Wikipedia:BrilliantProse/Alexander the Great

Alexander (the Great) was born Alexander III., son of Philip, King of Macedonia, in 356 BC. Macedonia was a country to the north of classical Greece, regarded as semi-barbarian (and therefore foreign) by most Greeks, but the Mecedonians felt as Greeks, as a matter of honor.

Alexander was a high-spirited youth, a wild horseman, and a favorite captain of his father's army. He studied with Aristotle, who was his private teacher.

In 336, he succeeded his father on the throne. Having established his political power in Greece, he set of on his famous conquest of PersiA in 334. Within two years, he had conquered the eastern Mediterranean coast, and in 332-331, he conquered EgypT. Returning to Persia proper, he occupied Babylon within the same year. He proceeded to Media, Scythia, and on to IndiA. Having adopted Persian attire and customs (e.g. at audiences, his subjects had to cast themselves on their faces when approaching him), he lost a lot of sympathies amongst his Greek countrymen. He also lost a lot of lives amongst his countrymen when he drove his army further and further east, through deserts and other nasty places. Having won a battle or two in IndiA, he returned west in an attempt to consolidate his empire, but died of a sudden fever before he really got anywhere.

He left a huge empire of persio-greek culture (which then fell apart into three parts), and an odd assemblage of towns: Alexandrias, Alexandropolises and other Alexvilles all over Greece, PersiA, EgypT, and all the way to IndiA.

Oddly, he seems to be cursed to this day in IraN for burning Persepolis, which is supposed to have been quite pretty before Alexander arrived. This ill reputation is not really deserved, for in life Alexander was a strong supporter of equality between Greeks and Persians. Even so, modern critics have found much blame in his other actions, and modern opinion is strongly divided as to whether he was a heroic general or an ancient Hitler.