Its likely this was done at some point before but I was recently considering the possible implications that could arise with one of the most powerful ancient empires remaining united for much longer.
So I think the first obvious step is for Alexander to realise his own mortality at least a few years before dying and begins to groom one of his best generals or older children for command. He'll have to teach them the logic behind his battle tactics and how to organise the impressive system of logistics associated with his campaigns. At this point he specifically starts increasing the standing and power of his chosen successor in the empire while keeping the other great people in the empire as busy as possible while limiting their power. As a result when alexander finally dies with a limited amount of conflict his chosen heir ascends to the throne.
As time passes the new emperor will be able to consolidate the vast empire and begin to more effectively utilise its resources to undergo further expansion. The obvious targets are the various Hellenic colonies through out Sicily, the south of the Italian peninsular and the black sea as well as Sparta and Epirus. With their ability to control trade moving from east to west their ability to trade goods with the cultures to their west such as Carthage would be paramount and as such it would logical to expect that they would build up a large navy in the Mediterranean and various bases too facilitate trade and navel patrols.
Carthage ever a trading empire would desire the trade goods of the east and would be too intimidated by the Macedonian empire to seriously contest the eastern med. As such their expansion would likely be focused on Iberia, Marseille. The more aggressive Rome might try to conquer parts of Scilly and southern the southern Italian peninsula but it would be unlikely to succeed against the vast resources of the Macedonians who would be more likely to use the more flexible tactics of Alexander rather than the Pike obsessed ones of his successors. As a result if Rome survived the next few centuries it would most likely be a vassal or tributary of the Macedonians with their only expansion being into northern Italy Cisalpine Gaul and Transalpine Gaul. The Punic war would likely never happen as Rome would have no real presence in Italy however a smaller version of the wars might occur in southern Gaul. Without the wealth gained from conquering much of north Africa Greece and Italy Rome would be unable to permanently penetrate into the Gallic interior.
Further East the Macedonians would like make small colonies on the coast of the Arabian peninsula and expand into some parts of the Indian sub-continent if only so future generation can claim to have out done Alexander. While this venture would most likely have brought ruin to many who tried after properly using the resources of their vast empire the Macedonians would be able to slowly make progress.
A few centuries later it becomes impossible to say what might happen. Eventually the empire would surely fall like all great empires of the ancient world but its position as a trade empire would allow it a certain stability as it didn't have to rely purely on conquest to fund itself. Seeing as the successors of Alexander would most likely be Greek or Macedonian Hellenic culture would supersede Persian but it likely that Persian culture would be a large influence on the modern world along with Hellenic culture. Its likely that the eastern Mediterranean and middle east would continue to be major source of the most advanced empires only rivalled by those of the far east due to the Islamic and western European nation's grow being stunted by the Macedonian empire and its successors dominating the region and being the main hub for industry, culture and technology.
So I think the first obvious step is for Alexander to realise his own mortality at least a few years before dying and begins to groom one of his best generals or older children for command. He'll have to teach them the logic behind his battle tactics and how to organise the impressive system of logistics associated with his campaigns. At this point he specifically starts increasing the standing and power of his chosen successor in the empire while keeping the other great people in the empire as busy as possible while limiting their power. As a result when alexander finally dies with a limited amount of conflict his chosen heir ascends to the throne.
As time passes the new emperor will be able to consolidate the vast empire and begin to more effectively utilise its resources to undergo further expansion. The obvious targets are the various Hellenic colonies through out Sicily, the south of the Italian peninsular and the black sea as well as Sparta and Epirus. With their ability to control trade moving from east to west their ability to trade goods with the cultures to their west such as Carthage would be paramount and as such it would logical to expect that they would build up a large navy in the Mediterranean and various bases too facilitate trade and navel patrols.
Carthage ever a trading empire would desire the trade goods of the east and would be too intimidated by the Macedonian empire to seriously contest the eastern med. As such their expansion would likely be focused on Iberia, Marseille. The more aggressive Rome might try to conquer parts of Scilly and southern the southern Italian peninsula but it would be unlikely to succeed against the vast resources of the Macedonians who would be more likely to use the more flexible tactics of Alexander rather than the Pike obsessed ones of his successors. As a result if Rome survived the next few centuries it would most likely be a vassal or tributary of the Macedonians with their only expansion being into northern Italy Cisalpine Gaul and Transalpine Gaul. The Punic war would likely never happen as Rome would have no real presence in Italy however a smaller version of the wars might occur in southern Gaul. Without the wealth gained from conquering much of north Africa Greece and Italy Rome would be unable to permanently penetrate into the Gallic interior.
Further East the Macedonians would like make small colonies on the coast of the Arabian peninsula and expand into some parts of the Indian sub-continent if only so future generation can claim to have out done Alexander. While this venture would most likely have brought ruin to many who tried after properly using the resources of their vast empire the Macedonians would be able to slowly make progress.
A few centuries later it becomes impossible to say what might happen. Eventually the empire would surely fall like all great empires of the ancient world but its position as a trade empire would allow it a certain stability as it didn't have to rely purely on conquest to fund itself. Seeing as the successors of Alexander would most likely be Greek or Macedonian Hellenic culture would supersede Persian but it likely that Persian culture would be a large influence on the modern world along with Hellenic culture. Its likely that the eastern Mediterranean and middle east would continue to be major source of the most advanced empires only rivalled by those of the far east due to the Islamic and western European nation's grow being stunted by the Macedonian empire and its successors dominating the region and being the main hub for industry, culture and technology.
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