Greece: Alexander the Great's war fleet on the rampage, probably along the Persian coast, as visualized by a 1400's French artist.

Alexander III of Macedon (356—323 BCE), popularly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of Macedon or Macedonia, a state in the northeast of Greece. By the age of 30, he was the creator of one of the largest empires in ancient history, stretching from the Ionian Sea to the Himalayas. He was undefeated in battle and is considered one of the most successful commanders of all time.

Born in Pella in 356 BCE, Alexander was tutored by the famed philosopher Aristotle. In 336 BCE he succeeded his assassinated father Philip II who had brought most of the city-states of Greece under Macedonian hegemony using both military and diplomatic means. In 334 BCE, Alexander invaded Persian-ruled Asia Minor and began a 10-year campaign that extended his empire to Pakistan and the Indus River. Eventually forced to turn back by the near-mutiny of his troops, Alexander died in Babylon in 323 BCE.

Apart from his military genius, Alexander is best remembered for the cultural diffusion his conquests engendered. He was also a great explorer, advancing farther into the unknown, but never marching the same route twice, preferring a series of loops or detours to seek out new lands and cultures.

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