Alexander III of Macedon was a King of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. His short life had a profound impact on eastern and western culture. Until the age of 16, Alexander received tutoring by the philosopher Aristotle. At the young age of 20, he seceded his father, Phillip II, to the throne and spent the majority of his years ruling unprecedented military campaigns. By the age of 30 Alexander had created one of the largest empires of the ancient world. In only 10 years, he had spanned ten thousand miles, and ultimately he and his armies carved an empire into the very landscape, which today is known as Asia. He was proven undefeated in battle and is considered one of history’s most successful military commanders. Alexander commanded an …show more content…
The earlier Egyptian pharaohs were believed to be sons of Amon-Ra and Alexander as new ruler of Egypt wanted the god to acknowledge him as his son. He decided to make the dangerous trip across the desert to visit the oracle at the temple of the god. According to the legend, on the way he was blessed with abundant rain, and guided across the desert by ravens. At the temple, he was welcomed by the priests and spoke to the oracle. The priest told him that he was a son of Zeus Ammon, destined to rule the world, and this must have confirmed in him his belief of divine origin. Alexander remained in Egypt until the middle of 331, and then returned to Tyre before facing …show more content…
His lifelong friend and second-in-command, Hephaestion, died from a fever, though some reports suggest he may have been poisoned. Historians' accounts of Alexander's response to this event universally agree that his grief was insupportable. There were claims that Alexander slaughtered the Cossaeans of a neighboring town as a sacrifice to his friend, and he even had Hephaestion's doctor executed for failing to cure him. As a sign of mourning all the cavalry horses in the region had their manes and tails cut off. Alexander being unable to fully recover from this loss refused to promote anyone else to the rank of commander, as no one else could fill Hephaestion's position in his cavalry. During this difficult time Alexander declared a mourning period throughout his empire as he abstained from all food and drink. Hephaestion’s funeral was one for which was usually only the right of a