by Chara Mavromatidou

Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great,

Basileus of Macedon, Hegemon of the Hellenic League, Shahanshah of

Persia, Pharaoh of Egypt, Lord of Asia

Alexander was born in 356 BC in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia. He

was son of Philip II, King of Macedonia, and Olympias, the princess of

neighboring Epirus.

At age 12 he showed his equestrian skill to his father and all who were watching when he

tamed Bucephalus (ox-head), an unruly stallion horse, unable to be ridden and devouring the flesh of all who had tried. Plutarch writes that his father told him : 'O my son, look thee out a

kingdom equal to and worthy of thyself, for Macedonia is too little for thee' Alexander would

ride Bucephalus in all of his major battles, together till the very end.

When he was 13, Philip hired the Greek philosopher Aristotle to be Alexander’s personal tutor. During the next three years Aristotle gave

Alexander a training in rhetoric and literature and stimulated his interest in science, medicine,

and philosophy, all of which became of importance in Alexander’s later life.

Alexander broke the power of Persia in a series of decisive battles, most notably the

battles of Issus and Gaugamela. He subsequently overthrew the Persian King

Darius III and conquered the entirety of the First Persian Empire. At that point, his

empire stretched from the Adriatic Sea to the Indus River.

"Alexander fighting king Darius III of Persia", Alexander Mosaic, Naples National Archaeological Museum.

Alexander advanced on Egypt in later 332 BC, where he was regarded as a liberator. He was pronounced the new "master of the Universe" and son of the deity of Amun at the Oracle of Siwa Oasis in the Libyan desert. Henceforth,

Alexander often referred to Zeus-Ammon as his true father, and subsequent currency depicted him adorned with rams horn as a symbol of his

divinity. During his stay in Egypt, he founded Alexandria-by-Egypt, which would become the prosperous capital of the Ptolemaic Kingdom

after his death.

Name of Alexander the Great in Egyptian hieroglyphs (written from right to left), c. 330 BC, Egypt. Louvre Museum.

Seeking to reach the "ends of the world and the Great Outer Sea", he

invaded India in 326 BC, but was eventually forced to turn back at the

demand of his troops.

Alexander the Great is considered one of the greatest military geniuses of all times.

Alexander the Great is also remembered for the Macedonian phalanx and the Gordian knot.

The Macedonian phalanx is an infantry formation developed by Philip II and used by his son Alexander

the Great to conquer the Persian Empire and other countries.

They fought packed in a close rectangular formation, typically eight men deep, with a leader at the head of each column and a secondary leader in the middle, so that the back rows could move off to the sides if more

frontage was needed.Each phalangite carried as his primary weapon a

sarissa, a double-pointed pike over 6 m (18 ft) in length.

In 333 BC, while wintering at Gordium, Alexander the Great

attempted to untie the knot. When he could not find the end to the

knot to unbind it, he sliced it in half with a stroke of his sword,

producing the required ends

Alexander the Great died of malaria in Babylon, Persia (now

Iraq), on June 13, 323 B.C. He was just 33 years old. Rhoxana (his

wife) gave birth to his son a few months later.

Ulysse Nardin Alexander the Great Minute Repeater Westminster Carillon Tourbillon Jaquemarts Watch

Alexander’s Quotes

Alexander (2004 film)

Alexander is a 2004 epic historical drama film based on the life of Alexander the Great. It was directed by Oliver Stone, with Colin Farrell in the title role.

.

Iron Maiden"Alexander The Great“

"My son ask for thyself anotherKingdom, for that which I leaveis too small for thee"(King Philip of Macedonia - 339 B.C.)

Near to the eastIn a part of ancient GreeceIn an ancient land called MacedoniaWas born a sonTo Philip of MacedonThe legend his name was Alexander

At the age of nineteenHe became the Macedon KingAnd he swore to free all of Asia MinorBy the Aegian SeaIn 334 B.C.He utterly beat the armies of Persia

[Chorus:]Alexander the GreatHis name struck fear into hearts of menAlexander the GreatBecame a legend 'mongst mortal men

King Darius the third

Defeated fled PersiaThe Scythians fell by the river JaxartesThen Egypt fell to the Macedon King as wellAnd he founded the city called Alexandria

By the Tigris riverHe met King Darius againAnd crushed him again in the battle of ArbelaEntering BabylonAnd Susa, treasures he foundTook Persepolis the capital of Persia

[Chorus:]Alexander the GreatHis name struck fear into hearts of menAlexander the GreatBecame a God amongst mortal men

A Phrygian King had bound a chariot yokeAnd Alexander cut the 'Gordian knot'And legend said that who untied the knotHe would become the master of Asia

Hellenism he spread far and wide

The Macedonian learned mindTheir culture was a western way of lifeHe paved the way for Christianity

Marching on, marching onThe battle weary marching side by sideAlexander's army line by lineThey wouldn't follow him to IndiaTired of the combat, pain and the glory

Alexander the GreatHis name struck fear into hearts of menAlexander the GreatHe died of fever in Babylon

Bibliography : -wikipedia-Alexander the Great (Alexander of Macedon) Bibliography