Landscape from Cades Cove near the Smokey Mountains. (5 years and 1446 days ago)

• Camera: NIKON CORPORATION
• Camera model: NIKON D7000
• Exposure time: 1/1250
• Aperture: f/8.0
• ISO: 100

Alexander III of Macedon (20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great (Greek: Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Μέγας, Aléxandros ho Mégas [a.lék.san.dros ho mé.gas], from the Greek ἀλέξω (alexō) "defend" and ἀνδρ- (andr-), the stem of ἀνήρ (anēr) "man" and means "protector of men"iii[›]), was a King (Basileus) of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon[1][2][3] and a member of the Argead dynasty, an ancient Greek royal house. Born in Pella in 356 BC, Alexander succeeded his father, Philip II, to the throne at the age of twenty. He spent most of his ruling years on an unprecedented military campaign through Asia and northeast Africa, and by the age of thirty he had created one of the largest empires of the ancient world, stretching from Greece to Egypt into northwest India and modern-day Pakistan.[4] He was undefeated in battle and is widely considered one of history's most successful military commanders.[5]

During his youth, Alexander was tutored by the philosopher Aristotle until the age of 16. After Philip's assassination in 336 BC, Alexander succeeded his father to the throne and inherited a strong kingdom and an experienced army. Alexander was awarded the generalship of Greece and used this authority to launch his father's Panhellenic project to lead the Greeks in the conquest of Persia.[6][7] In 334 BC, he invaded the Achaemenid Empire, ruled Asia Minor, and began a series of campaigns that lasted ten years. Alexander broke the power of Persia in a series of decisive battles, most notably the battles of Issus and Gaugamela. He subsequently overthrew the Persian King Darius III and conquered the Achaemenid Empire in its entirety.i[›] At that point, his empire stretched from the Adriatic Sea to the Indus River.

Seeking to reach the "ends of the world and the Great Outer Sea", he invaded India in 326 BC, but was eventually forced to turn back at the demand of his troops. Alexander died in Babylon in 323 BC, the city he planned to establish as his capital, without executing a series of planned campaigns that would have begun with an invasion of Arabia. In the years following his death, a series of civil wars tore his empire apart, resulting in several states ruled by the Diadochi, Alexander's surviving generals and heirs.

Alexander's legacy includes the cultural diffusion his conquests engendered, such as Greco-Buddhism. He founded some twenty cities that bore his name, most notably Alexandria in Egypt. Alexander's settlement of Greek colonists and the resulting spread of Greek culture in the east resulted in a new Hellenistic civilization, aspects of which were still evident in the traditions of the Byzantine Empire in the mid-15th century and the presence of Greek speakers in central and far eastern Anatolia until the 1920s. Alexander became legendary as a classical hero in the mold of Achilles, and he features prominently in the history and mythic traditions of both Greek and non-Greek cultures. He became the measure against which military leaders compared themselves, and military academies throughout the world still teach his tactics.[8]ii[›] He is often ranked among the most influential people in human history, along with his teacher Aristotle (5 years and 1448 days ago)

Over the Great Barrier Reef (5 years and 2359 days ago)

1 Comment

Australia, Great, Barrier, Reef, Sailing

friiskiwi says:

Nice idea

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Howdie stranger!
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1 fav:

The world as we know it has ended. Disease has killed all but a select few. Now, the ultimate battle between good and evil begins... it is the battle for your immortal soul.

(The sand is for the desert, which is where the final battle takes place. The crows' feather and skull represent the 'Walking Man'who is evil. He travels and spies on others in the shape of a crow. The light from within the book represents the light that shines from within each person, the light of all that is good, and it's power over evil.) (5 years and 2396 days ago)

3 Comments

book, novel, great, good, evil

photogirl723 says:

One of my favorite books! Nice set-up. Very on-theme.

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author says:

Thank you!

(5 years and 2396 days ago)

FallingHorse says:

One of my all-time favourite Stephen King books. I reckon I've read it about 4 times since I picked it up in year 7. Nice set up, congrats on your 4th place

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(5 years and 2409 days ago)

4 Comments

Great, work, wood

author says:

I think some comments are absolutely not necessary here...

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author says:

I received a private message from a colleague this site, very strange by the way, telling me to take care with the comments that I do - especially with the praise - and I clearly know this will always take my photos for the last place, I do not care and I'm not here to win or lose but learn and make friends. I think we are free to make good comments that make people get excited and do not give up or lose interest in photography or for participation here. Sure, help improve, but there are ways and ways to talk things out. No need to put this post in the photo as competitor, thus influencing the other vote. I know many are here only for the competition and are really playing with people, playing without any scruples and their only purpose is to make that the photos will be deleted or receive bad grades. In this way, many good photos are at the end and the other start. Ok, some deserve first places.. I'm not generalizating. Look, I'm not talking about my work - my photos, and I do not care if after this post I will be deleted from the site. I just believe that certain standards have to be reviewed here. A good week for everyone. And if I will be deleted ... I stay with good friends that I met here.

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BeSea says:

I generally try to vote before reading the comments. If everybody says that every photo is wonderful with no constructive criticism, there is really no point in commenting at all. Praising everything reduces the value of your opinion. The objective here is to learn, not to influence votes. I do not comment unless something strikes me as particularly good (to my eye and taste), or a comment on what I think is wrong or could be improved. If an entry is really, really bad, there is no point in saying anything. The votes will tell.

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