By Marie-Lan Nguyen – Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=86114081
In July, 2,382 years ago, Alexander the Great was born in Pella, the capital of the Kingdom of Macedon, on the sixth day of the ancient Greek month of Hekatombaion, which probably corresponds to 20 July 356 BC (although the exact date is uncertain). It is present-day Serbia.
His conquests were such that his memory lives on even to this day.
Alexander III is believed to have had curly, reddish blond hair. We have a good idea of what he looked like from sculptures, coins, and reliefs. He was described as “very handsome.”
He was the son of King Philip II and Queen Olympias, his fourth wife. After his father was murdered by a palace guard, he went about conquering the ancient world.
The King of Legends & Military Brilliance
When Alexander was ten years old, a trader from Thessaly brought Philip a horse, which he offered to sell for thirteen talents. The horse refused to be mounted, and Philip ordered it away. Alexander, however, detecting the horse’s fear of its own shadow, asked to tame the horse, which he eventually managed.
Plutarch stated that Philip, overjoyed at this display of courage and ambition, kissed his son 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. Alexander named it Bucephalas, meaning “ox-head.” Bucephalas carried Alexander as far as modern-day India. When Bucephalas died (according to Plutarch, of old age at age 30), Alexander named a city after him: Bucephala.
Among the day’s geniuses, Alexander was tutored by Aristotle.
On October 25, 336 B.C., Philip was murdered by the captain of the palace bodyguards, who was allegedly his lover, according to one writer of the day.
After killing off the opposition at the age of 21, Alexander conquered the world as far as India.
After a long campaign, his men mutinied, and he had to turn back when he reached India. Out of all the battles he fought, he never lost one, even when outnumbered.
After he defeated and took over a city, he would put someone he trusted in charge and then move on to his next battle.
Prophets warned him not to proceed into Babylon, for he would die. He soon developed a fever, intestinal pains, or both, allegedly after days of heavy drinking. It took 12 to 14 days for him to die. He was unable to speak. At the age of 32 years, on July 10th or 11th, 323, he died of unknown causes. Although there is reason to believe malaria or Typhoid Fever killed him.
His body was laid in honey in a gold sarcophagus, which was then put in a gold coffin so his body would not deteriorate.
He liked to name cities after himself after he conquered them. He named 16 cities Alexandria, and they still stand today.
His grand tomb has been lost to time, although excavations continue in the likely burial grounds.