After conquering Persia, alexander looked to expand his influence into Persian Gulf. Though his naval activities here were limited compared to his land campaigns, he did explore the potential for using the Gulf as a trade and supply route. Okay, nerkos Expedition 325 BC. One of the more notable maritime expeditions related to Alexander, was carried out by his admiral, nearchus that's his name who was tasked with exploring the sea, the sea routes, from the mouth of the Indus, the Indus river in modern day Pakistan. So you see, he came that far, through the Arabian sea and into the Persian Gulf. Nicos Nicos' voyage was one of the first recorded explorations of these waters. So you see, the Indian Ocean. Following Alexander's invasion of the Indian subcontinent, the Indian Ocean and its coastal cities became strategically important for supply lines and future trade ambitions. Although Alexander himself did not engage in extensive exploration in these areas, his campaign brought the Greek world pardon with the Indian Ocean Trade Network, particularly through the Indus River, which provided access to the sea. Now, for those of you who love watching Indiana Jones movies created by Steven Spielberg, you come to see that Spielberg tries to relieve these things through the works of Indiana Jones the archaeologist who goes exploring. These are the lines Go exploring, on expedition to discover this, to discover that. But this was what Alexander the Great did, trying to discover the potential of the world, the then known world, as it were. I think from where he stood he could see across the ocean, languages, systems, processes that he wants to like impart influence, bring them in. So, while Alexander's campaigns were more focused on land, like I said, based on military conquest, his control of key coastal cities and strategic maritime routes contributed significantly to his empire's success and the later integration of the East, you see , and West. He saw it, the East and West which helped facilitate future trade and cultural exchange along the sea routes he encountered. Now I try to like piggyback on this, like going back in time and looking at is there any way we can extrapolate what he did to our modern day? Like can we draw any similarities or correlations? And to see that what he did actually still has this impact and influence on our being, our existence, our relationships and all of that. So one can tie, you know, alexander the Great's sea roads and coastal conquest to the world's modern economy. Yes, that's what I'm trying to do now. How can we tie it? How can we tie it, you ask yourself, the ancient gateways. Let's look at the ancient gateways which became, you know, fundamental to global trade, connecting various regions of the ancient world and laying the groundwork for future economic development. Many of these regions remain key economic hubs today, playing a pivotal role in the global economy. Now I'm going to look at, you know, let's look at the Mediterranean Sea, that the Mediterranean Sea ancient roots. Alexander's control over the Mediterranean port, including places like Tyre and Alexandria, that's in Egypt, allowed for dominance in trade across the Mediterranean, which was the economic heart of the ancient world. So let us look at it in the modern terms. How relevant is that? So the Mediterranean Sea remains crucial for trade, with some of the world's busiest shipping routes passing through it. Alexandria, that's Egypt Today. Alexandria remains a major port city and a key trade hub in egypt, connecting europe, africa and asia through the swiss canal. Yes, I call it one of the gateways of the world, the swiss canal, which is one of the world's most important maritime passages. It was founded by alexander the great, then thai thais modern day than Thais modern-day Lebanon, although no longer the powerful trade center it once was. Thais region is still significant in terms of regional trade and cultural exchange in the eastern Mediterranean routes . Economic ties to today. Yes, roots, economic ties to today. Modern sea trade through the Mediterranean supports economic growth in Europe, north Africa and the Middle East, facilitated by major shipping routes and ports. The Suez Canal, like we just mentioned a while ago, a direct descendant of the sea route, alexander, engaged with you know he generated significant economic activity by enabling the fast moving of goods between Europe and Asia. So you see the Swiss Canal, one of the busiest canals in the world. You have Panama Canal, you have the Swiss Canal. You have where is that one? I think close to Gibraltar. There's another canal there. I call them the gateways of the world. So, red Sea and the Persian Gulf Asian roots. After conquering Persia. You know where Persia is today. Iran, modern day Iran. So Alexander explored the potential of the Persian Gulf for trade and supply. Nercus naval expedition, like we saw a while ago along the Arabian coast, opened early connections between Mesopotamia and India. Mesopotamia today, I think, is Iraq. Yeah, modern relevance. Persian Gulf Today the Persian Gulf is one of the most important economic regions in the world, particularly because of its vast reserves of oil and natural gas, as at that time I don't think they knew about this , but the potential, yes, was there. Countries like Saudi Arabia, qatar, kuwait and United Arab Emirates, uae, dubai dominates the global energy market and the Gulf is a crucial waterway for global energy exports. The Red Sea yes, the Red Sea is now a strategic shipping route connecting Europe to the Indian Ocean through the Suez Canal. It's a key path for the shipment of oil, natural gas and goods between Asia, europe and Africa. Economic ties to today. Looking at all of what he did, looking at all of what he did. The Persian Gulf's economic importance lies in its energy resources, while the Red Sea facilitates critical global trade that handles a significant percentage of global maritime trade. These roots created by Alexander connecting the world. So let us look at the Indian Ocean. Am I boring you now? I'm taking you on some history lessons. That's what it is. You get me For us to go forward . We understand where we're coming from. We'll better appreciate where we are today, so that we don't make those mistakes again. The Indian Ocean, alexander's conquest, you know, into India opened up connections between the West and the Indian subcontinent. Have we done this before. Okay, no, nearchus, that's his sea admiral. You know, his exploration along the Indus River and Arabian Sea paved the way for understanding sea routes between India, the Persian Gulf and beyond. Modern relevance the Indian Ocean is now a vital conduit for global trade, linking the markets of East Africa, the Middle East, southeast or South Asia and Southeast Asia. You know key modern ports like Mumbai, yes, india, karachi in Pakistan and Chambaha that's, I think, chambaha or Kambaha. You know Iran sit along ancient roots, I beg your pardon, indus River, the Indus Valley. Now, in modern day, pakistan remains important for regional trade and agricultural development. Economics ties to today. So the Indian Ocean hosts key maritime routes that connect, or rather account for, a substantial share of the world's shipping of goods like oil, consumer goods and raw materials . It is also crucial for the economics of emerging markets in Southeast or South Asia and Africa. Egypt and Alexandria. Alexander founded the city of Alexandria in Egypt, just like we said a while ago, which became a major center for learning, culture and trade. In the ancient world, it served as a key gateway between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. So today, alexandria remains one of Egypt's largest cities and a significant port in the Mediterranean. The city's economic role in trade, agriculture, tourism continues to be important, while the nearby Suez Canal is crucial for the global trade, you know, tying it to today's strategic control of the Swiss Canal, egypt. It connects the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, making it a central player in global that's even a maritime trade, particularly for goods traveling between Europe and Asia. So key ports and economic centers from Alexander's time to modern day time. So Tyre yes, tyre is a part of modern day Lebanon. Alexandria is still one of Egypt's major cities. The Persian Gulf encompasses modern day Iran, iraq, Kuwait, saudi Arabia, qatar, bahrain, uae and Oman. Imagine where they're coming from all of this we've just talked about. The Indian Ocean's modern strategic ports include Mumbai, karachi. Mumbai is in India, karachi is in Pakistan, dar es Salaam, tanzania that's Africa and Colombo, sri Lanka. So you see that, from all of this, alexander's conquest more or less defined the West in relation to the East, if you understand what I mean by that, Because after his conquest, he died at the age of 35. And the rise of the Greek empire in the era of entertainment, culture, business, trade, commerce, just name it. Then the Roman Empire came on board. If you look at how the Romans operated, they were just building, or rather riding on what the Greeks, you know, created for them. And that was it. So you wonder, why am I? Why are we talking about this? It's for us to understand where we're going. For those of us who think we're new here or who think our thoughts you understand me we have the vibrant thought. It's our blah, blah, blah time and all of that. Hello, take it easy. You're building on the shoulders or the works of people that have gone before us. And again, can we think differently? Yes, we can. Obviously we can. Obviously we can, because most of what we have today thought processes and all of that stems from what they did and what we are receiving from them now. So you see, that's what I came to do on the show today. I hope this helps. Yeah, it does it should, because somebody said once the world is a narrated entity, the stories that were told. So you come to see that we can also tell our stories. We can also own our destiny. We can also own our destiny, shape our future, not repeating, would I say, the mistakes of the past. I hope this helps. It's always fun coming into this space, sitting and doing this with you, guys. I must tell you. It means a lot to me sharing this with you and knowing that you're there listening, I will say this have you been following us? Yes, on our social media handles? Have you commented? Shared our thoughts? Please do Do. If you enjoyed this, and if you're enjoying it, please do share with your friends, family and even your enemies. Let us hop on the World Cafe and the podcast. Have this amazing time. It means a lot to me. Well, I have to go now. I wish I can stay here and we talk and talk and talk, but don't worry, I'll be back. I'll be back with another story , something juicy, something interesting, something that will provoke you in the right direction, that is, to take the right action. I will leave you with this thought. It came to me today and I felt I should share it. You can't change the world no, you can't. Do you know what you can do? You can change your world? No, you can't, but you know what you can do. You can change your world, you can change you, and when you change you, little by little, everything connected to you will reflect that change. Maybe the world has changed Till I come here again. My name is Amakri. Amakri is away. Bye for now. Awesome time it has been with you on the World Cafe podcast today. Thank you for being there. You can catch me up on my social media handles Twitter, facebook, linkedin and Instagram all at Amakri Isoboye. Also, you can get copies of my books A Cocktail of Words, the Color of Words by HR Notebook and Hawkers Focus on God on Amazon and Roving Heights online bookstores. You can also subscribe to my YouTube channel at the same address at Amakri Issawe. I love to hear from you and how this podcast has impacted you. You can leave me a message at my email address amakrigaribaldi at gmailcom. That is A-M-A-C-H-R-O-E-E-G-A-R-I-B-A-L-D-I . Yes, till I come your way again . Bye for now.