Alexander the great facts greece

Alexander the great facts greece: 2. In 15 years of conquest,

Some historians say Alexander died of malaria or other natural causes; others believe he was poisoned. Either way, he never named a successor. Many conquered lands retained the Greek influence Alexander introduced, and several cities he founded remain important cultural centers even today. The period of history from his death to 31 B.

Alexander the Great. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Alexander the Great of Macedon Biography. Alexander of Macedonia. San Jose State University. The Battle of Issus. Fordham University. You can opt out at any time. You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States. Your Profile. Email Updates. Where Was Alexander the Great From?

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Alexander the great facts greece: Alexander III of Macedon,

Ancient Empires: Alexander and Egypt. Ancient Empires: Alexander in India. He defeated numerous tribes and states, then razed a rebellious Thebes. He then began his Asia campaign. Upon his crossing into Asia Minor in BC, Alexander was soon confronted by a Persian army that was waiting for him the other side of the Granicus river. Alexander was almost-killed in the attack that followed.

Although they had tried to surrender, Alexander had the Greek mercenaries serving with the Persians surrounded and slaughtered. Alexander fought Darius at Issusin modern day Syria. A Macedonian victory soon followed and Darius fled eastwards. After defeating Darius again in BCthe Persian King was overthrown and murdered by one of his satraps barons.

The Achaemenid dynasty essentially died with Darius, and Alexander was now king of Persia as well as Macedon. Not satisfied with conquering Persia, Alexander had a desire to conquer all of the known world, which was widely believed to be surrounded by a ocean that surrounded India. It would be the bloodiest part of his campaigns. Again, Alexander was victorious, but the battle was costly.

He attempted to take his army across the Hyphasis Beas river, but they refused and demanded to turn back. Lying on an island offshore, the ancients considered it impenetrable.

Alexander the great facts greece: One of the world's greatest

Historical sieges had all failed, including one by Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon which lasted for thirteen years. Alexander and his men built a massive causeway across the harbor from scratch, creating large screens from animal hides to protect themselves from arrows. When the Tyrians began to hurl rocks into the water to impede their progress, the Macedonians mounted large winches on their ships to remove them.

In the final assault, Alexander even mounted siege towers on the ships to attack from multiple sides of the city wall. He took the unconquerable city after a siege of just over six months. In the modern age, generals are never first on the battlefield, and for good reason. Keeping the most experienced, skilled tacticians safe ensures that they can continue to dictate movements on the field.

Even the Romans and the Persians preferred not to put their generals and kings in the thickest part of the fight. Macedonian culture, in particular, demanded that the king lead from the front or risk losing the respect of his commanders and, subsequently his crown. Alexander the Great not only fulfilled this duty but seemed to revel in it.

He was at the front of all the most critical charges in every battle. In the assault on Tyre, as his soldiers were flagging, he brought a ship with a siege engine close to the wall, threw down a rickety piece of wood, and ran across it alone to breach the wall, calling for his men to follow him. A similar situation occurred in a later siege of the stronghold of an Indian tribe known as the Mallians.

When the spirits of his men flagged, he jumped up the siege ladders himself. Seeing their leader alone and exposed, the soldiers followed so quickly that they broke the ladders, leaving Alexander alone on the wall with only three or four other soldiers who managed to get up with him. Rather than withdrawing, Alexander chose to leap down into the heart of the citadel alone.

As might be expected, leading from the front comes with consequences, and Alexander the Great took numerous injuries throughout his campaigns. He was wounded in the shoulder, head, thigh, and chest in as many different engagements.

Alexander the great facts greece: By the age of

He took arrows through the leg, shoulder, and ankle. His worst injury came during the incident at the Mallian strongholdwhile defending himself alone from the enemy within the walls. He was so dangerous in a direct fight that the Mallians took to shooting at him with their bows, and one found its mark. A large arrow pierced his chest on the left side, driving into the thoracic cavity and damaging his lung.

He fought on as long as he could, but eventually, loss of blood combined with the dizziness from a developing pneumothorax caused him to lose consciousness and collapse on his shield. After securing his kingdom in Greece, in B. Alexander commemorated his conquests by founding dozens of cities usually built up around previous military fortswhich he invariably named Alexandria.

The most famous of these, founded at the mouth of the Nile in B. Near the site of the battle of the river Hydaspes—the costliest victory of his Indian campaign—Alexander founded the city of Bucephala, named for his favorite horse, which was mortally wounded in the battle. After his spectacular capture in B. Soon after, in a traditional wedding ceremony, the king sliced a loaf of bread in two with his sword and shared it with his new bride.

Philip II of Macedon's bodyguard—and former lover—wielded the knife. Alexander himself openly called himself Son of Zeus during a visit to Siwah in B.