Alexander III of Macedon is one of the most successful and famous military commanders in the world. Inheriting the Macedonian crown at the age of 20 in 336 BC, he continued the campaign of conquest lasting ten years, defeating the Achaemenid empire and overthrowing its king Darius III before moving further east to the Punjab in India.
He formed one of the largest contiguous empires in history until his death in 323 BC. Here are 10 interesting facts about Alexander the Great, a classic hero.
10. In his youth he managed to crush the uprising raised during the departure of the king-father
In 340, when Philip gathered a large Macedonian army and invaded Thrace, he left his 16-year-old son in power so that he could rule Macedonia in his absence as regent, which shows that even at such a young age, Alexander was recognized as independent ruler.
But when the Macedonian army advanced deep into Thrace, the Thracian tribe Maedi, bordering northeastern Macedonia, rebelled and posed a danger to the country. Alexander gathered an army, led it against the rebels, and quickly defeated Maedi, captured their fortress and renamed it after himself Alexandropolis.
9. Respected philosophers
When Alexander was about 14 years old, his father, King Philip II, decided to teach him under the guidance of one of the greatest names in modern philosophical teaching: Aristotle. At that time, Aristotle had not yet made a name for himself, but he was a famous student of Plato.
So, King Philip II invited Aristotle to pass on his knowledge to his son, a decision that was very approved by Alexander's mother, because she very much believed in the insightful student of Plato.
There is a famous story about the first meeting of Alexander with the famous ascetic Diogenes. Diogenes believed that a person needs only the most necessary things for survival. Therefore, he slept in a barrel, traveled and preached his thoughts to the one who was listening.
One day, Alexander met him in a public square and asked if he could do anything for him. Diogenes calmly replied: "Yes, you can step aside a little so as not to hide sunlight from me ". Alexander was impressed by his response and is believed to have told his soldiers that if he were not Alexander, he would have been Diogenes.
8. The battles were in the forefront
Alexander of Macedon always shared the fate of his soldiers and fiercely fought at the forefront. These battles were even reflected in the Alexander Mosaic from Pompeii (a reproduction of a 4th-century painting made immediately after Alexander's death).
7. Himself proclaimed king of Asia
In 331 BC Alexander met King Darius III on the battlefield in Gaugamel, where, again faced with an overwhelming number, he decisively defeated Darius, who fled from the field.
Darius was later killed by his own general and cousin Bess, which, as they said, Alexander condemns. Darius's body was treated with the greatest respect, as were the surviving members of his family.
Alexander proclaimed himself king of Asia and continued his advance on the great city of Susa, which unconditionally surrendered without resistance.
From Suza, Alexander marched through the city of Persepolis, where in 330 BC, according to the ancient historian Diodorus Siculus (and others), he started a fire that destroyed the main palace and most of the city as revenge for the burning of the Acropolis.
6. Calling himself the son of Zeus
In October 336, the Macedonian king wanted to celebrate the wedding of his daughter Cleopatra and his departure to the Persian front. Those who attended the ceremony at the Aegean Theater saw that statues of twelve Olympic deities were installed on the stage and that Philip wanted to sit on the throne between them. He wanted to be equal to the gods.
It should not have been. Philip was killed during the celebration (as a bodyguard for personal reasons), and many Greeks and Macedonians must have considered this to be a suitable punishment for the blasphemer.
Nevertheless, he set an example for Alexander, whose exciting career should have been accompanied by an equally impressive growth in the cosmic hierarchy: crown prince, king of Macedonia, king of Asia, son of Zeus, embodied justice, avatar of Vishnu, invincible God.
5. Influenced the spread of Greek culture in the East
The Hellenistic world (from the Greek word Hellas) is a famous world after the conquests of Alexander the Great and roughly corresponds to the Hellenistic period of ancient Greece, from 323 BC. (death of Alexander) before the annexation of Greece by Rome.
Macedonian led his army in a series of campaigns that successfully conquered the then-famous world from Macedonia, through Greece to Egypt, and through Persia to India.
As we already know, the mentor of Alexander was the Greek philosopher Aristotle, who inspired him with the value of Greek culture and philosophy. As Alexander campaigned, he spread Greek thought and culture along the way, thus “Hellenizing” those whom he defeated.
4. Roxanne - love at first sight
After its spectacular capture in 327 BC Sogdian rock, seeming impregnable mountain fortress, 28-year-old Alexander examined his captives when Roxanne, the teenage daughter of a Bactrian nobleman, caught his eye..
Shortly afterwards, at a traditional wedding ceremony, the king cut a piece of bread in two with his sword and shared it with his new bride. A few months after the death of Alexander, Roxanne gave birth to the only son of the couple, Alexander IV.
3. He built two temples in honor of Hephaestion’s friend
Little is known about the personal relationship of Hephaestion outside of his close friendship with Alexander. Alexander was a sociable, charismatic man who had many friends, but Hephaestion was his dearest and closest friend and confidant. Their friendship developed in childhood.
After the death of Hephaestin, Alexander sent envoys to the oracle in Siwa to ask if Amon would allow worship of Hephaestion as a god. When the answer came, which said that he can be worshiped not as a god, but as a divine hero, Alexander was pleased and "from this day I saw that his friend was awarded the rites of the hero». He made sure that the shrines were erected in memory of Hephaestion.
2. Left behind 70 cities named in their honor
Alexander marked his conquest by founding dozens of cities (usually built around previous military forts), which he invariably called Alexandria.
The most famous of them, founded at the mouth of the Nile in 331 BC, is today the second largest city in Egypt. Other Alexandria trace the path of achievements of his armies through modern Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Pakistan.
Near the site of the Battle of the Hidasp River - the most expensive victory of his Indian campaign - Alexander founded the city of Bucephalus, named after his beloved horse, who was mortally wounded in the battle.
1. Died an invincible warrior
Military tactics and strategy of Alexander the Great are still being studied at military academies. From his first victory at the age of 18 Alexander gained a reputation as the leader of his battles with impressive speed, allowing lesser forces to reach and overcome enemy lines before his opponents are ready.
After securing his kingdom in Greece, in 334, Alexander moved to Asia (modern Turkey), where he won a series of battles with the Persians under Darius III. The central element of Alexander's fighting force was the Macedonian phalanx of 15,000 people, whose troops held the swaying Persians with 20-foot peaks called sarissa.