Alexander the Great

Alexander III
Basileus of Macedon Ruler of the Hellenic League Shahanshah of Persia Pharaoh of Egypt Lord of Asia
Alexander in the Alexander Mosaic
King of Macedonia
Reign	336–323 BC
Predecessor	Philip II
Successor	Alexander IV Philip III
Hegemon of the Hellenic League Strategos autokrator of Greece
Reign	336 BC
Predecessor	Philip II
Pharaoh of Egypt
Reign	332–323 BC
Predecessor	Darius III
Successor	Alexander IV Philip III Royal titulary Prenomen  (Praenomen) stp.n-rꜤ mrj-jmn Setepenre meryamun Chosen by Ra, beloved by Amun Nomen Ꜥlwksjndrs Aluksindres Alexandros Horus name mk-kmt Mekemet Protector of Egypt Second Horus name: ḥḳꜢ-ḳnj tkn-ḫꜢswt Heqaqeni tekenkhasut The brave ruler who has attacked foreign lands Third Horus name: ḥḳꜢ ḥḳꜢw nw tꜢ (r) ḏr-f Heqa heqau nu ta (er) djeref The ruler of the rulers of the entire land Fourth Horus name: ṯmꜢ-Ꜥ Tjema'a The sturdy-armed one Nebty name mꜢj wr-pḥty jṯ ḏww tꜢw ḫꜢswt Mai werpehty itj dju tau khasut The lion, great of might, who takes possession       of mountains, lands, and deserts Golden Horus kꜢ (nḫt) ḫwj bꜢḳ(t) ḥḳꜢ wꜢḏ(-wr) šnw n jtn Ka (nakht) khui baq(et) heqa wadj(wer) shenu en Aten The (strong) bull who protects Egypt,       the ruler of the sea and of what the sun encircles
King of Persia
Reign	330–323 BC
Predecessor	Darius III
Successor	Alexander IV Philip III
Lord of Asia
Reign	331–323 BC
Predecessor	New office
Successor	Alexander IV Philip III
Born	20 or 21 July 356 BC Pella, Macedon, Ancient Greece
Died	10 or 11 June 323 BC (aged 32) Babylon, Mesopotamia
Spouse	Roxana of Bactria Stateira II of Persia Parysatis II of Persia
Issue	Alexander IV Heracles (alleged illegitimate son)
Full name Alexander III of Macedon
Greek	Μέγας Ἀλέξανδρος[d] Mégas Aléxandros lit. 'Great Alexander' Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Μέγας Aléxandros ho Mégas lit. 'Alexander the Great'
Dynasty	Argead
Father	Philip II of Macedon
Mother	Olympias of Epirus
Religion	Ancient Greek religion

Alexander the Great was Alexander III of Macedon (Greek: Αλέξανδρος, Aléxandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC). He was king of the ancient kingdom of Macedon from 336 BC until his death in 323 BC.

By the age of thirty, he had created one of the largest empires in history, stretching from Greece to the Indus river of Pakistan.^[1] He was one of the greatest military leaders of all time. He was born in 356 BC in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia.

Alexander was the son of Philip II, King of Macedonia, and Olympias, the princess of neighboring Epirus. Alexander spent his childhood watching his father turn Macedonia into a great military power, and watching him win victory on the battlefields in the Balkans.

Alexander spoke Greek. He spread the Greek culture throughout Asia.^[2]

When Alexander the Great was returning from his battles in the Indian Subcontinent, he brought with him an Indian Philosopher named Kalanos. While in Persia he requested to be burnt alive as he could no longer stand the journey, his camp accepted this. While dying he proclaimed "I will see you again in Babylon" At first nobody knew what this meant, until Alexander the Great died a year later in Babylon^[3]

When he was 13, Philip hired the Greek philosopher Aristotle to be Alexander’s personal tutor.^[4] 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 these are important for a ruler, which Alexander later became.

1. ↑ Roisman, Worthington, Joseph, Ian (ed.). Ancient Macedonia. 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-405-17936-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link)
2. ↑ "Alexander the Great and the Spread of Greek Culture".
3. ↑ "Kalanos", Wikipedia, 2024-11-12, retrieved 2024-11-18
4. ↑ "Portraits from the Past: Aristotle". Awake!. Vol. 97, no. 5. 2016. p. 14. ISSN 0005-237X.