Alexander the Great was famous for his military power and is a legendary figure in history.
Much of what we know about Alexander the Great is unreliable and steeped in myth; a lot of these mythologies were used by Alexander’s successors.
In the Kingdom of Thrace, during the reign of Lysimachus—a successor of Alexander the Great who lived from 361 BCE to 281 BCE—an interesting coin was issued. This coin, which featured the head of Alexander the Great with ram’s horns on either side of his crown, was issued in the ancient city of Parium, in the northwestern region of modern-day Turkey. The horns were the symbol of the Egyptian god Amun—or Zeus, who is often conflated with Amun—from whom Alexander claimed descent. Flanked with these godlike horns, Alexander attained the status of a deity.
Silver coin; left, front,, head of Alexander the Great wearing the horns of Zeus Ammon; right, back, seated Athena.
Silver coin; left, front,, head of Alexander the Great wearing the horns of Zeus Ammon; right, back, seated Athena.
Silver coin; left, front,, head of Alexander the Great wearing the horns of Zeus Ammon; right, back, seated Athena. Image credit: British Museum
Surprisingly, Alexander himself did not issue coins with his own image; his successors did. Why would his successors refer back to their deceased predecessor as they established new empires? The reason is that Alexander the Great was—and still is—a powerful symbol of power, military genius, and conquest, whether or not this description of him is historically accurate. His image, name, and legendary power remained resonant—and politically visible—long after his death.
After world war 1 the United States wanted to isolate themselves from things like that because of how bad the war was. They went as far as to not join the league of nations that their President made himself with other presidents. After the Korean War, they decided to not isolate themselves and meddle as much as possible to prevent the spread of communism because it would strengthen the Soviet Union who was the main enemy.
People agree to social contracts because they establish governments which in turn establish a sense of order and security. It establishes a set of rules which makes people more comfortable when they have some to follow.
The owners of the land and property there must give the government permission before they can build anything there. If the government builds there anyway it is a violation of the owner's rights. This would mean they could sue them. <span />
