Alexander the Great 1: Introduction

Some kids grow up and make a name for themselves. Alexander did. He was a bright kid with rich parents. He went to the best school and was taught by the best teachers. He was athletic. He liked horses and girls. Like most boys of his time, he was enthralled with stories of war and heroes. He was a leader and made lasting friendships with his classmates. He and his lifelong buddy grew up and conquered the world together before they were 30 years old. His name became Alexander the Great.

Alexander lived about 2,400 years ago. He was born in 356 BCE in Macedonia. His record still stands. No one has equaled the imperial accomplishments of Alexander the Great. The ramifications of Alexander’s conquest are evident today in the blue eyes and blonde hair of the descendents of the soldiers who Alexander left behind in the far off lands he conquered. As a bid for pacification, Alexander intentionally left behind thousands of his soldiers to integrate with the peoples of those lands. Their descendents still bear the genetic markers of their Macedonian heritage.

It was helpful that Alexander’s father was king and his mother was queen of Macedonia. In fact, it was especially beneficial to Alexander that his father was a very able king and his mother was a very powerful queen and doting mother to Alexander. He also had the good fortune to have good teachers. Early in life, he was taught by his uncle who emphasized the traits of discipline and self-control. Later, Alexander was praised for these traits by his army and people. In his teens, Alexander was a student of the legendary Greek philosopher Aristotle, who subsequently advised Alexander during his early military campaigns.

Alexander was fascinated by war stories and military tactics. Homer’s texts enchanted young Alexander. He was riveted by the stories of the Iliad and the Odyssey. He dreamed of being an epic hero. He yearned to be a great warrior like Achilles or a great strategist like Odysseus. Alexander carried the dream of heroic exploits with him on his military campaigns. It is said that while campaigning Alexander slept with a copy of the Iliad under his pillow (along with a dagger). Alexander emulated his heroes by becoming a skilled military tactician, a gifted horseman, and a brutal warlord. His struggles against his great nemesis, Darius III of Persia, were epic in proportion.

For a king, Alexander lived a simple and carefully regimented lifestyle. He was young and had the means to live like a modern-day rock star. But, he rejected a life of self-indulgence, and his army and people honored and respected him for it. Alexander promoted a public image of himself as a disciplined general, and he lived up to it. He studied war and history, married two women, and found solace and support in friendships. He reserved his excesses for politics and war. He overwhelmed his political and military challengers, often ruthlessly, and he conquered the known world before he died young. The story of Alexander’s life is a relentless series of deadly intrigues and life-and-death struggles that reshaped the geopolitical landscape of his world.

ALEXANDER THE GREAT TIMELINE

Year
Event

357 BCE Marriage of Philip and Olympias

356 BCE Birth of Alexander

343 BCE Aristotle begins work as Alexander's tutor

342 BCE Alexander tames Bucephalos

338 BCE Battle of Chaeronea, Philip controls Greece

336 BCE Death of Philip and accession of Alexander

335 BCE Alexander sacks Thebes.

334 BCE Alexander crosses into Asia and begins his conquest of Asia Minor, Battle of Granicus.

333 BCE Alexander defeats Darius at the battle of Issus, Alexander captures the Family of Darius.

332 BCE Alexander lays siege to Tyre and enters Egypt.

331 BCE Alexander founds Alexandria in Egypt; defeats Darius at the battle of Guagamela, takes Mesapotamia, and enters Babylon, Persepolis, and Pasargadae.

330-328 BCE Alexander burns Persepolis and campaigns in Sogdiana and Bactria; Death of Cleitus.

327 BCE Alexander marries Roxane and enters India.

326 BCE Alexander crosses the Indus River and wins the battle of Hydaspes; sails down the Indus River to the India Ocean; Burcephalos dies.

325 BCE Alexander returns through Baluchistan and suffers great hardships.

323 BCE Alexander dies of a fever at the age of 32.