Alexander the Great was born in 356 BCE as Alexander III, the son of King Philip II of Macedon. Macedon, also called Macedonia, was a kingdom in ancient Greece.
Beginning at age 13, Alexander was taught by the famous Greek philosopher, Aristotle. For the rest of his life, he would be influenced and inspired by politics, medicine, and science.
When he was just 20 years old, his father was killed at a wedding celebration. Young Alexander took control of the Macedonian army and became king in his father’s place.
He would go on to create one of the largest empires of the ancient world, stretching from Greece to the Indian subcontinent.
During Alexander’s conquests, he named somewhere between a dozen to 70 cities after himself. It was his hope that these would become centers of art and business. The most famous city is Alexandria in Egypt, and its lighthouse—built after Alexander’s death—is known as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
A legend of his time spoke of a knot in the city of Gordium that
could only be untied by the man destined to rule Asia. According
to tradition, Alexander sliced it in half with his knife. Today, when someone solves a difficult problem with a simple solution, people call it “cutting a Gordian knot.”
Upon taking Egypt from the Persians, Egyptian priests crowned Alexander with the double crown of the pharaohs, declaring him ruler over Upper and Lower Egypt. Alexander went on to make a sacrifice (the killing of an animal) to honor the Egyptian god, Apis. He also visited the famous oracle of the Egyptian god, Ammon, and legend says that the chief priest declared Alexander to be Ammon’s son.
Greece and Persia had a long history of war. After Alexander conquered the Persian capital of Persepolis in 330 BCE, he burned down the palace there. Ancient historians wrote that this was in revenge for all the wrongs the Greeks had suffered at the hands of the Persians.
After defeating King Darius of Persia, Alexander honored his old enemy with a royal burial. As the new Great King of Persia, Alexander began to blend Persian and Macedonian customs. Sources from the time claim that he began wearing articles of Persian clothing, including the diadem (headband) of the
Persian kings.
In 326 BCE, Alexander invaded India and won a hard-fought battle against a king named Porus, whose army included between 85 to 200 war elephants. Alexander wanted to continue deeper into India, but his army was tired and homesick. They refused to follow him, so he agreed to turn back.
Alexander the Great died in Babylon in 323 BCE. He was not yet 33 years old. The cause of his death was unknown, though some thought he had been poisoned. Modern scholars think he may have died from a natural disease like malaria or typhoid fever. However, one scholar recently proposed a new theory that he died from a disorder called Guillain-Barré syndrome.
He was buried first in Memphis, Egypt, before his remains were moved to Alexandria. Some say his body was embalmed (made into a mummy) using honey. Today, archaeologists are hard at work searching for the exact location of his tomb.
The Macedonian Empire broke up after Alexander’s death, but Grecian culture continued to spread. In fact, Greek remained
a common language throughout the region for 800 years.