1 101 x During his stay in Egypt, Alexander visited the temple of Zeus Ammon in the Siwa oasis, where he consulted the oracle. His question and the god's answer were secret, but since he was greeted as 'son of Ammon', it seems probable that he was told that he was divine.
# Siwa Oasis
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#IW Alexander mosaic
3 101 x Philip II of Macedon built up a fine army of cavalry and heavy infantry. He intended to attack the Persian Empire and avenge Xerxes' invasion of Greece 150 years before. When he was murdered in 336 BC, his son Alexander, then aged only 20, became king of Macedon and inherited his father's military ambitions.
# Pella
4 101 x In April 330 BC, Alexander and his army captured Persepolis, one of the Persian capitals which boasted magnificent architecture. For some reason, Alexander uncharacteristically set fire to and destroyed the splendid palace. It is widely believed that this was the result of one of the drunken orgies in which the Macedonians periodically indulged themselves.
# Persepolis
5 101 x At Gordium a significant event occurred for the superstitious minded. An intricate knot fastened a yoke to an ancient chariot, said to be that of the legendary king Midas. It was prophesied that whoever could undo it would rule Asia. Many had failed. Alexander, however, succeeded - he cut the knot with his sword.
# Gordium
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#IW Granicos
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#IW Issus
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#AM Guagamela
9 101 x At the age of 9, Alexander tamed a stallion, Bucephalas, that no-one else had succeeded in mastering. Bucephalas remained Alexander's faithful friend and war-horse throughout his life. When Bucephalas was killed in battle on the Hydaspes river, Alexander honoured him with a great funeral and monument, founding a town called Bucephala in his memory.
# Bucephala
10 101 x By the spring of 334 BC, Alexander was ready to march east, at the head of an army of 30,000 foot and 5,000 cavalry. Crossing the Hellespont, he marched north along the coast. Within a few days, he encountered a Persian army of 40,000 men at the river Granicus and routed them.
# 334 BC
11 101 x Continuing south, Alexander set up democracies in a number of important cities. At Issus, Alexander again defeated a huge Persian army, led this time by the Persian king Darius III in person. The king fled, abandoning not only his troops but also his mother, wife and daughters, whom Alexander treated with kindness and respect.
# 333 BC
12 101 x Alexander now attacked the cities of Phoenicia, Persia's naval base. Tyre and Gaza resisted strongly but were eventually reduced by Alexander's determination and tactical brilliance. When Tyre fell, Alexander sold most of its inhabitants into slavery. In the autumn of 332 he invaded Egypt where he was welcomed as its deliverer from Persian rule.
# 332 BC
13 101 x Darius sent envoys to Alexander seeking peace and offering half his kingdom and his daughter's hand in marriage: Alexander declined. Returning to Mesopotamia in 331, the Macedonians again met Darius and a numerically superior army, at Gaugamela. Darius again fled, precipitating a general flight. Accompanied by his relative, Bessus, Darius fled to Ecbatana.
# 331 BC
14 101 x Alexander subdued a number of Persian cities before pursuing Darius. Persepolis, which housed the royal treasury, he destroyed. In a palace revolution, Bessus deposed Darius and put him in chains, proclaiming himself king. As Alexander pursued them relentlessly, Bessus murdered Darius to speed his own flight. Alexander allowed Darius's mother to bury her son with honour.
# 331-330 BC
15 101 x Alexander set in order his conquered lands, allowing trustworthy Persian governors to continue, alongside Macedonian officials. He marched on, conquering further territories. Alexander became captivated by the beautiful Roxana, daughter of a defeated Bactrian ruler, and married her. After Alexander's death, she bore him a son but both mother and child were later murdered.
# 330-327 BC
16 101 x Crossing the Hindu Kush and reaching the river Hydaspes, Alexander defeated King Porus, whose army was royally equipped with elephants. Advancing further into the Punjab, Alexander met his first real setback: his homesick army refused to proceed further. Alexander reluctantly turned back and led his army down the Indus river, conquering native princedoms on the way.
# 327 - 326 BC
17 101 x At the Indus Delta, pausing to found Pattala, Alexander divided his forces. Some under his admiral, Nearchus, were instructed to explore the coasts of the Persian Gulf as they sailed back. Alexander himself led the others through the Iranian desert. Both parties suffered greatly on this terrible journey.
# 325 BC
18 101 x Alexander continued his attempts to integrate his subjects, including a mass wedding in which he and ninety Macedonian officers married noble Persian ladies. His plans were cut short by his death at Babylon in June 323 BC, probably of a fever, but some suspected poison. His first wife, Roxana, promptly murdered his other wife, Darius' daughter.
