Alexander the Great

It is said that Alexander the Great introduced Indian cotton into Egypt in the fourth century BC, and from there it spread to Greece, Italy, and Spain. During the year AD 700, China began growing cotton as a decorative plant, and AD 798 saw its introduction into Japan. Early explorers in Pern found cotton cloth on exhumed mummies that dated to 200 BC. Cotton was found in North America by Columbus in 1492. About 300 years later, the first cotton mill was built in Beverly, Massachusetts, and in 1794 EH Whitney was granted a patent for the invention of the cotton gin. 

Fernll, A. (1985). The Origins of War From the Stone Age to Alexander the Great. London Thames and Hudson. 

In a work attributed to Albertus Magnus, but which is probably spurious, we are told that Alexander the Great found the tomb of Hermes in a cave near Hebron. This tomb contained an emerald table — "The Smaragdine Table" — on which were inscribed the following thirteen sentences in Phoenician characters —... 

Alexander the Great founds the city of Alexandria, Egypt, the greatest city of knowledge and learning in the ancient world. 

Who does not take note of the Androgynus, two-headed, who is Man and Woman at the same time It is known as far as India, and its fame is greater than that of Alexander the Great. A great many people set out to see and to speak to a man who has become known by his exploits or his knowledge. Nevertheless, a great many more people would travel to those mountains of the Rebis—if only they knew where to go. ... 

Though the Roman Empire was declining, the trade in opium was rapidly expanding. This spread was due in part to military exploits abroad, in addition to the influences of Arab scholars and medicine men, who were part of the most advanced societies of the time. By 330 B.c, Alexander the Great had advanced... 

In siege warfare invented after 350 BC by engineers of Alexander the Great of Macedonia were the battering ram and the famous movable tower (turns on wheel) (See Fig on p 39 of Ref 69). Other inventions were mantelet, telenon and mural hook (See Figs on p 40 of Ref 69)... 

The above described weapons were also used by Macedonians under Alexander the Great (b356, d323 BC) during their conquest of Europe and half of Asia. No new weapons were used, but they encountered in India a new weapon which will be described below... 

There seems little doubt that the composition of gunpowder has been known in East from times of dimmest antiquity. The Chinese and Hindus contemporary with Moses are thought to have known of even the more recondite properties of the compound. It is very possible that Alexander the Great did absolutely meet with fire-weapons in India, which a passage in Quintus Curtius seems to indicate . 

The Greek writers make numerous references to opium with some evidence that they used species other than P. somniferum. Hippocrates, considered by some to be the father of medicine, rejected the supernatural attributes of opium but acknowledges opium s usefulness as a narcotic, especially in the treatment of certain diseases. It has been claimed that Alexander the Great took opium to Persia and India in 330 BC. The Romans continued the use of opium in medical applications and there is little evidence that addiction was a problem in these ancient cultures. After the rise of Islam, the use of opium in medicine was further developed and documented. At some stage, the Arab spice traders took opium to the Far East and some credited them with introducing it to China. By the middle ages, the drinking of opium mbctures for recreational use is recorded in Persia and India. 

Application of photochromic materials was first exploited by Alexander the Great. He designed a crude timepiece for his soldiers consisting of a chemically treated cloth worn on the left forearm. Under the action of the sun, the cloth changed colors each hour and provided Macedonian troopers with the world s first wristwatch. Among historians it is known as Alexander s Rag Timeband (8). 

Commercial production of sugar in the Indus valley was reported during Alexander the Great s invasion in the period around 325 bce, but cane sugar did not reach Europe... 

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