The Battle at Issus

The Battle at Issus Alexander the Great fought the Battle at Issus soon after the Battle at the Granicus. Like his father Philip, the glory-seeking Alexander aimed to conquer the Persian Empire. Although greatly outnumbered, Alexander was a better tactician. The battle was bloody, Alexander suffered a thigh wound, and the Pinarus River was said to have run red with blood. Despite the injury and the steep cost in human lives, Alexander won the Battle at Issus. Alexanders Opponents After the recent Battle at the Granicus, Memnon was given command of all Persian forces in Asia Minor. Had the Persians followed his advice at Granicus, they might have won and stopped Alexander in time. In Upset at Issus (Military History Magazine), Harry J. Maihafer says Memnon was not only astute militarily, but doled out bribes. A Greek, Memnon almost persuaded Sparta to back him. As Greeks, the Spartans should have been expected to support Alexander, but not all Greeks preferred rule by Alexander to rule by the king of Persia. Macedonia was still Greeces conqueror. Because of mixed Greek sympathies, Alexander hesitated to continue his eastward expansion, but then he sliced the Gordian Knot and took the omen as urging him on.​ The Persian King Believing he was on the right track, Alexander pressed on his Persian campaign. A problem emerged, Alexander learned he had come to the attention of the Persian king. King Darius III was at Babylon, moving towards Alexander, from his capital at Susa, and gathering troops en route. Alexander, on the other hand, was losing them: he may have had as few as 30,000 men. Alexanders Illness Alexander became seriously ill at Tarsus, a city in Cilicia that would later become the capital of that Roman province. While recovering, Alexander sent Parmenio to capture the harbor town of Issus and watch for Darius approach into Cilicia with his perhaps 100,000 men. [Ancient sources say the Persian army had much more.] Faulty Intelligence When Alexander recovered sufficiently, he rode to Issus, deposited the sick and wounded, and traveled on. Meanwhile, Darius troops gathered in the plains east of the Amanus Mountains. Alexander led some of his troops to the Syrian Gates, where he expected Darius to pass, but his intelligence was flawed: Darius marched across another pass, to Issus. There the Persians mutilated and captured the debilitated people Alexander had left behind. Worse, Alexander was cut off from most of his troops. Darius crossed the mountain range by what are called the Amanic Gates, and advancing towards Issus, came without being noticed to the rear of Alexander. Having reached Issus, he captured as many of the Macedonians as had been left behind there on account of illness. These he cruelly mutilated and slew. Next day he proceeded to the river Pinarus.- Arrian Major Battles of Alexanders Asian Campaigns Battle Prep Alexander quickly led the men who had traveled with him back to the main body of the Macedonians and sent out scouting horsemen to learn exactly what Darius was up to. At the reunion, Alexander rallied his troops and prepared for battle the following morning. Alexander went to a mountaintop to offer sacrifices to the presiding gods, according to Curtius Rufus. Darius enormous army was on the other side of the Pinarus River, stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to foothills in an area too narrow to give an advantage to his numbers: [A]nd that the deity was acting the part of general on their behalf better than himself, by putting it into the mind of Darius to move his forces from the spacious plain and shut them up in a narrow place, where there was suffficient room for themselves to deepen their phalanx by marching from front to rear, but where their vast multitude would be useless to the enemy in the battle.- Arrian Major Battles of Alexanders Asian Campaigns The Fighting Parmenio was in charge of the those of Alexanders troops deployed to the seaside of the battle line. He was enjoined not to let the Persians get around them, but to bend back, if necessary, and stick to the sea. First, upon the right wing near the mountain he placed his infantry guard and the shield-bearers, under the command of Nicanor, son of Parmenio; next to these the regiment of Coenus, and close to them that of Perdiccas. These troops were posted as far as the middle of the heavy-armed infantry to one beginning from the right. On the left wing first stood the regiment of Amyntas, then that of Ptolemy, and close to this that of Meleager. The infantry on the left had been placed under the command of Craterus; but Parmenio held the chief direction of the whole left wing. This general had been ordered not to abandon the sea, so that they might not be surrounded by the foreigners, who were likely to outflank them on all sides by their superior numbers.- Arrian Major Battles of Alexanders Asian Campaigns Alexander stretched his troops parallel to the Persian forces: Fortune was not kinder to Alexander in the choice of the ground, than he was careful to improve it to his advantage. For being much inferior in numbers, so far from allowing himself to be outflanked, he stretched his right wing much further out than the left wing of his enemies, and fighting there himself in the very foremost ranks, put the barbarians to flight.Plutarch, Life of Alexander Alexanders Companion Cavalry headed across the river where they faced the Greek mercenary forces, veterans and some of the best of the Persian army. The mercenaries saw an opening in Alexanders line and rushed in. Alexander moved to gain the Persians flank. This meant the mercenaries needed to fight in two places at once, which they couldnt do, and so the battle tide soon turned. When Alexander spotted the royal chariot, his men raced towards it. The Persian king fled, followed by others. The Macedonians tried but were unable to overtake the Persian king. The Aftermath At Issus, Alexanders men rewarded themselves richly with Persian loot. Darius women at Issus were frightened. At best they could expect to become the concubine of a high-status Greek. Alexander reassured them. He told them not only was Darius still alive, but they would be kept safe and honored. Alexander kept his word and has been honored for this treatment of the women in Darius family. Sources Upset at Issus, by Harry J. Maihafer. Military History Magazine Oct. 2000.Jona Lendering - Alexander the Great: Battle at the IssusAlexanders Sacrifice dis praesidibus loci before the Battle of Issus, by J. D. Bing. Journal of Hellenic Studies, Vol. 111, (1991), pp. 161-165. The Generalship of Alexander, by A. R. Burn. Greece Rome (Oct. 1965), pp. 140-154.

History and Evolution of Vinyl

History and Evolution of Vinyl Polyvinyl chloride or PVC was first created by the German chemist Eugen Baumann in 1872. Eugen Baumann never applied for a patent. Polyvinyl chloride or PVC was never patented until 1913 when German, Friedrich Klatte invented a new method of the polymerization of vinyl chloride using sunlight. Friedrich Klatte became the first inventor to receive a patent for PVC. However, no really useful purpose for PVC was found until Waldo Semon came along and made PVC a better product. Semon had been quoted as saying, People thought of PVC as worthless back then [circa 1926]. Theyd throw it in the trash. Waldo Semon - Useful Vinyl In 1926, Waldo Lonsbury Semon was working for the B.F. Goodrich Company in the United States as a researcher, when he invented plasticized polyvinyl chloride. Waldo Semon had been trying to dehydrohalogenate polyvinyl chloride in a high boiling solvent in order to obtain an unsaturated polymer that could bond rubber to metal. For his invention, Waldo Semon received United States patents #1,929,453 and #2,188,396 for the Synthetic Rubber-like Composition and Method of Making Same; Method of Preparing Polyvinyl Halide Products. All About Vinyl Vinyl is the second most produced plastic in the world. The first products from vinyl that Walter Semon produced were golf balls and shoe heels. Today, hundreds of products are made from vinyl, including ​shower curtains, raincoats, wires, appliances, floor tiles, paints and surface coatings. According to the Vinyl Institute, like all plastic materials, vinyl is made from a series of processing steps that converts raw materials (petroleum, natural gas or coal) into unique synthetic products called polymers. The Vinyl Institute states that vinyl polymer is unusual because it is based only in part on hydrocarbon materials (ethylene obtained by processing natural gas or petroleum), the other half of the vinyl polymer is based on the natural element chlorine (salt). The resulting compound, ethylene dichloride, is converted at very high temperatures to vinyl chloride monomer gas. Through the chemical reaction known as polymerization, vinyl chloride monomer becomes polyvinyl chloride resin that can be used to produce an endless variety of products.

Real Estate Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Real Estate Economics - Essay Example Above that trigger point, extra supply is subject to a rising supply price because of diminishing returns in the construction industry. The level at which replacement cost is currently set depends on land prices, as well as on construction and other development costs. Land prices are determined by supply and demand in the land market. Commercial property owners compete amongst each other, and against other land uses, for desired land sites. All the inputs to the supply process are covered in the model and equilibrium conditions are assumed to be met. Other characteristics of land economics are heterogeneity of location and use, high transaction costs, immobility, commodity that can be consumed and saved, and long term delays in the form of market adjustment process. While there is dependence on the consumer's income to some extent, real estate is a branch of economics where the consumer is not completely dependent on his own capital. In a majority of investments, the consumer has to depend on external factors like bank finance since the cost of land and buildings is high when compared to that of other commodities. The variables that are associated with demand in land are demographic factors like size of the population and changes thereof, income elasticity of consumers, price elasticity of land/buildings, depreciation in building value, mortgage and loan rates etc. Other factors such as accessibility to roads and infrastructure, surroundings, facilities available in the vicinity too influence the demand and price of real estate in any region. Other factors that play an important role in determining the demand for land are the extent of industrialization, type of land use (commercial, residential), role of developers and land planning agencies i n the area/country. 3- To what extent is government intervention in real estate markets a matter of externality management (50 marks) The real estate market, as in any other market is governed by demand and supply of real estate and market factors. When a competitive market reaches equilibrium, the supply exactly meets the demand and prices are stable. However, in real estate economics, there are a lot of external influences, which can lead to a change in market equilibrium. Other than the consumers or owners of the property and the sellers or suppliers of the property, there are other vested interests like speculators, who can either hike up the prices or bring it down according to their own whims and fancies. In every real estate cycle, the price of real estate slowly starts rising with rising incomes, reach a peak and then slowly start falling. Home prices cannot rise faster than incomes forever. Easy credit, lax lending standards and panic buying raise them to impractical levels. Weak borrowers also get loans. People with good credit borrow too much. Speculators too join the circus. At a particular point of time, the supply overshoots the demand and the bubble bursts. There is oversupply of housing and credit facilities, but there are no borrowers. It is at this stage that government could start its intervention. There could be sops like a cut in the rate of finance or lending. Borrowers would be in a better position to repay their

Modern Project managing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Modern Project managing - Essay Example As such, this student has reviewed an article within the Wall Street Journal which is specifically directed towards project management and the means by which project managers ultimately succeed or fail. The article itself, entitled, â€Å"Dangers of Clinging to Solutions of the Past† approaches the topic of expertise and it applications within project management from a different perspective than almost all other research articles or readings in the press have. Rather than assuming that a great degree of experience is necessarily represents a net asset to the organization, the approach of the author of the article, as well as the information that was reviewed is that the prior knowledge of a manager is not a pre-requisite to success and worse still may represent a very broad range of negative carryovers from incorrect ways that problems had been tackled in the past. As a function of understanding these nuances, the following brief paper will seek to highlight the ways in which traditional understandings of the importance of experience significantly deviate from the perspective that the author of this particular piece of journalism has concluded. Although it is of course incorrect to take a piece of journalism such as the Wall Street Journal and draw a wide range of inference from it with regards to the way in which project management should necessarily proceed, this alongside the other forms of inference that the student can glean from reading management textbooks and a range of peer reviewed articles help to paint the picture of how aspects of so-called â€Å"common sense† deviates significantly from what practicality and actuality demand. Whereas our current model of understanding change and leadership center around finding an individual with the sage knowledge to guide a firm, organization, or group of employees towards the new paradigm, the fact of the matter is, as discussed by the article’s author, that oftentimes the change leader wit h little to no prior experience within such a context can oftentimes evoke a more positive transition than one who has a storied past illustrated during a broad career. As the author notes, this is the result of the fact that few if any change managers that have a broad level of experience have been proven to integrate positive change in an organization. Conversely, those managers that have little if any real world experience have to do what the author refers to as â€Å"learn on their feet†. In this way, rather than forcing an approach that has somewhat worked in the past into a situation, department, or business in which it is more than certain to fail. Conversely, the ability of the young and/or otherwise inexperienced leader to invoke a level of positive change is aided by his lack of baggage from previous employers. Although experience in and of itself is not a detriment to the leader’s progress, the reliance and understanding upon this experience as a means of ef fecting the new change is. As the author of the article states, the fact of the matter is that the inexperienced leader has a definite advantage upon the competition due to the fact that he/she is not polluted by pre-conceived notions of what would ultimately provide a net benefit to the firm or

Comparing Roman Empire and Han Dynasty Essay Example for Free

Comparing Roman Empire and Han Dynasty Essay Roman Empire and Han Dynasty had many things in common and uncommon.During their falling era they were experiencing facts which were really similar to each other therefore emphasizing on them will make the topic.And also their characterstics were similar in their way of ruling and living so also they will be included. Firstly,to talk about their characteristics we can see that they both had well organized bureaucracy the only difference was , Han’s bureaucracy was based on Confucian ideas whereas Romans’ bureaucracy was based on their own law and classic learning. Another common characteristic about them was their emphasis on family.Han Dynasty’s were patriarchial and Romans’ were pater families.They both attached importance on engineering and made great accomplishments such as, roads,cannals,the great wall by Han Dynasty and aqueducts,domes,sewage systems,central heating by the Romans. To talk about their similarities during their fall we can say that they were affected deeply by the Germanic Invasions factor which caused both of them to loose power.They were both abrogated by the same conflicts since Germans had a great military power to constantly oppose to them.They had the same problem that caused them not to be able to protect themselves.It was their monetary problem that made them defenseless to Germans. Another problem they were both facing was they problem of not electing a new ruler that will reconstruct them and unify them. They were in total decline in morals and values.Their public health was jeopardized so they needed to find a way out to the political corruption however seeing that these empires fell it means that these needs were not provided and they could not be unified which was their common problem. To conclude , we discussed their common qualities and problems from their characteristics to their fall.It was obvious that they had many things common so this was the reason why they both fell.If they had been able to find a way out to their common problem they would have remained.

Stepladder of Evolution in Picasso’s Acrobat’s Family with a Monkey Ess

Stepladder of Evolution in Picasso’s Acrobat’s Family with a Monkey In Picasso’s "Acrobat’s Family with a Monkey", the stepladder like orientation of characters demonstrates an evolutionary procession. At the top of the ladder sits the father, a high and mighty figure, like that of King Arthur. He towers above his family as if a king on a throne, looking down upon his royal subjects. He is the sole ruler and therefore must set himself apart from them. This is reflected in the position of his arms, which he keeps close to his body, like the independent child who refuses to hold his mother's hand when crossing the street. Even his manner of dress holds a stately aura. The yellow hat upon his head is golden and pointy similar to that of a royal crown worn by the great rulers of the past. The fringes on his costume surround his neck like the golden mane of a fearsome lion, king of the jungle. The leotard, itself, is an almost fleshy tone like soft peaches in the summer. It reminds one of an acrobat in costume during his death-defying tightrope act, high above the audience. His shoes, however, are thin and black like a bat in the night, contrasting sharply with the rest of the colors of the painting. It were as if they are demanding the well-deserved attention they have earned in all the effort it had taken them to get to the top. Yet, he looks down at the child with great hope, as would a king to his newborn successor, who would follow in his footsteps, performing great deeds to society and loved by all his people. It is also a look of unconditional love that cannot dissipate even if the child were to accidentally burn their house down or fall on top of him, breaking a few ribs in the process. On the next step is the mot... ...tates. At the bottom of the rung, rests the monkey who is lower than all of the other characters in the painting both socially and evolutionarily. He is like the serfs on a feudal manner who are expected to do the bidding of their master and unable to leave. The monkey’s lack of clothing and ignorance thereof also contributes to his subordination, thereby making him less powerful than humans. The lack of clothing is similar to the condition of Adam and Eve before they ate the apple. Their eating the apple allowed them to realize their nakedness, thus elevating them to an unignorant state. His contentment towards this disposition further exemplifies the blissful nature of his ignorance. Picasso’s spatial positioning deliberately portrays the position of each member of society and their respective roles in the hierarchy of social order and evolutionary theory.

Main computer network system Essay

An overview of the system requirements (hardware, software, data, personnel, procedures and ethical issues). ? Hardware We need computer hardware and communications hardware for our business. Base on that, we need: 1. Main computer network system controls main business operations of the supermarket 2. Sub computer network system for advertising activities for advertising activities such as creating a homepage, making fliers, and direct emailing to the customers. 3. Security system monitors gates and the inside of the supermarket. We need to purchase operating system software and other application software we need for our company such as: 1. Supermarket application package (for the main computer network system) large scale business computer application designed for supermarket retailers developed by high technology computer companies such as Microsoft and IBM. Including these systems and functions: Operation systems and networking systems e. g. Windows NT and IBM OS 2. 0 Security function e. g. password for entering databases Front-end operation system e. g. cashiers Store opening and ending system. Accounting and financing system Inventory control system and sales analysis system Human resource information system Correcting errors, updating and supporting system by the software company 2. Publishing software and homepage builder for advertising activities such as creating fliers, managing a homepage of the supermarket, and creating html based e-mails for the customers. 3. Operation system (for the security system) Runs the security system for the supermarket. We need it but it is usually already installed and included when we purchase the security system.