Alexander The Great
(356-323 B.C.)
Alexander the Great or Alexander III, 356-323 B.C., king of
MACEDON. The son of PHILIP II, he was tutored by ARISTOTLE. Upon
succeeding to the throne in 336 B.C. he won ascendancy over all
of GREECE by putting down uprisings in THRACE and ILLYRIA, and by
sacking THEBES. As head of an allied Greek army, viewing himself
as the champion of pan-HELLENISM, he started east (334) on what
was to be the greatest conquest of ancient times. He defeated the
Persians at the battles of Granicus (334) and Issus (333). Tyre
and Gaza fell after a year's struggle, and he entered Egypt
(332), where he founded ALEXANDRIA. Moving to Mesopotamia, he
overthrew the Persian Empire of DARIUS III at the battle of
Gaugamela (331). Pushing on through eastern PERSIA (330-327), he
invaded northern INDIA (326), but there his forces would go no
further. The fleet was sent back to the head of the Persian Gulf,
and Alexander himself led his soldiers through the desert,
reaching Susa in 324 B.C. He died of a fever a year later, at age
33. He was incontestably one of the greatest generals of all time
and one of the most powerful personalities of antiquity.