Mr.

By: Yihya Al-Eryani

Contents Pages

Ð'* Chapter 1: The birth of the legend 3-4

Ð'* Chapter 2: The beginning of a new era to Greece. 5-6

Ð'* Chapter 3: Taking back Asia. 7-8

Ð'* Chapter 4: Alexander in Egypt and continuing to conquer Persia. 9-10

Ð'* Chapter 5: Alexander in India and Alexander's death. 11

Ð'* Bibliography 12

Chapter 1

In late July 365BC a hero was born in Pella, Macedon, and a hero that conquered the entire world known at that time and took the Greeks to places they never dreamt to go to. At the same day Alexander was born it was said that the famous Temple of Artemis at Ephesus was destroyed by fire. Alexander's parents were Philip II who was the king of Macedonia and Olympias the princess of Epirus and daughter of King Neoptolemus. But according to many legends and oracles Alexander's true parents were Olympias and Zeus the Greek god.

The temple of Artemis at Ephesus, was built by Greeks, circa 550BC, it was said that it was destroyed by fire the same day Alexander was born (365BC).

Alexander's father the king of Macedonia Philip II. Alexander's mother Olympias the princess of Epirus.

The legend of this hero even starts before his birth when both his parents Philip and Olympias dreamed about his birth. Olympias had dreamed of a loud burst of thunder and lightening that had hit her womb, while in Philip's dream, he was sealing her womb with the seal of the lion. Philip and his wife believed in the messages in dreams, so they invited the most famous prophet of that time Arixstandros Telmisy, to interpret their dreams, and after he interpreted their dreams he found out that Olympias was pregnant and that the child will have the character of a lion.

Alexander although young, he was fearless and strong and the incident that happened when he was twelve years old was enough to show that when he mounted a horse that even the best men could not mount. Alexander called the horse Bucephalus ("ox-head" in Greek).Philip was too proud of his son's horsemanship that he said:

O my son, seek out a kingdom worthy of thyself, for Macedonia is too little for thee.

but this was not the only incident Alexander proved himself it was said that when Alexander was young maybe five or six years old went by himself to the Persian ambassadors and said the were amazed by him more than his father and considered him as a greater threat.

Alexander had many tutors but none great and famous as the tutor Philip invited to teach his son Aristotle. Aristotle gave Alexander thorough training in rhetoric and literature and he stimulated his interest in science, medicine and philosophy. Alexander also met the person who will become his best friend who was his classmate, Hephastion.

Chapter 2

In the summer of 336 BC, during the celebration of Philip's daughter's wedding to Olympias' brother Alexander of Epirus, and the ceremony which Philip was to announce his journey to restore Asia Minor from the Persians, he was assassinated by one of his officers called Pausanias.

The soldiers and Alexander followed the assassinator until they caught him and killed him, but no one asked him who gave him the orders to assassinate the king. Alexander was chosen to be the new king of Macedonia. Alexander's first task was to find all the people who had a hand in his father's murder, many people were suspected to have killed Philip. The common people suspected Alexander to have killed his father because he has inherited hatred to his father from Olympias. Also because of the disturbances lately happened when Philip married a woman called Cleopatra the daughter of one of his officers and a Macedonian woman in this incident the officer said something about producing a fully Macedonian heir, and Alexander immediately understood that he meant that this son would rule Macedonia and that the officer was trying to mock him. Alexander took his cup and threw it at the man and it is said he killed him. Philip enraged by what just happened stood up, and charged at Alexander but the drunken king tripped and fell on his face and Alexander said:

"Here is the man who was making ready to cross from Europe to Asia, and who cannot even cross from one table to another without losing his balance."

Alexander ordered all that all who suspected of having a hand in the murder to be executed, although Alexander felt that his mother did it because she was the only one who seemed to be delighted with the death of Philip.

Alexander went on Thessaly, where partisans of independence had gained ascendancy, and restored Macedonian rule. Before the end of the summer of 336 BC, he had reestablished his position in Greece and was elected by a congress of states at Corinth.

Quickly after dealing with the murders of Philip and gaining people's trust, he killed all who would pose a threat to his position of power like the late fully Macedonian son of Cleopatra, and many sources say that he spared Cleopatra and her son but said Olympias killed them.

Greek cities, like Athens and Thebes, which had pledged allegiance to Philip, were unsure if they wished to do the same for a twenty-year-old boy. Likewise, northern barbarians that Philip had subdued were threatening to break away from Macedonia and start trouble in the north. Alexander's advisors suggested that he let Athens and Thebes go and to be gentle with the barbarians to stop a revolt. However, in 335 BC, Alexander campaigned toward the Danube, to secure Macedonia's northern frontier. He carried out a successful campaign against the defecting Thracians, crossing the Danube River. Alexander marched quickly north and drove the rebelling barbarians