Alexander the Great

alexander-the-great

Alexander the Great (Ancient Pella, July 356 BC – Babylon, June 10, 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great or Alexander III of Macedon, was a Greek King of the Kingdom of Macedonia, Emperor of Macedonia (after his campaign) and member of the Argead dynasty. He was the ruler of the Panhellenic Alliance against the Achaemenid Empire. The conquests were the cornerstone of the Hellenistic era of the kingdoms of his Successors and Descendants.

He was born in Pella, Macedonia in July of the year 356 BC. His parents were King Philip II of Macedonia and Princess Olympiada of Epirus. As King of Macedonia, he continued the work of his father, Philip II, and his grandfather, Amyntas III, capable generals, politicians and diplomats, who successively reformed the Macedonian kingdom and developed it into an important power of the Greek world, and in turn, Alexander shaped it into a world superpower.

As a Macedonian he was aware of his Greek origin. He was one of the most important generals in history, and during the 13 years of his reign (336 – 323 BC) he conquered most of the then known world to the east (Small Asia, Persia, Egypt, etc.), reaching the outskirts of India, and without a defeat in a battle in which he participated. The Alexandrian times are the end of classical antiquity and the beginning of the period of world history known as Hellenistic.

The total territory of his empire, at its largest in 323 BC, is estimated at 5,200,000 square kilometers, and included parts of 26 present-day countries (Greece, Albania, Northern Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Cyprus, Egypt, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Israel, India, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan).

Shortly before leaving for Arabia, on June 2-3, 323 BC. he participated in a banquet after which he developed a fever, which lasted for the next few days, forcing him to postpone the date of departure. After a brief improvement in his health, he collapsed again, unable to walk or speak. The rumor that he had already died, forced his generals to allow all his soldiers to pass by his bed to say goodbye. With a total illness lasting 10 days, he died on June 13, 323 BC.

Source: https://visit-centralmacedonia.gr/en-us/WHAT-TO-DO/Culture/Alexander-the-Great

 

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