Unfortunately, the story of his life ends abruptly. He became
ill in early June of 323 B.C. and died on either the tenth or
eleventh of that month at age thirty-two. The cause of
Alexander’s death has been debated throughout the centuries,
even up to the present day. Was he poisoned, or was it an
infection that killed him? The truth eludes us but the fact that
Alexander was ill for ten days suggests that disease rather than
poison was the culprit. What would Alexander have accomplished
if he had not died so young? We can only guess, but it makes an
interesting topic for discussion nonetheless. To try and imagine
Alexander’s world after 323 B.C, I’m going to employ Arnold
Toynbee, a well-known scholar of antiquity, to help us. Toynbee,
known mostly for his Study of History, wrote many fine books
about the ancient world including a favorite of mine called Some
Problems in Greek History. There is a chapter in the latter
entitled “If Alexander the Great had lived on”, where Toynbee
speculates about Alexander’s ef