Alexander of Macedon, better known as Alexander the Great, inherited one of the most powerful armies of the time from his father Philip of Macedon. Upon his father’s assassination in 336 B.C.E., Alexander became king of Macedon. Alexander adopted a military strategy from his father where his infantry of approximately 15,000 men would fight in a close formation and wielded pikes that were 17 feet long. Since his army was so powerful, Alexander was able to effectively conquer most of the known world. In just eight years, his troops traveled over 11,000 miles to Egypt and north India. In 331 B.C.E., Alexander’s army defeated the Persian army and after Darius III, the last Achaemenid emperor, was assassinated by a Persian satrap in 330 B.C.E., Alexander took over the Persian Empire. Alexander only ruled the Persian Empire for 13 years, because he died in Babylon in 323 B.C.E. Although his tenure as ruler was short, he had a lasting impact on the history of the region. He was responsible for the spread of Greek culture throughout much of…show more content… He only ruled the Persian Empire for 13 years; however, he affected the region forever. His adoption of Persian practices was continued by his successors, which were three of his generals. The Persian Empire was unified for over 200 years by the Achaemenids, and due to Alexander’s conquest and subsequent death, the region became separated into three areas. Through the use of his powerful army and his brilliant military strategy, Alexander was able to conquer much of the known world in his time period. While his army traveled through west, central, and south Asia, many of his Greek-speaking soldiers stayed behind to build communities. These soldiers spread Greek culture to Asia as a result of Alexander’s conquests. As one can see, Alexander was responsible for the separation of the Persian Empire and for the spread of Greek culture to large geographic
