Alexander the Great was born in 356 BC to the great military leader Phillip of Macedon and his wife

Olympia. He first distinguished himself in battle when he was 18 years old at the battle of Chaeronea. He commanded a wing of the Macedonian army and gained the respect of all who fought with him. When Phillip was murdered in 336 BC, Alexander was brought to the throne. He then marched the troops northward and to Hellespont, where his father had been planning to fight against Persia. He marched into Asia Minor in 334 BC with 35,000 men and liberated the Ionian coastal provinces from Persian rule. He later encountered Darius III, the Persian emperor, at Issus in northeastern Syria. Although outnumbered, Alexander and his troops earned an easy victory for the Macedonians. He positioned his army in the center of the fighting and struck fear in his enemies; Darius himself fled the scene, leaving his army and his family behind. Alexander then headed south to capture the Mediterranean coast and deny the harbors to the Persian fleet. He entered Egypt for the winter and the created the first of many cities named after him,

Alexandria. Upon leaving Egypt, he encountered a new army under Darius and defeated him once more. He marched on to occupy Babylon, the Persian capital, and Persepolis, the treasury. He cornered Darius near the Caspian Sea, but Darius was murdered by his own army in fear of being captured. Alexander traveled through Afghanistan into India, where he gained many, but costly, victories. He conquered Afghanistan, but failed to subdue its people and was plagued with constant revolt. However, he did leave a lasting impression of Greek culture on the area with cities he founded and settlers he left behind, bringing the classical world to Afghanistan for the first time. Alexander proceeded to return to Persia on a brutal journey through the deserts of Afghanistan. He met his death soon after returning, due to injuries contracted from battle. One such instance occurred when he invaded on Pashtun territory and took an arrow to the leg. Similar to other great rulers like Genghis Khan and Charlemagne, Alexander was adept at both conquest and rule, gaining followers from his opponents. He successfully blended the cultures of the East and

West for several centuries in his Greek-like society called Hellenism and created an unbeatable army.

Alexander the Great. (2006). In P. Davis (Ed.), Encyclopedia of invasions and conquests: From ancient times to the present (2nd ed., pp. 18-20). The British Museum (Producer). (2011, April 15). Lasting legacy of Alexander the great in Afghanistan [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=b9mBLNOr8rw