亚历山大与西方古代的“大一统”

Alexander the Great and “Grand Unification” in the Ancient West

亚历山大的帝国虽然昙花一现,这位西方的第一位天下帝王既没有实现"一统"政制,也没有提出过"一统"观念,亚历山大大帝却在罗马帝国时期成为一个"政治神话"。当时为罗马帝国打造"一统"观念的主要并非是拉丁语作家,而是希腊语作家,他们通过打造历史的甚或哲学的亚历山大形象为罗马帝国提供"意识形态",似乎想要借罗马帝国实现希腊人未能实现的"天下"政治理想。泛希腊一直处于分离式政治状态,仅仅因为没有哪个城邦具有引领这个文明民族走向"一统"的能力。从亚历山大的父亲菲力统一希腊以及亚历山大的扩张到罗马帝国崛起的两百年间,西方古代的"普遍历史"观念和视野都在发生重大转变。新视野的"普遍历史"纪事的出现既与腓力统一泛希腊有关,也与罗马帝国的崛起有关。两个帝国的先后崛起及其更替,扩大了希腊语纪事家的地缘政治视野。

Although the empire of Alexander the Great is transient and this first emperor in the West fails to both realize the grand unification system and propose the idea of grand unification, he becomes a ＂political myth＂ in the period of Roman Empire. It is not the Latin writhers but the Greek ones who create the ideas of ＂grand unification＂ for Roman Empire at that time. They attempt to build a historical and even philosophical image of Alex- ander, providing ＂the ideologies＂ for Roman Empire while seemingly relying on Roman Empire to realize the po- litical ideals of ＂domination＂ that the Greek fail to achieve. Panhellenic states have always been in an isolated political status simple because no single polis can lead this civilized nation to a ＂grand unification＂. During the two hundred years from the father of Alexander, Philip＇ s unification of Greece to Alexander＇ s expansion till the rise of Roman Empire, both the ideas and horizons of ＂universal history＂ in the ancient West change significant- ly. The starting of ＂universal history＂ chronicles with the new horizon is related to not only the Philip＇ s unifica- tion of Panhellenic states but the rise of Roman Empire. The successive rise and replacement of two empires ex- tend the geopolitical horizons of the Greek chroniclers.