Alexander the Great

In 356 BCE, under storm-lit skies in Pella, a prince was born.
Ancient writers claimed that on that same night, the great temple of Artemis burned. It was a sign that a force had arrived to set the world aflame.

His father, King Philip II, forged Macedonia into Greece’s greatest power.
His mother, Olympias, told him he was descended from Achilles.
From boyhood, he trained for war. Under Aristotle, he devoured Homer’s Iliad, keeping it by his side for life.

At twenty, Philip was assassinated.
Alexander seized the throne before the day was over and crushed Thebes so completely that no Greek city dared rebel again.

He turned to Persia.
In 334 BCE, Alexander crossed into Asia, spear in hand, declaring it “spear-won land.”
At the River Granicus, he led a cavalry charge through a storm of arrows, nearly losing his life but shattering Persian resistance.

Tyre fell after seven months when he built a causeway through the sea.
In Egypt, the oracle of Ammon hailed him as the son of a god.
At Gaugamela, vastly outnumbered, his tactics split the Persian lines — Darius fled, and the empire was his.

In Persepolis, he set the royal palace ablaze in revenge for Persia’s invasions of Greece, a choice he would later regret.

But conquest wasn’t enough.
He adopted Persian customs, married the Sogdian princess Roxana, and filled his armies with soldiers from every land he ruled.
Greek culture merged with Eastern traditions, birthing the Hellenistic world.

In India, he faced King Porus and his war elephants in the driving rain.
When asked how he wished to be treated, Porus replied: “As a king.”
Alexander honored him.

At the Hyphasis River, his men refused to march farther.
The dream of reaching the world’s edge ended.
The march home through the Gedrosian desert claimed thousands.

In Babylon, at just thirty-two years old, Alexander fell ill and died, leaving no heir.
His generals carved the empire into rival kingdoms.

Yet his vision endured: cities named Alexandria, trade routes linking continents, ideas flowing from Greece to India.
As Arrian wrote:

“There was no nation, city, or people where his name did not reach.”

Connection to Ancient Egypt through conquest and cultural integration shaped Hellenistic civilization.

Primary Sources and Research

Ancient Sources

• Arrian: Anabasis of Alexander based on contemporary accounts
• Plutarch: Life of Alexander in Parallel Lives
• Diodorus Siculus: Universal history including Alexander’s campaigns
• Quintus Curtius: Roman historical account

Archaeological Evidence

• Ai-Khanoum: Hellenistic city in Afghanistan
• Alexandria excavations: Remains of Alexandrian foundations
• Persian sites: Evidence of conquest and cultural change
• Macedonian tombs: Royal burial sites in northern Greece

Modern Scholarship

• Ancient History Encyclopedia: Comprehensive articles and resources
• Oxford Classical Dictionary: Scholarly reference work
• Perseus Digital Library: Primary source texts
• British Museum: Hellenistic artifacts and exhibits