- Alexander the Great, coin, 355–281 BC; in the British Museum.
(356–323 BC). Alexander III, king of Macedonia, is remembered as Alexander the Great. He is known for his expeditions and conquests. Although he died at the young age of 33, he had already conquered most of the world known in those days. Even in his lifetime, he was the subject of amazing stories. Later he became a legend. Early lifeAlexander was born in 356 BC at Pella, the capital of Macedonia, an ancient kingdom on the Greek peninsula. He was the son of Philip II, king of Macedonia. Alexander was fearless and strong and loved riding his horse Bucephalus. When Alexander was 13 years old, the Greek philosopher Aristotle came to Macedonia to teach him. Aristotle inspired in Alexander an interest in the arts and sciences. Alexander's chief interest, however, was in military strategy, or planning. He learned this from his father, who had transformed the phalanx—a group of heavily armed soldiers—into a powerful fighting machine. Macedonia had become strong and united under Philip II. Greece was reaching the end of its golden age. The small city-states in Greece were exhausted by wars and refused to unite. In 338 BC, Philip II fought the battle of Chaeronea and brought all the Greek city-states except Sparta under his leadership. In this battle, young Alexander commanded one section of the army. Alexander the kingIn 336 BC, Philip II was murdered, and Alexander became king. That same year, he marched southward to Corinth, a city in Greece, to ensure his control over Greece. All the Greek city-states except Sparta declared loyalty to him. Thebes later revolted, however, and Alexander destroyed that city. Later conquestsAlexander always had his mind set on conquering Persia—present-day Iran. Two centuries earlier, the Persian Empire had taken the Greek cities of Asia Minor (now roughly Turkey), one third of the Greek world at that time. Also, Alexander needed the wealth of Persia to maintain the army built by his father. PersiaIn 334 BC Alexander proceeded to invade Persia. When he crossed the narrow strait between Europe and Asia Minor known as the Hellespont—now the Dardanelles—he had in his command about 30,000 foot soldiers and more than 5,000 cavalry, or men on horseback. At the Granicus River, Alexander defeated a large group of Persian cavalry. Then he marched southward along the coast. Along the way, he freed the Greek cities from Persian rule and made them his allies. At Gordium in Asia Minor, according to legend, he was shown a curious knot. It had been said of the knot that the man who could untie it would rule Asia. Alexander dramatically cut the Gordian knot with his sword. In October 333 BC, Alexander met Persian King Darius III at Issus. Darius lost the battle and fled. Alexander then marched southward along the coast of Phoenicia, a region of present-day Lebanon, to cut off the Persian navy from its harbors. EgyptLate in 332 BC, Alexander reached Egypt. The Egyptians welcomed him as a deliverer from Persian misrule. They accepted him as their pharaoh, or king. Near the delta of the Nile River, he founded a new city, which was named Alexandria after him. His conquest of Egypt completed his control of the whole eastern Mediterranean coast. In 331 BC, Alexander left Egypt and went in search of King Darius. By then, Darius had gathered together all of his military strength. The two met on a wide plain near the village of Gaugamela. Again Darius lost the battle and fled. After the battle, Alexander was proclaimed king of Asia. Following this, he captured Babylon and the Persian capital Susa. Final battlesAlexander's men were tired and wanted to return home. Alexander, however, wanted to advance to the eastern limit of the world, which he believed was not far beyond the Indus River. He spent the next three years in the wild country to the east. He took control of the Oxus (now Amu Darya) and Jaxartes (now Syr Darya) rivers and founded cities (most named Alexandria) to hold the territory. In the spring of 327 BC, he captured the area of present-day Tajikistan and took the people captive. Next he marched forward, with a strengthened army under a new command. In the summer of 327 BC, he reached India. There he fought his last great battle on the left bank of the Hydaspes (now Jhelum) River. He defeated King Porus, an Indian prince who ruled the region between the Hydaspes and Acesines (now Chenab) rivers of the Punjab. Alexander founded two cities there—Alexandria Nicaea, to celebrate his victory, and Bucephala, to commemorate the death of his horse Bucephalus. King Porus became his ally. Alexander wanted to go beyond the Hyphasis (now Beas) River, but by then, his men were tired and refused to go farther. He reluctantly turned back. In 324 BC, Alexander returned to Susa, capital of Elam and administrative center of the Persian Empire. There he held a feast to celebrate the capture of the Persian Empire. As part of his effort to blend Macedonians and Persians into one master race, he and 80 of his officers married Persian women. He married Darius' daughter Barsine, who was also called Stateira. DeathThe next spring, in 323 BC, Alexander went to Babylon. Long marches and many wounds had weakened him so that he was unable to recover from a fever. He fell ill and died soon after. He was 33 years old and had reigned for fewer than 13 years. His body was eventually placed in a golden coffin in Alexandria, in Egypt. |