Civ 4 Leaders- Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from Alexander the great)Jump to: navigation, searchThis article is about the ancient king of Macedon. For other uses, see Alexander the Great (disambiguation).This article is semi-protected. Alexander III of Macedon (20/21 July 356 – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great (Greek: Μέγας Ἀλέξανδρος, Mégas Aléxandros), was a king of Macedon (Greek: Βασιλεύς Μακεδόνων), a state in the north eastern region of Greece, and by the age of thirty was the creator of one of the largest empires in ancient history, stretching from the Ionian sea to the Himalaya. He was undefeated in battle and is considered one of the most successful commanders of all time.[1] Born in Pella in 356 BC, Alexander was tutored by the famed philosopher Aristotle. In 336 BC he succeeded his father Philip II of Macedon to the throne after Philip was assassinated. Philip had brought most of the city-states of mainland Greece under Macedonian hegemony, using both military and diplomatic means.

Upon Philip's death, Alexander inherited a strong kingdom and an experienced army. He succeeded in being awarded the generalship of Greece and, with his authority firmly established, launched the military plans for expansion left by his father. In 334 BC he invaded Persian-ruled Asia Minor and began a series of campaigns lasting ten years. Alexander broke the power of Persia in a series of decisive battles, most notably the battles of Issus and Gaugamela. Subsequently he overthrew the Persian king Darius III and conquered the entirety of the Persian Empire.i[›] The Macedonian Empire now stretched from the Adriatic sea to the Indus River.

Following his desire to reach the "ends of the world and the Great Outer Sea", he invaded India in 326 BC, but was eventually forced to turn back by the near-mutiny of his troops. Alexander died in Babylon in 323 BC, without realizing a series of planned campaigns that would have begun with an invasion of Arabia. In the years following Alexander's death a series of civil wars tore his empire apart which resulted in the formation of a number of states ruled by the Diadochi - Alexander's surviving generals. Although he is mostly remembered for his vast conquests, Alexander's lasting legacy was not his reign, but the cultural diffusion his conquests engendered.

Alexander's settlement of Greek colonists and culture in the east resulted in a new Hellenistic culture, aspects of which were still evident in the traditions of the Byzantine Empire until the mid-15th century. Alexander became legendary as a classical hero in the mold of Achilles, and features prominently in the history and myth of Greek and non-Greek cultures. He became the measure against which generals, even to this day, compare themselves and military academies throughout the world still teach his tactical exploits.[1] ii[›] {| class="toc" id="toc"

Contents
[hide]*1 Early life
 * 1.1 Lineage and childhood
 * 1.2 Adolescence and education
 * 2 Philip's heir
 * 2.1 Regency and ascent of Macedon
 * 2.2 Exile and return
 * 3 King of Macedon
 * 3.1 Accession
 * 3.2 Power consolidation
 * 3.3 Balkan campaign
 * 4 Conquest of the Persian Empire
 * 4.1 Asia Minor
 * 4.2 The Levant and Syria
 * 4.3 Egypt
 * 4.4 Assyria and Babylonia
 * 4.5 Persia
 * 4.6 Fall of the Empire and the East
 * 4.7 Problems and plots
 * 4.8 Macedon in Alexander's absence
 * 5 Indian campaign
 * 5.1 Invasion of the Indian subcontinent
 * 5.2 Revolt of the army
 * 6 Last years in Persia
 * 7 Death and succession
 * 7.1 Fate after death
 * 7.2 Division of the empire
 * 7.3 Testament
 * 8 Character
 * 8.1 Generalship
 * 8.2 Physical appearance
 * 8.3 Personality
 * 8.4 Megalomania
 * 8.5 Personal relationships
 * 9 Legacy
 * 9.1 Hellenistic kingdoms
 * 9.2 Hellenization
 * 9.3 Influence on Rome
 * 9.4 Legend
 * 9.5 In ancient and modern culture
 * 10 Historiography
 * 11 Ancestry
 * 12 See also
 * 13 Notes
 * 14 References
 * 15 Sources
 * 15.1 Primary Sources
 * 15.2 Secondary Sources
 * 16 External links
 * }

Lineage and childhood
Alexander was born on 20 (or 21) July 356 BC,[2] [3] in Pella, the capital of the Ancient Greek Kingdom of Macedon. He was the son of Philip II, the King of Macedon. His mother was Philip's fourth wife Olympias, the daughter of Neoptolemus I, the king of Epirus.[4] [5] [6] [7] Although Philip had either seven or eight wives, Olympias was his principal wife for a time, likely as a result of giving birth to Alexander.[8]

As a member of the Argead dynasty, Alexander claimed patrilineal descent from Heracles through Caranus of Macedon.iv[›] From his mother's side and the Aeacids, he claimed descent from Neoptolemus, son of Achilles;v[›] Alexander was a second cousin of the celebrated general Pyrrhus of Epirus, who was ranked by Hannibal as, depending on the source, either the best[9] or second-best (after Alexander)[10] commander the world had ever seen.

According to the ancient Greek biographer Plutarch, Olympias, on the eve of the consummation of her marriage to Philip, dreamed that her womb was struck by a thunder bolt, causing a flame that spread "far and wide" before dying away. Some time after the wedding, Philip was said to have seen himself, in a dream, sealing up his wife's womb with a seal upon which was engraved the image of a lion.[4] Plutarch offers a variety of interpretations of these dreams: that Olympia was pregnant before her marriage, indicated by the sealing of her womb; or that Alexander's father was Zeus. Ancient commentators were divided as to whether the ambitious Olympias promulgated the story of Alexander's divine parentage, some claiming she told Alexander, others that she dismissed the suggestion as impious.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-PA2_3-2">[4]

On the day that Alexander was born, Philip was preparing himself for his siege on the city of Potidea on the peninsula of Chalcidike. On the same day, Philip received news that his general Parmenion had defeated the combined Illyrian and Paeonian armies, and that his horses had won at the Olympic Games. It was also said that on this day, the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus—one of the Seven Wonders of the World—burnt down, leading Hegesias of Magnesia to say that it burnt down because Artemis was attending the birth of Alexander.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-PA3_1-1">[2] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Renault.2C_p._28_5-1">[6] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-P21-B_10-0">[11] EnlargeAlexander fighting an Asiatic lion with his friend Craterus (detail). 3rd century BC mosaic, Pella Museum.In his early years, Alexander was raised by his nurse, Lanike, the sister of Alexander's future friend and general Cleitus the Black. Later on in his childhood, Alexander was tutored by the strict Leonidas, a relative of his mother, and by Lysimachus.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-M33-34-R_11-0">[12] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-PA5_12-0">[13] Alexander was raised in the manner of noble Macedonian youths, learning to read, play the lyre, ride, fight, and hunt.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Roisman_2010_loc.3DChapter_9:_Dawn_L._Gilley_and_Ian_Worthington.2C_Alexander_the_Great.2C_Macedonia_and_Asia.2C_p._186_13-0">[14]

When Alexander was ten years old, a horse trader from Thessaly brought Philip a horse, which he offered to sell for thirteen talents. The horse refused to be mounted by anyone, and Philip ordered it to be taken away. Alexander, however, detected the horse's fear of his own shadow and asked for a turn to tame the horse, which he eventually managed.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Roisman_2010_loc.3DChapter_9:_Dawn_L._Gilley_and_Ian_Worthington.2C_Alexander_the_Great.2C_Macedonia_and_Asia.2C_p._188_14-0">[15] According to Plutarch, Philip, overjoyed at this display of courage and ambition, kissed him tearfully, declaring: "My boy, you must find a kingdom big enough for your ambitions. Macedon is too small for you", and bought the horse for him.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-PA6_15-0">[16] Alexander would name the horse Bucephalas, meaning "ox-head". Bucephalas would be Alexander's companion throughout his journeys as far as India. When Bucephalas died (due to old age, according to Plutarch, for he was already thirty), Alexander named a city after him, Bucephala.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-R64-F_16-0">[17] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-17">[18] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18">[19]

Adolescence and education
EnlargeAristotle tutoring AlexanderWhen Alexander was thirteen years old, Philip began to search for a tutor. Many people were passed over including Isocrates and Speusippus, the latter of whom was Plato's successor at the Academy and who offered to resign to take up the post. In the end, Philip offered the job to Aristotle, who accepted, and Philip provided the Temple of the Nymphs at Mieza as a classroom. In return for teaching Alexander, Philip agreed to rebuild Aristotle's hometown of Stageira, which Philip had razed, and to repopulate it by buying and freeing the ex-citizens who were slaves, or pardoning those who were in exile.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-PA7_19-0">[20] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-R65-F_20-0">[21] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-21">[22] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-22">[23]

Mieza was like a boarding school for Alexander and the children of Macedonian nobles, such as Ptolemy, Hephaistion, and Cassander. Many of those studying by Alexander's side would become his friends and future generals, and are often known as the 'Companions'. At Mieza, Aristotle taught Alexander and his companions about medicine, philosophy, morals, religion, logic, and art. Under Aristotle's tutelage, Alexander developed a passion for the works of Homer, and in particular the Iliad; Aristotle gave him an annotated copy, which Alexander was to take on his campaigns.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-R65-66-F_23-0">[24] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-PA8_24-0">[25] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-25">[26] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-26">[27]

Regency and ascent of Macedon
Main articles: Philip II of Macedon and Rise of MacedonEnlargeA bust depicting Philip II of Macedon, Alexander's fatherWhen Alexander became sixteen years old, his tutorship under Aristotle came to an end. Philip, the king, departed to wage war against Byzantion, and Alexander was left in charge as regent and heir apparent of the kingdom.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Roisman_2010_loc.3DChapter_9:_Dawn_L._Gilley_and_Ian_Worthington.2C_Alexander_the_Great.2C_Macedonia_and_Asia.2C_p._188_14-1">[15] During Philip's absence, the Thracian Maedi revolted against Macedonian rule. Alexander responded quickly; he crushed the Maedi insurgence, driving them from their territory, colonised it with Greeks, and founded a city named Alexandropolis.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-PA9_27-0">[28] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-R68-F_28-0">[29] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-29">[30] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-30">[31]

After Philip's return from Byzantium, he dispatched Alexander with a small force to subdue certain revolts in southern Thrace. During another campaign against the Greek city of Perinthus, Alexander is reported to have saved his father's life. Meanwhile, the city of Amphissa began to work lands that were sacred to Apollo near Delphi, a sacrilege that gave Philip the opportunity to further intervene in the affairs of Greece. Still occupied in Thrace, Philip ordered Alexander to begin mustering an army for a campaign in Greece. Concerned with the possibility of other Greek states intervening, Alexander made it look as if he was preparing to attack Illyria instead. During this turmoil, the Illyrians took the opportunity to invade Macedonia, but Alexander repelled the invaders.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Renault47-49_31-0">[32]

Philip joined Alexander with his army in 338 BC, and they marched south through Thermopylae, which they took after stubborn resistance from its Theban garrison. They went on to occupy the city of Elatea, a few days march from both Athens and Thebes. Meanwhile, the Athenians, led by Demosthenes, voted to seek an alliance with Thebes in the war against Macedonia. Both Athens and Philip sent embassies to try to win Thebes' favour, with the Athenians eventually succeeding.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-M50-51-R_32-0">[33] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-33">[34] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-34">[35] Philip marched on Amphissa (theoretically acting on the request of the Amphicytonic League), captured the mercenaries sent there by Demosthenes, and accepted the city's surrender. Philip then returned to Elatea and sent a final offer of peace to Athens and Thebes, which was rejected.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-M51-R_35-0">[36] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-36">[37] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-37">[38] EnlargeStatue of Alexander in Istanbul Archaeology MuseumAs Philip marched south, he was blocked near Chaeronea, Boeotia by the forces of Athens and Thebes. During the ensuing Battle of Chaeronea, Philip commanded the right, and Alexander the left wing, accompanied by a group of Philip's trusted generals. According to the ancient sources, the two sides fought bitterly for a long time. Philip deliberately commanded the troops on his right wing to backstep, counting on the untested Athenian hoplites to follow, thus breaking their line. On the left, Alexander was the first to break into the Theban lines, followed by Philip's generals. Having achieved a breach in the enemy's cohesion, Philip ordered his troops to press forward and quickly routed his enemy. With the rout of the Athenians, the Thebans were left to fight alone; surrounded by the victorious enemy, they were crushed.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DiodXVI_38-0">[39]

After the victory at Chaeronea, Philip and Alexander marched unopposed into the Peloponnese welcomed by all cities; however, when they reached Sparta, they were refused, and they simply left.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-39">[40] At Corinth, Philip established a "Hellenic Alliance" (modeled on the old anti-Persian alliance of the Greco-Persian Wars), with the exception of Sparta. Philip was then named Hegemon (often translated as 'Supreme Commander') of this league (known by modern historians as the League of Corinth). He then announced his plans for a war of revenge against the Persian Empire, which he would command.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-M54-R_40-0">[41] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-41">[42]

Exile and return
After returning to Pella, Philip fell in love with and married Cleopatra Eurydice, the niece of one of his generals, Attalus.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Roisman_2010_loc.3DChapter_9:_Sabine_Muller.2C_Philip_II.2C_p._179_42-0">[43] This marriage made Alexander's position as heir to the throne less secure, since if Cleopatra Eurydice bore Philip a son, there would be a fully Macedonian heir, while Alexander was only half Macedonian.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-McCarty27_43-0">[44] During the wedding banquet, a drunken Attalus made a speech praying to the gods that the union would produce a legitimate heir to the Macedonian throne.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Roisman_2010_loc.3DChapter_9:_Sabine_Muller.2C_Philip_II.2C_p._179_42-1">[43] At the wedding of Cleopatra, whom Philip fell in love with and married, she being much too young for him, her uncle Attalus in his drink desired the Macedonians would implore the gods to give them a lawful successor to the kingdom by his niece. This so irritated Alexander, that throwing one of the cups at his head, "You villain," said he, "what, am I then a bastard?" Then Philip, taking Attalus's part, rose up and would have run his son through; but by good fortune for them both, either his over-hasty rage, or the wine he had drunk, made his foot slip, so that he fell down on the floor. At which Alexander reproachfully insulted over him: "See there," said he, "the man who makes preparations to pass out of Europe into Asia, overturned in passing from one seat to another."

<p style="text-align: right">– Plutarch, describing the feud at Philip's wedding.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-PA9_27-1">[28] Alexander fled from Macedon taking his mother with him,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Roisman_2010_loc.3DChapter_9:_Sabine_Muller.2C_Philip_II.2C_p._180_44-0">[45] whom he dropped off with her brother in Dodona, capital of Epirus. He carried on to Illyria,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Roisman_2010_loc.3DChapter_9:_Sabine_Muller.2C_Philip_II.2C_p._180_44-1">[45] where he sought refuge with the Illyrian King and was treated as a guest by the Illyrians, despite having defeated them in battle a few years before. However, it appears Philip never intended to disown his militarily and politically trained son,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Roisman_2010_loc.3DChapter_9:_Sabine_Muller.2C_Philip_II.2C_p._180_44-2">[45] and Alexander returned to Macedon after six months in exile due to the efforts of a family friend, Demaratus the Corinthian, who mediated between the two parties.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-PA9_27-2">[28] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-P75-B_45-0">[46] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-46">[47]

The following year, the Persian satrap (governor) of Caria, Pixodarus, offered the hand of his eldest daughter to Alexander's half-brother, Philip Arrhidaeus.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Roisman_2010_loc.3DChapter_9:_Sabine_Muller.2C_Philip_II.2C_p._180_44-3">[45] Olympias and several of Alexander's friends suggested to Alexander that this move showed that Philip intended to make Arrhidaeus his heir.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Roisman_2010_loc.3DChapter_9:_Sabine_Muller.2C_Philip_II.2C_p._180_44-4">[45] Alexander reacted by sending an actor, Thessalus of Corinth, to tell Pixodarus that he should not offer his daughter's hand to an illegitimate son, but instead to Alexander. When Philip heard of this, he stopped the negotiations and scolded Alexander for wishing to marry the daughter of a Carian, explaining to him that he wanted a better bride for him.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Roisman_2010_loc.3DChapter_9:_Sabine_Muller.2C_Philip_II.2C_p._180_44-5">[45] Philip had four of Alexander's friends, Harpalus, Nearchus, Ptolemy and Erigyius exiled, and had the Corinthians bring Thessalus to him in chains.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-McCarty27_43-1">[44] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-47">[48] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-48">[49]

Accession
EnlargeThe Kingdom of Macedon in 336 BCIn 336 BC, whilst at Aegae, attending the wedding of his daughter by Olympias, Cleopatra, to Olympias's brother, Alexander I of Epirus, Philip was assassinated by the captain of his bodyguard, Pausanias.<sup class="reference" id="ref_vi">vi[›] As Pausanias tried to escape, he tripped over a vine and was killed by his pursuers, including two of Alexander's companions, Perdiccas and Leonnatus. Alexander was proclaimed king by the Macedonian army and by the Macedonian noblemen at the age of 20.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-N30-31-M_49-0">[50] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-50">[51] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-51">[52]

Power consolidation
Alexander began his reign by eliminating any potential rivals to the throne. He had his cousin, the former Amyntas IV, executed,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Roisman_2010_loc.3DChapter_9:_Dawn_L._Gilley_and_Ian_Worthington.2C_Alexander_the_Great.2C_Macedonia_and_Asia.2C_p._190_52-0">[53] as well as having two Macedonian princes from the region of Lyncestis killed, while a third, Alexander Lyncestes, was spared. Olympias had Cleopatra Eurydice and her daughter by Philip, Europa, burned alive. When Alexander found out about this, he was furious with his mother. Alexander also ordered the murder of Attalus,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Roisman_2010_loc.3DChapter_9:_Dawn_L._Gilley_and_Ian_Worthington.2C_Alexander_the_Great.2C_Macedonia_and_Asia.2C_p._190_52-1">[53] who was in command of the advance guard of the army in Asia Minor. Attalus was at the time in correspondence with Demosthenes, regarding the possibility of defecting to Athens. Regardless of whether Attalus actually intended to defect, he had already severely insulted Alexander, and having just had Attalus's daughter and grandchildren murdered, Alexander probably felt Attalus was too dangerous to leave alive.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-53">[54] Alexander spared the life of Arrhidaeus, who was by all accounts mentally disabled, possibly as a result of poisoning by Olympias.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-N30-31-M_49-1">[50] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-PA77_54-0">[55] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-55">[56] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-56">[57]

News of Philip's death roused many states into revolt, including Thebes, Athens, Thessaly, and the Thracian tribes to the north of Macedon. When news of the revolts in Greece reached Alexander, he responded quickly. Though his advisors advised him to use diplomacy, Alexander mustered the Macedonian cavalry of 3,000 men and rode south towards Thessaly, Macedon's neighbor to the south. When he found the Thessalian army occupying the pass between Mount Olympus and Mount Ossa, he had the men ride over Mount Ossa. When the Thessalians awoke the next day, they found Alexander in their rear, and promptly surrendered, adding their cavalry to Alexander's force, as he rode down towards the Peloponnesus.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-N31-M_57-0">[58] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Renault.2C_p._72_58-0">[59] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-59">[60] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-60">[61]

Alexander stopped at Thermopylae, where he was recognized as the leader of the Amphictyonic League before heading south to Corinth. Athens sued for peace and Alexander received the envoy and pardoned anyone involved with the uprising. At Corinth, where occurred the famous encounter with Diogenes the Cynic, who asked him to stand a little aside as he was blocking the sun,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-61">[62] Alexander was given the title Hegemon, and like Philip, appointed commander of the forthcoming war against Persia. While at Corinth, he heard the news of the Thracian rising to the north.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Renault.2C_p._72_58-1">[59] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-P96-Bose_62-0">[63]

Balkan campaign
Main article: Alexander's Balkan campaignBefore crossing to Asia, Alexander wanted to safeguard his northern borders; and, in the spring of 335 BC, he advanced to suppress several apparent revolts. Starting from Amphipolis, he first went east into the country of the "Independent Thracians"; and at Mount Haemus, the Macedonian army attacked and defeated a Thracian army manning the heights.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-I.2C_1_63-0">[64] The Macedonians marched on into the country of the Triballi, and proceeded to defeat the Triballian army near the Lyginus river <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-64">[65] (a tributary of the Danube). Alexander then advanced for three days on to the Danube, encountering the Getae tribe on the opposite shore. Surprising the Getae by crossing the river at night, he forced the Getae army to retreat after the first cavalry skirmish, leaving their town to the Macedonian army.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-65">[66] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-66">[67] News then reached Alexander that Cleitus, King of Illyria, and King Glaukias of the Taulanti were in open revolt against Macedonian authority. Marching west into Illyria, Alexander defeated each in turn, forcing Cleitus and Glaukias to flee with their armies, leaving Alexander's northern frontier secure.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-67">[68] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-68">[69]

While he was triumphantly campaigning north, the Thebans and Athenians rebelled once more. Alexander immediately cut short his campaign and headed south with his army,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Roisman_2010_loc.3DChapter_9:_Dawn_L._Gilley_and_Ian_Worthington.2C_Alexander_the_Great.2C_Macedonia_and_Asia.2C_p._192_69-0">[70] but, while the other cities once again hesitated, Thebes decided to resist with the utmost vigor. However, the resistance was ineffective, and the city was razed to the ground amid great bloodshed, and its territory was divided between the other Boeotian cities. The end of Thebes cowed Athens into submission, leaving all of Greece at least outwardly at peace with Alexander.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Roisman_2010_loc.3DChapter_9:_Dawn_L._Gilley_and_Ian_Worthington.2C_Alexander_the_Great.2C_Macedonia_and_Asia.2C_p._192_69-1">[70] Alexander then set out on his Asian campaign, leaving Antipater as regent of Macedon.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Roisman_2010_loc.3DChapter_9:_Dawn_L._Gilley_and_Ian_Worthington.2C_Alexander_the_Great.2C_Macedonia_and_Asia.2C_p._199_70-0">[71]

Conquest of the Persian Empire
Main articles: Wars of Alexander the Great and Chronology of the expedition of Alexander the Great into Asia===Asia Minor=== Main articles: Battle of the Granicus, Siege of Halicarnassus, and Siege of MiletusEnlargeMap of Alexander's empire and the paths he tookAlexander's army crossed the Hellespont in 334 BC with approximately 48,100 soldiers, 6100 cavalry and a fleet of 120 ships with crews numbering 38,000,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Roisman_2010_loc.3DChapter_9:_Dawn_L._Gilley_and_Ian_Worthington.2C_Alexander_the_Great.2C_Macedonia_and_Asia.2C_p._192_69-2">[70] drawn from Macedon and various Greek city-states, mercenaries, and feudally raised soldiers from Thrace, Paionia, and Illyria.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-71">[72] After an initial victory against Persian forces at the Battle of the Granicus, Alexander accepted the surrender of the Persian provincial capital and treasury of Sardis and proceeded down the Ionian coast.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-72">[73] At Halicarnassus, Alexander successfully waged the first of many sieges, eventually forcing his opponents, the mercenary captain Memnon of Rhodes and the Persian satrap of Caria, Orontobates, to withdraw by sea.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-73">[74] Alexander left the government of Caria to Ada, who adopted Alexander as her son.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-74">[75]

From Halicarnassus, Alexander proceeded into mountainous Lycia and the Pamphylian plain, asserting control over all coastal cities in order to deny the Persians naval bases. From Pamphylia onward, the coast held no major ports and so Alexander moved inland. At Termessos, Alexander humbled but did not storm the Pisidian city.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-75">[76] At the ancient Phrygian capital of Gordium, Alexander 'undid' the hitherto unsolvable Gordian Knot, a feat said to await the future "king of Asia".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-76">[77] According to the story, Alexander proclaimed that it did not matter how the knot was undone, and hacked it apart with his sword.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-77">[78]

The Levant and Syria
Main articles: Battle of Issus and Siege of TyreEnlargeAlexander Mosaic, showing Battle of Issus, from the House of the Faun, PompeiiAfter spending the winter campaigning in Asia Minor, Alexander's army crossed the Cilician Gates in 333 BC, and defeated the main Persian army under the command of Darius III at the Battle of Issus in November.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-78">[79] Darius fled the battle, causing his army to break, and left behind his wife, his two daughters, his mother Sisygambis, and a fabulous amount of treasure.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-79">[80] He afterward offered a peace treaty to Alexander, the concession of the lands he had already conquered, and a ransom of 10,000 talents for his family. Alexander replied that since he was now king of Asia, it was he alone who decided territorial divisions.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-80">[81]

Alexander proceeded to take possession of Syria, and most of the coast of the Levant.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-81">[82] However, the following year, 332 BC, he was forced to attack Tyre, which he eventually captured after a famous siege.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-82">[83] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-83">[84] After the capture of Tyre, Alexander massacred all the men of military age, and sold the women and children into slavery.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-84">[85]

Egypt
Main article: Siege of GazaEnlargeName of Alexander the Great in Hieroglyphs (written from right to left), circa 330 BC, Egypt. Louvre Museum.See also: History of Ptolemaic EgyptWhen Alexander destroyed Tyre, most of the towns on the route to Egypt quickly capitulated, with the exception of Gaza. The stronghold at Gaza was built on a hill and was heavily fortified.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-85">[86] At the beginning of the Siege of Gaza, Alexander utilized the engines he had employed against Tyre. After three unsuccessful assaults, the stronghold was finally taken by force, but not before Alexander received a serious shoulder wound. As in Tyre, the male population was put to the sword and the women and children were sold into slavery.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-86">[87]

Jerusalem, on the other hand, opened its gates in surrender, and according to Josephus, Alexander was shown the book of Daniel's prophecy, presumably chapter 8, where a mighty Greek king would subdue and conquer the Persian Empire. Thereupon, Alexander spared Jerusalem and pushed south into Egypt.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-87">[88] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-88">[89]

Alexander advanced on Egypt in later 332 BC, where he was regarded as a liberator.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-89">[90] He was pronounced the new "master of the Universe" and son of the deity of Amun at the Oracle of Siwa Oasis in the Libyan desert.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-grimal_90-0">[91] Henceforth, Alexander often referred to Zeus-Ammon as his true father, and subsequent currency depicted him adorned with ram horns as a symbol of his divinity.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-P27_91-0">[92] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-92">[93] During his stay in Egypt, he founded Alexandria-by-Egypt, which would become the prosperous capital of the Ptolemaic Kingdom after his death.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-93">[94]

Assyria and Babylonia
Main article: Battle of GaugamelaEnlargeInitial dispositions and opening movements in the Battle of Gaugamela, 331 BC.Leaving Egypt in 331 BC, Alexander marched eastward into Mesopotamia (now northern Iraq) and defeated Darius once more at the Battle of Gaugamela.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-94">[95] Once again, Darius was forced to leave the field, and Alexander chased him as far as Arbela. Gaugamela would prove to be the final and decisive encounter between Darius and Alxander. Darius fled over the mountains to Ecbatana (modern Hamedan), and Alexander marched to and captured Babylon.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-AIII16_95-0">[96]

Persia
Main article: Battle of the Persian GateFrom Babylon, Alexander went to Susa, one of the Achaemenid capitals, and captured its legendary treasury.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-AIII16_95-1">[96] Sending the bulk of his army to the Persian ceremonial capital of Persepolis via the Royal Road, Alexander himself took selected troops on the direct route to the city. Alexander had to storm the pass of the Persian Gates (in the modern Zagros Mountains) which had been blocked by a Persian army under Ariobarzanes and then made a dash for Persepolis before its garrison could loot the treasury.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-96">[97] On entering Persepolis Alexander allowed his troops to loot the city, before finally calling a halt to it.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-97">[98] Alexander stayed in Persepolis for five months.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-98">[99] During Alexander's stay in the capital a fire broke out in the eastern palace of Xerxes and spread to the rest of the city. Theories abound as to whether this was the result of a drunken accident, or a deliberate act of revenge for the burning of the Acropolis of Athens during the Second Persian War.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-H83_99-0">[100] Arrian, in one of his infrequent criticisms of Alexander, states "I too do not think that Alexander showed good sense in this action nor that he could punish the Persians of a long past age."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-100">[101]

Fall of the Empire and the East
Alexander then set off in pursuit of Darius again, first into Media, and then Parthia.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-101">[102] The Persian king was no longer in control of his destiny, having been taken prisoner by Bessus, his Bactrian satrap and kinsman.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-102">[103] As Alexander approached, Bessus had his men fatally stab the Great King and then declared himself Darius' successor as Artaxerxes V, before retreating into Central Asia to launch a guerrilla campaign against Alexander.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-103">[104] Darius' remains were buried by Alexander next to his Achaemenid predecessors in a full regal funeral.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-104">[105] Alexander claimed that, while dying, Darius had named him as his successor to the Achaemenid throne.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-BriefLife81_105-0">[106] The Achaemenid Empire is normally considered to have fallen with the death of Darius.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-106">[107] EnlargeSilver coin of Alexander, British MuseumAlexander, now considering himself the legitimate successor to Darius, viewed Bessus as a usurper to the Achaemenid throne, and set out to defeat him. This campaign, initially against Bessus, turned into a grand tour of central Asia, with Alexander founding a series of new cities, all called Alexandria, including modern Kandahar in Afghanistan, and Alexandria Eschate ("The Furthest") in modern Tajikistan. The campaign took Alexander through Media, Parthia, Aria (West Afghanistan), Drangiana, Arachosia (South and Central Afghanistan), Bactria (North and Central Afghanistan), and Scythia.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-107">[108]

Bessus was betrayed in 329 BC by Spitamenes, who held an undefined position in the satrapy of Sogdiana. Spitamenes handed over Bessus to Ptolemy, one of Alexander's trusted companions, and Bessus was executed.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-108">[109] However, when, at some point later, Alexander was on the Jaxartes dealing with an incursion by a horse nomad army, Spitamenes raised Sogdiana in revolt. Alexander personally defeated the Scythians at the Battle of Jaxartes and immediately launched a campaign against Spitamenes and defeated him in the Battle of Gabai; after the defeat, Spitamenes was killed by his own men, who then sued for peace.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-109">[110]

Problems and plots
During this time, Alexander took the Persian title "King of Kings" (Shahanshah) and adopted some elements of Persian dress and customs at his court, notably the custom of proskynesis, either a symbolic kissing of the hand, or prostration on the ground, that Persians paid to their social superiors.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-AVII11_110-0">[111] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-PA45_111-0">[112] The Greeks regarded the gesture as the province of deities and believed that Alexander meant to deify himself by requiring it. This cost him much in the sympathies of many of his countrymen,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-PA45_111-1">[112] and he was eventually abandoned it.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-112">[113] A plot against his life was revealed, and one of his officers, Philotas, was executed for failing to bring the plot to his attention. The death of the son necessitated the death of the father, and thus Parmenion, who had been charged with guarding the treasury at Ecbatana, was assassinated by command of Alexander, so he might not make attempts at vengeance. Most infamously, Alexander personally slew the man who had saved his life at Granicus, Cleitus the Black, during a drunken argument at Maracanda.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-BriefLife99_113-0">[114] Later, in the Central Asian campaign, a second plot against his life was revealed, this one instigated by his own royal pages. His official historian, Callisthenes of Olynthus (who had fallen out of favor with the king by leading the opposition to his attempt to introduce proskynesis), was accused of being implicated in the plot; however, there has never been consensus among historians regarding his involvement in the conspiracy.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-114">[115]

Macedon in Alexander's absence
When Alexander set out for Asia, he left his general Antipater, an experienced military and political leader and part of the "Old Guard" that had served under Philip II, in charge of Macedon.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Roisman_2010_loc.3DChapter_9:_Dawn_L._Gilley_and_Ian_Worthington.2C_Alexander_the_Great.2C_Macedonia_and_Asia.2C_p._199_70-1">[71] Alexander's sacking of Thebes ensured that Greece remained quiet during his absence.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Roisman_2010_loc.3DChapter_9:_Dawn_L._Gilley_and_Ian_Worthington.2C_Alexander_the_Great.2C_Macedonia_and_Asia.2C_p._199_70-2">[71] The one exception was a call to arms by the Spartan king Agis III in 331 BC, whom Antipater defeated and killed in battle at Megalopolis the following year.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Roisman_2010_loc.3DChapter_9:_Dawn_L._Gilley_and_Ian_Worthington.2C_Alexander_the_Great.2C_Macedonia_and_Asia.2C_p._199_70-3">[71] He then referred the punishment of the Spartans to Alexander, who chose to pardon them.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-115">[116] There was also considerable friction between Antipater and Alexander's mother Olympias, and both wrote to Alexander complaining about the other.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-116">[117] In general, Greece enjoyed a period of peace and prosperity during Alexander's campaign in Asia.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-117">[118] Alexander also sent back vast sums from his conquest, which helped stimulate the economy and increased trade between the new areas of his empire.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-118">[119] However, Alexander's constant demands for troops and the migrations of numerous Macedonians to the various parts of his empire depleted Macedonian power, greatly weakening it in the years after his death, ultimately leading to its defeat and subjugation by Rome.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-119">[120]

Indian campaign
Main article: Alexander's Indian campaign===Invasion of the Indian subcontinent=== EnlargeSilver "Victory coin" of Alexander the Great, minted in Babylon c.322 BC, following his campaigns in India. Obv: Alexander being crowned by Nike. Rev: Alexander attacking King Porus on his elephant. British Museum.After the death of Spitamenes and his marriage to Roxana (Roshanak in Bactrian) to cement his relations with his new Central Asian satrapies, Alexander turned his attention to the Indian subcontinent. Alexander invited all the chieftains of the former satrapy of Gandhara, in the north of what is now Pakistan, to come to him and submit to his authority. Omphis, ruler of Taxila, whose kingdom extended from the Indus to the Hydaspes, complied, but the chieftains of some hill clans, including the Aspasioi and Assakenoi sections of the Kambojas (known in Indian texts also as Ashvayanas and Ashvakayanas), refused to submit.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ind118_120-0">[121]

In the winter of 327/326 BC, Alexander personally led a campaign against these clans; the Aspasioi of Kunar valleys, the Guraeans of the Guraeus valley, and the Assakenoi of the Swat and Buner valleys.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-121">[122] A fierce contest ensued with the Aspasioi in which Alexander himself was wounded in the shoulder by a dart but eventually the Aspasioi lost the fight. Alexander then faced the Assakenoi, who fought put up stubborn resistance to Alexander in the strongholds of Massaga, Ora and Aornos.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ind118_120-1">[121] The fort of Massaga could only be reduced after several days of bloody fighting in which Alexander himself was wounded seriously in the ankle. According to Curtius, "Not only did Alexander slaughter the entire population of Massaga, but also did he reduce its buildings to rubbles".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-122">[123] A similar slaughter then followed at Ora, another stronghold of the Assakenoi. In the aftermath of Massaga and Ora, numerous Assakenians fled to the fortress of Aornos. Alexander followed close behind their heels and captured the strategic hill-fort after the fourth day of a bloody fight.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ind118_120-2">[121]

After Aornos, Alexander crossed the Indus and fought and won an epic battle against a local Punjabi ruler Porus, who ruled a region in the Punjab, in the Battle of the Hydaspes in 326 BC.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ind124_123-0">[124] Alexander was greatly impressed by Porus for his bravery in battle, and therefore made an alliance with him and appointed him as satrap of his own kingdom, even adding land he did not own before. Additional reasons were probably political since, to control lands so distant from Greece required local assistance and co-operation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ind126_124-0">[125] Alexander named one of the two new cities that he founded on opposite sides of the Hydaspes river, Bucephala, in honor of the horse that had brought him to India, and had died during the battle<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-BriefLife120_125-0">[126] and the other Nicaea (Victory) at the site of modern day Mong.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-126">[127] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-127">[128]

Revolt of the army
EnlargeAlexander's invasion of the Indian subcontinentEast of Porus' kingdom, near the Ganges River, was the powerful Nanda Empire of Magadha and Gangaridai Empire of Bengal. Fearing the prospects of facing other powerful Indian armies and exhausted by years of campaigning, his army mutinied at the Hyphasis River, refusing to march further east. This river thus marks the easternmost extent of Alexander's conquests.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-PA62_128-0">[129] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ind129_129-0">[130] As for the Macedonians, however, their struggle with Porus blunted their courage and stayed their further advance into India. For having had all they could do to repulse an enemy who mustered only twenty thousand infantry and two thousand horse, they violently opposed Alexander when he insisted on crossing the river Ganges also, the width of which, as they learned, was thirty-two furlongs, its depth a hundred fathoms, while its banks on the further side were covered with multitudes of men-at-arms and horsemen and elephants. For they were told that the kings of the Ganderites and Praesii were awaiting them with eighty thousand horsemen, two hundred thousand footmen, eight thousand chariots, and six thousand war elephants.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-PA62_128-1">[129] Alexander spoke to his army and tried to persuade them to march further into India but Coenus pleaded with him to change his opinion and return, the men, he said, "longed to again see their parents, their wives and children, their homeland". Alexander, seeing the unwillingness of his men, eventually agreed and turned south, marching along the Indus. Along the way his army conquered the Malli clans (in modern day Multan), and other Indian tribes.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ind137_130-0">[131]

Alexander sent much of his army to Carmania (modern southern Iran) with his general Craterus, and commissioned a fleet to explore the Persian Gulf shore under his admiral Nearchus, while he led the rest of his forces back to Persia through the more difficult southern route along the Gedrosian Desert and Makran (now part of southern Iran and Pakistan).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ind141_131-0">[132] Alexander reached Susa in 324 BC, but not before losing a large number of men to the harsh conditions of the desert.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-132">[133]

Last years in Persia
Discovering that many of his satraps and military governors had misbehaved in his absence, Alexander executed a number of them as examples, on his way to Susa.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-AVI27_133-0">[134] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-AVII4_134-0">[135] As a gesture of thanks, he paid off the debts of his soldiers, and announced that he would send those over-aged and disabled veterans back to Macedon under Craterus. But, his troops misunderstood his intention and mutinied at the town of Opis, refusing to be sent away and bitterly criticizing his adoption of Persian customs and dress, and the introduction of Persian officers and soldiers into Macedonian units.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-135">[136] After three days, unable to persuade his men to back down, he began to give select Persians command posts in the army and Macedonian military titles were conferred upon Persian units. The Macedonians quickly begged forgiveness, which Alexander accepted, and that evening he held a great banquet which was attended by several thousands of his men at which they ate together.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Roisman_2010_loc.3DChapter_9:_Dawn_L._Gilley_and_Ian_Worthington.2C_Alexander_the_Great.2C_Macedonia_and_Asia.2C_p._194_136-0">[137] In an attempt to craft a lasting harmony between his Macedonian and Persian subjects, he held a mass marriage of his senior officers to Persian and other noblewomen at Susa, but few of those marriages seem to have lasted much beyond a year.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-AVII4_134-1">[135] Meanwhile, upon his return, Alexander learned some men had desecrated the tomb of Cyrus the Great, and swiftly executed them, because they were put in charge of guarding the tomb Alexander held in honor.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-AVI29_137-0">[138]

After Alexander traveled to Ecbatana to retrieve the bulk of the Persian treasure, his closest friend and possible lover, Hephaestion, died of an illness, or possibly of poisoning.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-AVII14_138-0">[139] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-139">[140] Arrian finds great diversity and casts doubts on the accounts of Alexander's displays of grief, although he says that they all agree that Hephaestion's death devastated him, and that he ordered the preparation of an expensive funeral pyre in Babylon, as well as a decree for the observance of a public mourning.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-AVII14_138-1">[139]

Back in Babylon, Alexander planned a series of new campaigns, beginning with an invasion of Arabia, but he would not have a chance to realize them, as he died shortly after his return to Babylon.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-AVII19_140-0">[141]

Death and succession
EnlargeA Babylonian astronomical diary (c. 323–322 BC) recording the death of Alexander (British Museum, London)On either 10 or 11 June 323 BC, Alexander died in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II, in Babylon at the age of 32.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Depuydt_141-0">[142] Details of the death differ slightly - Plutarch's account is that roughly 14 days before his death, Alexander entertained his admiral Nearchus, and spent the night and next day drinking with Medius of Larissa.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-P75_142-0">[143] He developed a fever, which grew steadily worse, until he was unable to speak, and the common soldiers, anxious about his health, demanded and were granted the right to file past him as he silently waved at them.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-P75_142-1">[143] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-P76_143-0">[144] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-144">[145] Two days later, Alexander was dead.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-P75_142-2">[143] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-P76_143-1">[144] Diodorus recounts that Alexander was struck down with pain after downing a large bowl of unmixed wine in honour of Hercules, and died after some agony,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DSXVII117_145-0">[146] which is also mentioned as an alternative by Arrian, but Plutarch specifically denies this claim.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-P75_142-3">[143]

Given the propensity of the Macedonian aristocracy to assassination,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-g1_146-0">[147] allegations of foul play have been made about the death of Alexander. Diodorus, Plutarch, Arrian and Justin all mention the theory that Alexander was poisoned. Plutarch dismisses it as a fabrication,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-PA77_54-1">[55] while both Diodorus and Arrian say that they only mention it for the sake of completeness.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DSXVII117_145-1">[146] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-AVII27_147-0">[148] The accounts are nevertheless fairly consistent in designating Antipater, recently removed from the position of Macedonian viceroy, and at odds with Olympias, as the head of the alleged plot. Perhaps taking his summons to Babylon as a death sentence in waiting,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-g23_148-0">[149] and having seen the fate of Parmenion and Philotas,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DSXVII118_149-0">[150] Antipater arranged for Alexander to be poisoned by his son Iollas, who was Alexander's wine-pourer.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-PA77_54-2">[55] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-AVII27_147-1">[148] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DSXVII118_149-1">[150] There is even a suggestion that Aristotle may have had a hand in the plot.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-PA77_54-3">[55] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-AVII27_147-2">[148] Conversely, the strongest argument against the poison theory is the fact that twelve days had passed between the start of his illness and his death; in the ancient world, such long-acting poisons were probably not available.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-150">[151] In 2010, however, a theory was proposed that indicated that the circumstances of his death are compatible with poisoning by water of the river Styx (Mavroneri) that contained calicheamicin, a dangerous compound produced by bacteria present in its waters.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-151">[152]

Several natural causes (diseases) have been suggested as the cause of Alexander's death; malaria or typhoid fever are obvious candidates. A 1998 article in the New England Journal of Medicine attributed his death to typhoid fever complicated by bowel perforation and ascending paralysis,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-AMD_152-0">[153] whereas another recent analysis has suggested pyrogenic spondylitis or meningitis as the cause.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ashrafian_153-0">[154] Other illnesses could have also been the culprit, including acute pancreatitis or the West Nile virus.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ref1_154-0">[155] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-155">[156] Natural-cause theories also tend to emphasise that Alexander's health may have been in general decline after years of heavy drinking and his suffering severe wounds (including one in India that nearly claimed his life). Furthermore, the anguish that Alexander felt after Hephaestion's death may have contributed to his declining health.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-AMD_152-1">[153]

Another possible cause of Alexander's death is an overdose of medication containing hellebore, which is deadly in large doses.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-156">[157] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-157">[158]

Fate after death
EnlargeDetail of Alexander on the Alexander SarcophagusAlexander's body was placed in a gold anthropoid sarcophagus, which was in turn placed in a second gold casket.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-sarco1_158-0">[159] According to Aelian, a seer called Aristander foretold that the land where Alexander was laid to rest "would be happy and unvanquishable forever".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Aelian_159-0">[160] Perhaps more likely, the successors may have seen possession of the body as a symbol of legitimacy (it was a royal prerogative to bury the previous king).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-160">[161] At any rate, Ptolemy stole the funeral cortege, and took it to Memphis.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-sarco1_158-1">[159] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Aelian_159-1">[160] His successor, Ptolemy II Philadelphus, transferred the sarcophagus to Alexandria, where it remained until at least Late Antiquity. Ptolemy IX Lathyros, one of the last successors of Ptolemy I, replaced Alexander's sarcophagus with a glass one so he could melt the original down for issues of his coinage.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-sarco2_161-0">[162] Pompey, Julius Caesar and Augustus all visited the tomb in Alexandria, the latter allegedly accidentally knocking the nose off the body. Caligula was said to have taken Alexander's breastplate from the tomb for his own use. In c. AD 200, Emperor Septimius Severus closed Alexander's tomb to the public. His son and successor, Caracalla, was a great admirer of Alexander, and visited the tomb in his own reign. After this, details on the fate of the tomb are sketchy.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-sarco2_161-1">[162]

The so-called "Alexander Sarcophagus", discovered near Sidon and now in the Istanbul Archaeology Museum, is so named not because it was thought to have contained Alexander's remains, but because its bas-reliefs depict Alexander and his companions hunting and in battle with the Persians. It was originally thought to have been the sarcophagus of Abdalonymus (died 311 BC), the king of Sidon appointed by Alexander immediately following the battle of Issus in 331.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-162">[163] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-163">[164] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-164">[165] However, more recently, it has been suggested that it may date from earlier than Abdalonymus' death.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-165">[166]

Division of the empire
Main article: DiadochiEnlargeBust of Seleucus I Nicator, who succeeded to Alexander's eastern conquestsAlexander's death was so sudden that when reports of his death reached Greece, they were not immediately believed.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Roisman_2010_loc.3DChapter_9:_Dawn_L._Gilley_and_Ian_Worthington.2C_Alexander_the_Great.2C_Macedonia_and_Asia.2C_p._199_70-4">[71] Alexander had no obvious or legitimate heir, his son Alexander IV by Roxane being born after Alexander's death. This left the huge question as to who would rule the newly conquered, and barely pacified empire.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-g24_166-0">[167] According to Diodorus, Alexander's companions asked him when he was on his deathbed to whom he bequeathed his kingdom; his laconic reply was "tôi kratistôi"—"to the strongest".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DSXVII117_145-2">[146] Given that Arrian and Plutarch have Alexander speechless by this point, it is possible that this is an apocryphal story.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-167">[168] Diodorus, Curtius and Justin also have the more plausible story of Alexander passing his signet ring to Perdiccas, one of his bodyguard and leader of the companion cavalry, in front of witnesses, thereby possibly nominating Perdiccas as his successor.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DSXVII117_145-3">[146] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-g24_166-1">[167]

In any event, Perdiccas initially avoided explicitly claiming power, instead suggesting that Roxane's baby would be king, if male; with himself, Craterus, Leonnatus and Antipater as guardians. However, the infantry, under the command of Meleager, rejected this arrangement since they had been excluded from the discussion. Instead, they supported Alexander's half-brother Philip Arrhidaeus. Eventually, the two sides reconciled, and after the birth of Alexander IV, he and Philip III were appointed joint kings of the Empire—albeit in name only.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-g26_168-0">[169]

It was not long, however, before dissension and rivalry began to afflict the Macedonians. The satrapies handed out by Perdiccas at the Partition of Babylon became power bases each general could use to launch his own bid for power. After the assassination of Perdiccas in 321 BC, all semblance of Macedonian unity collapsed, and 40 years of war between "The Successors" (Diadochi) ensued before the Hellenistic world settled into four stable power blocks: the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, the Seleucid Empire in the east, the Kingdom of Pergamon in Asia Minor, and Macedon. In the process, both Alexander IV and Philip III were murdered.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-g29_169-0">[170]

Testament
Diodorus relates that Alexander had given detailed written instructions to Craterus some time before his death.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DSXVIII4_170-0">[171] Although Craterus had already started to carry out some of Alexander's commands, the successors chose not to further implement them, on the grounds they were impractical and extravagant.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DSXVIII4_170-1">[171] Nevertheless, Alexander's will was read out to his troops by Perdiccas upon Alexander's death.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Roisman_2010_loc.3DChapter_9:_Dawn_L._Gilley_and_Ian_Worthington.2C_Alexander_the_Great.2C_Macedonia_and_Asia.2C_p._199_70-5">[71] The testament called for military expansion into the southern and western Mediterranean, monumental constructions, and the intermixing of Eastern and Western populations. Its contents included: Write the text of your article here!
 * Construction of a monumental tomb for his father Philip, "to match the greatest of the pyramids of Egypt"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Roisman_2010_loc.3DChapter_9:_Dawn_L._Gilley_and_Ian_Worthington.2C_Alexander_the_Great.2C_Macedonia_and_Asia.2C_p._199_70-6">[71]
 * Erection of great temples in Delos, Delphi, Dodona, Dium, Amphipolis, Cyrnus, and a monumental temple to Athena at Troy<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Roisman_2010_loc.3DChapter_9:_Dawn_L._Gilley_and_Ian_Worthington.2C_Alexander_the_Great.2C_Macedonia_and_Asia.2C_p._199_70-7">[71]
 * Conquest of Arabia and the entire Mediterranean Basin<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Roisman_2010_loc.3DChapter_9:_Dawn_L._Gilley_and_Ian_Worthington.2C_Alexander_the_Great.2C_Macedonia_and_Asia.2C_p._199_70-8">[71]
 * Circumnavigation of Africa<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Roisman_2010_loc.3DChapter_9:_Dawn_L._Gilley_and_Ian_Worthington.2C_Alexander_the_Great.2C_Macedonia_and_Asia.2C_p._199_70-9">[71]
 * Establishment of cities and the "transplant of populations from Asia to Europe and in the opposite direction from Europe to Asia, in order to bring the largest continent to common unity and to friendship by means of intermarriage and family ties."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-171">[172]