Alexander was born on or around July 20, 356B.C. It is believed that he was fair skinned with a reddish tint in his face and chest. He enjoyed drama, the flute, the lyre, poetry, and hunting. Unfortunately, he also had a great fondness for liquor that caused some of his outbursts of rage. What Alexander truly wanted in life was honor and bravery, rather than easy living and wealth.

Even as a young boy, Alexander showed great potential for excellence. His parents, Philip and Olympias, arranged for his education while h

In November of 333B.C., Alexander once again met Darius in battle, this time at a mountain pass at Issus. Despite being greatly outnumbered, the Macedonians prevailed once again. King Darius managed to escape capture once again, though. Soon after the battle, Alexander and his army entered Damascus and captured King Darius' family. In the next year, Alexander marched down the Phoenician coast receiving the surrenders of all the major cities except Tyre. Not willing to let the Tyrians go, Alexander began a seven-month siege of their city that eventually led to their surrender. Once Tyre had surrendered, Alexander had secured the entire Aegean coast, at which time he proceeded south to Egypt.

Soon after settling the rebellions, Alexander began his Asian campaigns. He was driven by the belief that he was invincible, something he was told in Athens while visiting the Oracle at Delphi. Alexander had many goals in his campaign. His main goal was to invade the Persian Empire thereby ridding the world of tyranny and oppression while also avenging their invasion of Greece in 490B.C. However, Alexander also had a personal wish to see the ocean that was believed to encircle Europe and Asia at the edge of the earth.

In July of 325B.C., Alexander and his troops reached the mouth of the Indus River and turned westward toward their home. Alexander, who decided to travel home by land, put a man named Nearchus in charge of a fleet that would journey home by sea. Alexander and his men had to journey across the Gedrosian Desert in order to get home. Along the way, over two thirds of Alexander's group had died of either starvation or of the extreme conditions of the desert. When the survivors reached a land called Carmania, though, their luck took a turn for the better. The Carmanians welcomed Alexander and his men and gave them a luxurious trip to Harmezeia, where they rejoined with Nearchus and his men and went home.

No matter which side you believe, it cannot be said that Alexander was not truly a great man. He has impacted modern civilization tremendously through his liberation of civilization from the tyranny of the barbarians and through his intermingling of the Greek and Persian cultures. Had it not been for Alexander's conquests and deeds, the world today would be an entirely different place.

Alexander's next goal was to reach the Ganges River, which he believed flowed into the ocean he so longed to see. His troops, after hearing stories of fierce Indian tribes that lived on the Ganges, refused to travel that way. Instead, the army was persuaded to travel down the Hydaspes and Indus Rivers to the ocean. The men rode down the river on rafts, stopping to conquer villages along the way. During this excursion, Alexander met the Brahmins, Indian philosophers, and debated with them on many issues. For centuries afterwards, Alexander was famous in India as being both a wise philosopher and a fearless conqueror.

In 334B.C., Alexander and his army crossed the Hellespont and encountered the Persian army under King Darius. Alexander drove his troops through the swift waters of the Granicus River to meet the Persians where the engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat. The Macedonians defeated the Persians and proceeded to march south through Ionia to free the Greek cities from Persian rule. This confirmed Alexander's status as the great liberator of civilized men.

Later in 331B.C., Alexander left Egypt in pursuit of King Darius. He had conquered the lands between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Alexander spotted the Persian army one night at the plains of Gaugamela. Wanting a fair battle, he chose to wait until morning to engage the Persians.

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Approximate Word count = 2487
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)