Who was Alexander the Great?
Alexander the Great was a king of Macedonia who built one of the largest empires of the ancient world. Between 334 and 323 BC, he conquered lands from Greece to Egypt and northwest India.
Alexander was born in Pella in 356 BC, the son of King Philip II. As a teenager he was taught by the philosopher Aristotle. He became king at 20 after his father was assassinated and soon set out to conquer the Persian Empire.
He defeated the Persian king Darius III in major battles and founded many cities, most famously Alexandria in Egypt. His army marched as far as the Indus River before his tired soldiers refused to go further.
His death and legacy
Alexander died in Babylon in 323 BC at age 32, possibly from illness. His empire split among his generals, but Greek language and culture spread across the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East in what historians call the Hellenistic period.
Did You Know?
According to legend, Alexander cut the Gordian Knot with his sword, solving a puzzle that was said to promise rule over Asia to whoever untied it.