Who has not heard of Alexander the Great? He was one of the most famous men in the history of the world. The son of King Philip II of Macedonia, Alexander grew up with a great respect for the Greeks and their culture. Alexander’s father had conquered most of the Greek city-states before Alexander came to power, including the city-state of Sparta. When Alexander became king, even though he allowed the Greeks to manage their own city-states, they fought him at every turn. The Greeks lost and Alexander brought all their outposts and colonies under his control as well. Alexander conquered other cultures in the Mediterranean rather easily, including Egypt. Before his death, he had built over 70 cities, and had conquered the entire known world in the Mediterranean region. His empire stretched all the way to the Indus River.
Everywhere he went, Alexander introduced Greek literature, myth, dance, language, money, medicine, art, and theatre. He also allowed conquered people the opportunity to run their own country as long as they were loyal to Alexander. Did you know that Alexander never lost a battle? No wonder he was known as Alexander the Great!
