[93][94][95] Plutarch claims that he ordered his men to put out the fires,[93] but that the flames had already spread to most of the city. Alexander was emboldened to divide his forces, and Ambhi assisted Hephaestion and Perdiccas in constructing a bridge over the Indus where it bends at Hund,[117] supplied their troops with provisions, and received Alexander himself, and his whole army, in his capital city of Taxila, with every demonstration of friendship and the most liberal hospitality. The Macedonians quickly begged forgiveness, which Alexander accepted, and held a great banquet with several thousand of his men. He then continued south towards the Peloponnese. [178], Arrian and Plutarch claimed that Alexander was speechless by this point, implying that this was an apocryphal story. This victory is for him.”. [85], Leaving Egypt in 331 BCE, Alexander marched eastward into Achaemenid Assyria in Upper Mesopotamia (now northern Iraq) and defeated Darius again at the Battle of Gaugamela. The trilogy "Alexander the Great" by Valerio Massimo Manfredi consisting of "The son of the dream", "The sand of Amon", and "The ends of the world". [288] In Sunni Islamic Persia, under the influence of the Alexander Romance (in Persian: اسکندرنامه‎ Iskandarnamah), a more positive portrayal of Alexander emerges. [116], The fort of Massaga was reduced only after days of bloody fighting, in which Alexander was wounded seriously in the ankle. [116], After Aornos, Alexander crossed the Indus and fought and won an epic battle against King Porus, who ruled a region lying between the Hydaspes and the Acesines (Chenab), in what is now the Punjab, in the Battle of the Hydaspes in 326 BC. Suetonius, The Lives of Twelve Caesars, Life of Caligula 19. Added to … For those peculiarities which many of his successors and friends afterwards tried to imitate, namely, the poise of the neck, which was bent slightly to the left, and the melting glance of his eyes, this artist has accurately observed. [110] It remains unclear if Callisthenes was actually involved in the plot, for prior to his accusation he had fallen out of favour by leading the opposition to the attempt to introduce proskynesis. Alexander personally defeated the Scythians at the Battle of Jaxartes and immediately launched a campaign against Spitamenes, defeating him in the Battle of Gabai. Angelina Jolie and Colin Farrell in the 2004 film Alexander. [169][170], Pompey, Julius Caesar and Augustus all visited the tomb in Alexandria, where Augustus, allegedly, accidentally knocked the nose off. [125] Philostratus the Elder in the Life of Apollonius of Tyana writes that in the army of Porus there was an elephant who fought brave against Alexander's army and Alexander dedicated it to the Helios (Sun) and named it Ajax, because he thought that a so great animal deserved a great name. [241], Over the course of his conquests, Alexander founded some twenty cities that bore his name, most of them east of the Tigris. Omphis (Indian name Ambhi), the ruler of Taxila, whose kingdom extended from the Indus to the Hydaspes (Jhelum), 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. Alexander was proclaimed king on the spot by the nobles and army at the age of 20. The Decadent Emperors: Power and Depravity in Third-Century Rome. [240], The eastern borders of Alexander's empire began to collapse even during his lifetime. This campaign, initially against Bessus, turned into a grand tour of central Asia. [98] The Persian king no longer controlled his own destiny, and was taken prisoner by Bessus, his Bactrian satrap and kinsman. Alexander the Great. [264] Julius Caesar dedicated a Lysippean equestrian bronze statue but replaced Alexander's head with his own, while Octavian visited Alexander's tomb in Alexandria and temporarily changed his seal from a sphinx to Alexander's profile. When Philip heard of this, he stopped the negotiations and scolded Alexander for wishing to marry the daughter of a Carian, explaining that he wanted a better bride for him. [10] He was the son of the king of Macedon, Philip II, and his fourth wife, Olympias, the daughter of Neoptolemus I, king of Epirus. "[284], In the first centuries after Alexander's death, probably in Alexandria, a quantity of the legendary material coalesced into a text known as the Alexander Romance, later falsely ascribed to Callisthenes and therefore known as Pseudo-Callisthenes. [14] Plutarch offered a variety of interpretations of these dreams: that Olympias was pregnant before her marriage, indicated by the sealing of her womb; or that Alexander's father was Zeus. KINGS of MACEDON. [62] Antipater referred the Spartans' punishment to the League of Corinth, which then deferred to Alexander, who chose to pardon them. [191] In India, confronted by Porus's elephant corps, the Macedonians opened their ranks to envelop the elephants and used their sarissas to strike upwards and dislodge the elephants' handlers.[137]. [93] Plutarch recounts an anecdote in which Alexander pauses and talks to a fallen statue of Xerxes as if it were a live person: Shall I pass by and leave you lying there because of the expeditions you led against Greece, or shall I set you up again because of your magnanimity and your virtues in other respects? to Philip II and his third wife, Olympias. [150] Olympias always insisted to him that he was the son of Zeus,[213] a theory apparently confirmed to him by the oracle of Amun at Siwa. Alexander the Great, who lived from July 356 BC to 10/11 June, 323 BC, was an intrepid conqueror and one of the most brilliant military generals in history. But the Australian Open was just the start. While there, he encountered a statue of Alexander the Great, and realised with dissatisfaction that he was now at an age when Alexander had the world at his feet, while he had achieved comparatively little. [61], 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; he then proceeded along the Ionian coast, granting autonomy and democracy to the cities. Julius Caesar went to serve his quaestorship in Hispania after his wife's funeral, in the spring or early summer of 69 BC. [224][225], Alexander also had a close relationship with his friend, general, and bodyguard Hephaestion, the son of a Macedonian noble. [204] He had a calmer side—perceptive, logical, and calculating. [17] Of these, Arrian is generally considered the most reliable, given that he used Ptolemy and Aristobulus as his sources, closely followed by Diodorus. Caligula was said to have taken Alexander's breastplate from the tomb for his own use. "[119] A similar slaughter followed at Ora. This text underwent numerous expansions and revisions throughout Antiquity and the Middle Ages,[285] containing many dubious stories,[283] and was translated into numerous languages. [293] His defeat of Darius was depicted as Egypt's salvation, "proving" Egypt was still ruled by an Egyptian. It is her highest ranking since starting at 1190 when she kicked off her professional career last year and is tipped to further climb as she competes in various tourneys along the way. [83] Henceforth, Alexander often referred to Zeus-Ammon as his true father, and after his death, currency depicted him adorned with the Horns of Ammon as a symbol of his divinity. [17] Contemporaries who wrote accounts of his life included Alexander's campaign historian Callisthenes; Alexander's generals Ptolemy and Nearchus; Aristobulus, a junior officer on the campaigns; and Onesicritus, Alexander's chief helmsman. Eala’s older brother, Miko, is also a noted tennis player as well. [47][48][49], Alexander began his reign by eliminating potential rivals to the throne. 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 Greek affairs. A member of the Burlesque Hall of Fame, Alexandra The Great 48 had an era-defining career that extended through the ’60s and early ’70s, and included headline engagements in theaters and supper clubs worldwide. His empire spread from Gibraltar to the Punjab, and he made Greek the lingua franca of his … [253] Furthermore, town planning, education, local government, and art current in the Hellenistic period were all based on Classical Greek ideals, evolving into distinct new forms commonly grouped as Hellenistic. Both Athens and Philip sent embassies to win Thebes's favour, but Athens won the contest. He overcame this by being personally involved in battle,[91] in the manner of a Macedonian king. [215] However, Alexander also was a pragmatic ruler who understood the difficulties of ruling culturally disparate peoples, many of whom lived in kingdoms where the king was divine. After this, details on the fate of the tomb are hazy.[167]. Theories abound, with the most consistent being that the King of Macedonia is buried … Alexander's favorite tutor was the Acarnian Lysimachus, who devised a game whereby Alexander impersonated the hero Achilles. [47][49][52], News of Philip's death roused many states into revolt, including Thebes, Athens, Thessaly, and the Thracian tribes north of Macedon. [71], From Halicarnassus, Alexander proceeded into mountainous Lycia and the Pamphylian plain, asserting control over all coastal cities to deny the Persians naval bases. [74], In spring 333 BC, Alexander crossed the Taurus into Cilicia. 74. [271][272] He began openly mimicking Alexander in his personal style. [271][272][273] The historian Christopher Matthew mentions that the term Phalangarii has two possible meanings, both with military connotations. In the process, both Alexander IV and Philip III were murdered. [166], While Alexander's funeral cortege was on its way to Macedon, Ptolemy seized it and took it temporarily to Memphis. Department of Image Collections, National Gallery of Art Library, Washington, DC. [93] Curtius claims that Alexander did not regret his decision until the next morning. That 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. [161][162] Natural-cause theories also tend to emphasize that Alexander's health may have been in general decline after years of heavy drinking and severe wounds. “Alex is only 15, but she’s already competing and winning against much older and more experienced players in the women’s tour,” said Pages in an interview. [289] In this tradition, he was a heroic figure who built a wall to defend against the nations of Gog and Magog. ", "Was Alexander The Great Poisoned By Toxic Wine? This also showed Alexander's eagerness to fight, in contrast to his father's preference for diplomacy. 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. Alexander then faced the Assakenoi, who fought against him from the strongholds of Massaga, Ora and Aornos. After conquering the Achaemenid Empire of Persia, the Macedonian king Alexander, launched a campaign into the Indian subcontinent in present-day Afghanistan and Pakistan, part of which formed the easternmost territories of the Achaemenid Empire following the Achaemenid conquest of the Indus Valley. [108][242] However, a century or so after Alexander's death, many of the Alexandrias were thriving, with elaborate public buildings and substantial populations that included both Greek and local peoples. [15] Such legends may have emerged when Alexander was king, and possibly at his instigation, to show that he was superhuman and destined for greatness from conception. He emerged victorious in the Hellenic Bank Masters Tennis Academy Tournament in Cyprus two years ago and quickly dedicated his feat to their late grandfather, Roberto Maniego, who served as their first coach. [146] Another theory is that his successors wilfully or erroneously misheard "tôi Kraterôi"—"to Craterus", the general leading his Macedonian troops home and newly entrusted with the regency of Macedonia. [163][165] His successor, Ptolemy II Philadelphus, transferred the sarcophagus to Alexandria, where it remained until at least late Antiquity. But Eala was no shooting star that came out of nowhere. [289], The figure of Dhul-Qarnayn (literally "the Two-Horned One") mentioned in the Quran is believed by scholars to be based on later legends of Alexander. [190] Alexander personally led the charge in the center, routing the opposing army. This so irritated Alexander, that throwing one of the cups at his head, "You villain," said he, "what, am I then a bastard?" They refused to be sent away and criticized his adoption of Persian customs and dress and the introduction of Persian officers and soldiers into Macedonian units. Her sister is also a former national swimmer while her brother used to swim before bagging an athletic scholarship as a tennis player at University of the Philippines. By contrast, the Persian infantry was stationed behind its cavalry. [149], The strongest argument against the poison theory is the fact that twelve days passed between the start of his illness and his death; such long-acting poisons were probably not available. [91] During his stay a fire broke out in the eastern palace of Xerxes I and spread to the rest of the city. He founded some twenty cities that bore his name, most notably Alexandria in Egypt. The remnants of the first bridge existed until 1912, when a road supervisor cut the suspension cables in fear for the public’s safety. [263] The Corinthian order is also heavily represented in the art of Gandhara, especially through Indo-Corinthian capitals. [146] Arrian also mentioned this as an alternative, but Plutarch specifically denied this claim. [156][157] Another poisoning explanation put forward in 2010 proposed that the circumstances of his death were compatible with poisoning by water of the river Styx (modern-day Mavroneri in Arcadia, Greece) that contained calicheamicin, a dangerous compound produced by bacteria. The 18-year-old Miko is also a scholar at the Rafael Nadal Tennis Academy and came very close to qualifying in the Australian Open juniors’ tournament last year. Later in his childhood, Alexander was tutored by the strict Leonidas, a relative of his mother, and by Lysimachus of Acarnania. [45], In summer 336 BC, while at Aegae attending the wedding of his daughter Cleopatra to Olympias's brother, Alexander I of Epirus, Philip was assassinated by the captain of his bodyguards, Pausanias. Further south, at Halicarnassus, in Caria, Alexander successfully waged his first large-scale siege, eventually forcing his opponents, the mercenary captain Memnon of Rhodes and the Persian satrap of Caria, Orontobates, to withdraw by sea. [62], According to ancient writers Demosthenes called Alexander "Margites" (Greek: Μαργίτης)[63][64][65] and a boy. One of Alexander's first teachers was Leonidas, a relative of Olympias, who struggled to curtail the uncontrollable and defiant boy. [101] He claimed that, while dying, Darius had named him as his successor to the Achaemenid throne. “Alex is an inspiration and a role model to all Filipino age group players. [44], In the following year, the Persian satrap (governor) of Caria, Pixodarus, offered his eldest daughter to Alexander's half-brother, Philip Arrhidaeus. [291] Alexander was depicted as performing a Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) many times in subsequent Islamic art and literature. Justin stated that Alexander was the victim of a poisoning conspiracy, Plutarch dismissed it as a fabrication,[148] while both Diodorus and Arrian noted that they mentioned it only for the sake of completeness. [129], Alexander tried to persuade his soldiers to march farther, but his general 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". Ptolemy IX Lathyros, one of Ptolemy's final successors, replaced Alexander's sarcophagus with a glass one so he could convert the original to coinage. [237] Green suggested that, in the context of the period, Alexander formed quite strong friendships with women, including Ada of Caria, who adopted him, and even Darius's mother Sisygambis, who supposedly died from grief upon hearing of Alexander's death. By Tom Lovell (1909 – 1997). [86] Darius once more fled the field, and Alexander chased him as far as Arbela. However, his successors explicitly rejected such policies. This is cited as a reason for sparing Jerusalem. Alexander the Great served as king of Macedonia from 336 to 323 B.C. The Macedonians were demoralized by Philip's death and were subsequently defeated near Magnesia by the Achaemenids under the command of the mercenary Memnon of Rhodes. [181], Diodorus stated that Alexander had given detailed written instructions to Craterus some time before his death, which are known as Alexander's "last plans". [156] Veratrum album poisoning can have a prolonged course and it was suggested that if Alexander was poisoned, Veratrum album offers the most plausible cause. [289] Firdausi's Shahnameh ("The Book of Kings") includes Alexander in a line of legitimate Persian shahs, a mythical figure who explored the far reaches of the world in search of the Fountain of Youth. At the age of thirteen, he was sent to study with Aristotle–an education that … [80] After three unsuccessful assaults, the stronghold fell, but not before Alexander had received a serious shoulder wound. According to Curtius, "Not only did Alexander slaughter the entire population of Massaga, but also did he reduce its buildings to rubble. Alexandra The Great 48. The story of Eala is still far from over. The elephant had gold rings around its tusks and an inscription was on them written in Greek: "Alexander the son of Zeus dedicates Ajax to the Helios" (ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ Ο ΔΙΟΣ ΤΟΝ ΑΙΑΝΤΑ ΤΩΙ ΗΛΙΩΙ). His mother had huge ambitions, and encouraged him to believe it was his destiny to conquer the Persian Empire. Concerned that other Greek states might intervene, Alexander made it look as though he was preparing to attack Illyria instead. [293] He then travelled the known world in search of the Water of Life and Immortality, eventually becoming a prophet. Alexander's settlement of Greek colonists and the resulting spread of Greek culture in the east resulted in a new Hellenistic civilization, aspects of which were still evident in the traditions of the Byzantine Empire in the mid-15th century AD and the presence of Greek speakers in central and far eastern Anatolia until the Greek genocide and the population exchange in the 1920s. [159] Another recent analysis suggested pyogenic (infectious) spondylitis or meningitis. One of the most iconic personalities in history, Alexander the Great was also one of its greatest commanders, who expanded his father's realm from Macedonia to Egypt and India. But this mania for Alexander, strange as it was, was overshadowed by subsequent events in Alexandria. [240] That this export took place is undoubted, and can be seen in the great Hellenistic cities of, for instance, Alexandria, Antioch[249] and Seleucia (south of modern Baghdad). [132], Discovering that many of his satraps and military governors had misbehaved in his absence, Alexander executed several of them as examples on his way to Susa. [165] Perhaps more likely, the successors may have seen possession of the body as a symbol of legitimacy, since burying the prior king was a royal prerogative. During his youth, Alexander was tutored by Aristotle until age 16. [123] Alexander founded two cities on opposite sides of the Hydaspes river, naming one Bucephala, in honour of his horse, who died around this time. He appointed Porus as satrap, and added to Porus's territory land that he did not previously own, towards the south-east, up to the Hyphasis (Beas). [56], Before crossing to Asia, Alexander wanted to safeguard his northern borders.