Alexander the Great

Alexander birth .

356 BCE

Alexander is born in 356 , at Pella in Macedonia the son of king Philip II and Olympias .

Aristotle tutoring Alexander

343 BCE

In 343 B.C., Philip hires the Greek philosopher Aristotle to tutor Alexander.

Alexander joins the army

340 BCE

In 340 B.C., at age
16, Alexander finishes studying under Aristotle
and joins his father's army.

Battle at Chaeronea.

338 BCE

In August 338 B.C., the Macedonians meet the Athenians and Thebans in battle at Chaeronea . Alexander leads the attack against the Thebans , while his father leads the attack against the Athenians . It is Alexander's first battle and he and his father defeat the Greeks , placing all Greek city-states except Sparta under Macedonian control .

Departure to attack Persia and Cleopatra marriage .

336 BCE

In October 336 BCE, Philip celebrates his
upcoming departure to attack Persia, as well as the
marriage of his daughter Cleopatra .

The Thracians and Illyrians rise up in rebellion .

335 BCE

. In the Spring of 335 B.C., the Thracians and Illyrians rise up in rebellion. This inspires the Greek city

state of Thebes to rebel, and Alexander quickly besieges the city and razes it to the ground.

Alexander leads the Macedonian army against the Persians

334 BCE

In June 334 B.C., Alexander leads the Macedonian army
against the Persians at the Granicus river. After savage fighting, the
Persians retreat, and Alexander's army moves across the southern
coast of Asia toward Gordium.

Alexander spends the winter of 333 BCE at Gordium,

333 BCE

Alexander spends the winter of 333 BCE
at Gordium, in present-day Turkey. According to legend, he solves
the puzzle of the Gordian knot, which held together the yoke and
pole of a wagon once belonging to King Midas.

Alexander attempted to untie the knot .

333 BCE

This is just
In 333 BC, wintering at Gordium, Alexander attempted to untie the knot. When he could find no end to the knot, to unbind it, he sliced it in half with a stroke of his sword .

Alexandria

331 BCE

In 331
BCE, he creates the city of Alexandria, which is meant to be a hub of Greek commerce and culture.

Alexander conquer Babylon .

331 BCE

Alexander moves from one major Persian city to the next,
conquering Babylon on October 18, 331 BCE, and taking treasure to distribute among his men. He
incorporates Persian officials into his administration and adopts Persian customs in order to hold his empire
together.

Alexander becomes drunk .

328 BCE

Suffering from the tensions of warfare and command, Alexander becomes drunk at a banquet in the
fall of 328 B.C. He and his close companion Cleitus, who saved his life at the battle of Granicus, fall into an
argument.

Alexander marries Roxane, the prince's daughter

327 BCE

In the Summer of
327 B.C., after conquering eastern Iran and capturing Prince Oxyartes, Alexander marries Roxane, the prince's
daughter. This is meant to be a political alliance, and it serves as an insult to Barsine, Alexander's Persian
mistress.

Alexander wants to add more territory to his empire .

326 BCE

In May 326 B.C., hoping to add even more territory to his empire, Alexander and his troops cross the
Hindu Kush into northern India. They defeat King Porus, leader of a kingdom east of the Hydaspes River, after
figuring out how to attack Porus' war elephants.

Alexander death

323 BCE

Alexander falls ill with a
sudden fever and dies at the
age of 32 in June 323 B.C.

According to legend, he leaves his empire to "the strongest" of his commanders, but after his death,
his empire falls into disorder. His three commanders divide up the empire and compete for control .