Welcome Back to the Empire

We will try to construct an interactive parallel history. The combining
of the three platforms mentioned below will assist us in that intention.

Platform 1.

Alexander III of Macedonia had not died on June 13, 323 BC
in Babylon after his return from India. He recovered from malaria and
consolidated his forces. The Empire did not fall apart. He lived on
another 20 years firmly ruling and expanding the empire. He undertook a
successful expedition in Arabia as planned and conducted a serious
reorganisation of the Empire.

[…]

How will the existence of a strong universal state
spreading over 3 continents with the utmost diverse cultures affect the
lives of the people ?

How will the cultures interact one with another?

Will this politically and otherwise strengthened cultural system known
widely as Hellenism move to a higher merging of cultures.

The monetary policy was based on a uniform currency system. What will
this mean on the economical, sociological, religious, educational and
all other platforms you can imagine? How will the empire develop? What
will the educational system be like?

[…]

Alexander required his provinces to worship him as a god ! He truly
believed that he was the son of God. Zeus - Amon ? Will the Greek
religious system be proclaimed as a central doctrine? How will the Asian
religious diversity fit into it? The latter prophets ? Did they appear ?
Did they appear on time? Is their appearance therefore connected to time
and space or not? Monotheism ? Christianity, Islam ? Will they be
possible in the given parameters ?

Platform 2.

The second part of the project will in essence be an archive and will
concentrate on collecting images, sounds, various audio and video data
from the region. It should represent a virtual Museum of the Empire.
People from the region or wider are invited to submit photographs, audio
or video materials, via Internet or otherwise. The sounds of this
permanent collection could be of ethno or another origin, although they
would have to correspond to the cultural boundaries of the Empire.

Platform 3.

A. Alternative Artists from Macedonia will visit the main knots in the
Empire, passing thus from Europe to Asia. The knots are signified by the
main battles fought by Alexander:

1. Issus 2. Tyre 3. Gaza 4. Gaugamela - Arbela 5. Susa 6. Persepolis

- The artists will cover the topography with audio&video footage. - The
artists will also concentrate on investigating the historical conscience
of the local population by covering the stories of the villagers
regarding these battles.

- The artists will try to investigate how the local communities
perceives the past, and how much of the past is still rooted and living
in them.

- The artists will meet with the domestic artists exchanging
experiences.

B. The artists will in this later phase pursue Alexander's spirituality
by visiting and documenting the temple of Zeus - Amon in the Libyan
desert, the city of Alexandria as centre of culture and commerce, and
Babylon as a capital.

C. The artists will concentrate on documenting different materials from
Pakistan and India, trying to investigate traces of Alexander's presence
in the conscience of the local population.

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Work on the construction of the *Site of the Empire* is to be performed
during 1996 and the beginning of 1997.

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Among others professional scientists including historians will be
consulted. All of the 3 platforms of the project will be placed on this
Internet site.

The ones interested in participating should in the meantime send texts,
audio and video materials to:

e-mail: mpandil@soros.org.mk

Tel/Fax: 389.91.361.855

SCCA - Skopje, Macedonia Ruzveltova 34, 91000 Skopje Macedonia