Alexander the Great short biography. Alexander the Great - short biography

Alexander the Great
Born: July 20, 356 BC e.
Died: June 10, 323 BC e.

Biography

Alexander the Great - Macedonian king from 336 BC. e. from the Argead dynasty, commander, creator of a world power that collapsed after his death. In Western historiography, he is better known as Alexander the Great. Even in Antiquity, Alexander gained the reputation of one of the greatest commanders in history.

Having ascended the throne at the age of 20 after the death of his father, the Macedonian king Philip II, Alexander secured the northern borders of Macedonia and completed the subjugation of Greece with the defeat of the rebellious city of Thebes. In the spring of 334 BC. e. Alexander began a legendary campaign to the East and in seven years completely conquered the Persian Empire. Then he began the conquest of India, but at the insistence of the soldiers, tired of the long campaign, he retreated.

The cities founded by Alexander, which are still the largest in several countries in our time, and the colonization of new territories in Asia by the Greeks contributed to the spread of Greek culture in the East. Almost reaching the age of 33, Alexander died in Babylon from a serious illness. Immediately his empire was divided among his generals (Diadochi), and a series of Diadochi wars reigned for several decades.

Birth and childhood

Alexander was born in 356 BC. e. in the Macedonian capital Pella. According to legend, Alexander was born on the night when Herostratus set fire to the Temple of Artemis of Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Already during Alexander's campaigns, a legend spread that the Persian magicians interpreted this fire as a sign of a future catastrophe for their empire. But since all sorts of legends and signs always accompanied the birth and life of the great people of antiquity, the fortunately coinciding date of Alexander’s birth is sometimes considered artificial.

Alexander's exact birthday is unknown. It is often taken to be July 20, since according to Plutarch Alexander was born “on the sixth day of the month Hecatombeon (Ancient Greek ἑκατομβαιών), which the Macedonians call Loi (Ancient Greek λῷος)”; There are also dates between July 21 and 23. 1 day of hecatombeon is often taken as July 15, but exact correspondence has not been proven. However, from the testimony of Aristobulus, recorded by Arrian, it can be calculated that Alexander was born in the fall. In addition, according to Demosthenes, a contemporary king, the Macedonian month Loi actually corresponded to the Attic boedromion (September and October). Therefore, the period from October 6 to October 10 is often given as the date of birth.

His parents - Macedonian King Philip II and the daughter of the Epirus king Olympias. Alexander himself, according to tradition, descended from the mythical Hercules through the kings of Argos, from whom the first Macedonian king Karan allegedly branched off. According to the legendary version, which became widespread at the instigation of Alexander himself, his real father was Pharaoh Nectaneb II. It was expected that the child would be named Amyntas in honor of Philip's father, but he named him Alexander - probably with political overtones in honor of the Macedonian king Alexander I, nicknamed "Phihelline" (friend of the Greeks).

The greatest influence on little Alexander was his mother. The father was engaged in wars with the Greek policies, and the child spent most of his time with Olympias. She probably tried to turn her son against Philip, and Alexander developed an ambivalent attitude towards his father: while admiring his stories about the war, he at the same time felt hostility towards him because of his mother’s gossip.

Alexander was seen as a talented child from early childhood. Thanks to this, he was recognized very early as the heir to his father's business, and Olympias became the most influential of Philip's at least six wives. However, Alexander could be the only son of Philip worthy to accept his kingdom. The fact is that, according to ancient authors, his brother Philip (later known as Philip III Arrhidaeus) was weak-minded. Philip had no other reliably known sons, or at least none of them were ready to rule his father's kingdom by 336.

From early childhood, Alexander was prepared for diplomacy, politics, and war. Although Alexander was born in Pella, he, along with other noble youths, was educated in Mieza not far from the city. The choice of a place remote from the capital was probably due to the desire to remove the child from the mother. Alexander's educators and mentors were: his maternal relative Leonid, to whom he retained deep affection in adulthood, despite a strict Spartan upbringing in childhood; jester and actor Lysimachus; and from 343 BC. e. - the great philosopher Aristotle. The choice of him as a mentor was not accidental - Aristotle was close to the Macedonian royal house, and was also well acquainted with Hermias, the tyrant of Atarneus, who maintained friendly relations with Philip. Under the guidance of Aristotle, who emphasized the study of ethics and politics, Alexander received a classical Greek education and was also instilled with a love of medicine, philosophy and literature. Although all Greeks read the classic works of Homer, Alexander studied the Iliad especially diligently, since his mother traced her origins to the main character of this epic, Achilles. Subsequently, he often re-read this work. It is also known from sources that Alexander had a good knowledge of “Anabasis” by Xenophon, Euripides, as well as the poets Pindar, Stesichorus, Telestus, Philoxenus and others.

Youth

Even in his childhood, Alexander differed from his peers: he was indifferent to bodily joys and indulged in them very moderately; Alexander's ambition was boundless. He showed no interest in women (see article about Callixenes), but at the age of 10 he tamed Bucephalus, a stallion, because of whose obstinacy King Philip refused to take him. Plutarch on the character of Alexander:

“Philip saw that Alexander was stubborn by nature, and when he got angry, he did not yield to any violence, but with a reasonable word he could easily be persuaded to make the right decision; That’s why my father tried to convince more than to command.”

At the age of 16, Alexander remained with the king in Macedonia under the supervision of the general Antipater, when Philip was besieging Byzantium. Having led the troops remaining in Macedonia, he suppressed the uprising of the Thracian tribe of the Medes and created the city of Alexandropol on the site of the Thracian settlement (by analogy with Philippopolis, which his father named in his honor). And 2 years later in 338 BC. e. At the Battle of Chaeronea, Alexander showed personal courage and skills as a commander, leading the left wing of the Macedonian army under the supervision of experienced military leaders.

Alexander demonstrated his penchant for adventure in his youth, when, without his father’s will, he wanted to marry the daughter of Pixodarus, the ruler of Caria (see article Philip III Arrhidaeus). Later, he seriously quarreled with his father because of the latter’s marriage to the young noble Cleopatra, which resulted in a breakdown in relations between Philip and Olympias, whom Alexander sincerely loved. Philip's wedding to a noble Macedonian woman may have been organized by part of the local aristocracy. Many noble Macedonians did not want to accept the fact that Philip’s heir would be the son of a foreigner, who, moreover, was under her strong influence. After this, Olympias attempted to overthrow Philip with the help of her brother Alexander of Molossus, the ruler of Epirus. However, Philip learned about Olympias's plans and invited the king of Epirus to marry Cleopatra, the sister of his heir Alexander, and he agreed. By the time of Cleopatra's wedding, the future conqueror had reconciled with his father and returned to Macedonia.

During the wedding celebrations in 336 BC. e. Philip was killed by his bodyguard Pausanias. The circumstances of the murder are not entirely clear, and the possibility of participation in the conspiracy by various interested parties who became Philip's enemies as a result of his aggressive policies is often pointed out. Pausanias himself was captured and immediately killed by people from Alexander’s retinue, which is sometimes interpreted as the desire of the future king to hide the true orderer of the attack. The Macedonian army, which knew Alexander well and had seen him in battle, proclaimed him king (probably at the direction of Antipater). However, of all Philip’s children, only Alexander was worthy of occupying the throne (see above).

Ascension to the throne

Upon ascending the throne, Alexander first dealt with the alleged participants in the conspiracy against his father and, according to Macedonian tradition, with other possible rivals. As a rule, they were accused of conspiracy and actions on behalf of Persia - for this, for example, two princes from the Lyncestid dynasty (Arrabai and Heromen), representing Upper Macedonia and laying claim to the Macedonian throne, were executed. However, the third of the Lyncestides was the son-in-law of Antipater, and therefore Alexander brought him closer to him. At the same time, he executed his cousin Aminta and left his half-sister Kinana a widow. Amyntas represented the "senior" line of the Argeads (from Perdiccas III) and nominally ruled Macedonia for a time in its infancy until he was removed by his guardian Philip II. Finally, Alexander decided to eliminate the popular commander Attalus - he was accused of treason and negotiations with Athenian politicians. Alexander attracted the nobility and the Macedonian people to his side by abolishing taxes. Moreover, after the reign of Philip, the treasury was practically empty, and debts reached 500 talents.

At the news of Philip's death, many of his enemies tried to take advantage of the difficult situation that had arisen. Thus, the Thracian and Illyrian tribes rebelled, opponents of Macedonian rule became more active in Athens, and Thebes and some other Greek city-states tried to expel the garrisons left by Philip and weaken the influence of Macedonia. However, Alexander took the initiative into his own hands. As Philip's successor, he organized a congress in Corinth, at which the previously concluded agreement with the Greeks was confirmed. The agreement declared the full sovereignty of the Greek city states, their independent decision of internal affairs, and the right to withdraw from the agreement. To guide the foreign policy of the Greek states, a general council was created and the “position” of a Hellenic hegemon with military powers was introduced. The Greeks made concessions, and many policies admitted Macedonian garrisons (this, in particular, was what Thebes did).

In Corinth, Alexander met the Cynic philosopher Diogenes. According to legend, the king invited Diogenes to ask him for whatever he wanted, and the philosopher replied, “Don’t block the sun for me.” Soon Alexander visited Delphi, but they refused to receive him there, citing non-public days. But the king found a Pythia (soothsayer) and demanded that she predict his fate, and she exclaimed in response, “You are invincible, my son!”

March to the north and conquest of Thebes (335 BC)

Having a still calm Greece behind him, eyeing a new king, in the spring of 335 BC. e. set out on a campaign against the rebel Illyrians and Thracians. According to modern estimates, no more than 15,000 soldiers went on the northern campaign, and almost all of them were Macedonians. First, Alexander defeated the Thracians in the battle of Mount Emon (Shipka): the barbarians set up a camp of carts on a hill and hoped to put the Macedonians to flight by derailing their carts; Alexander ordered his soldiers to avoid the carts in an organized manner. During the battle, the Macedonians captured many of the women and children whom the barbarians had left in the camp and transported them to Macedonia. Soon the king defeated the Tribal tribe, and their ruler Sirmus, along with most of his fellow tribesmen, took refuge on the island of Pevka on the Danube. Alexander, using the few ships that arrived from Byzantium, was unable to land on the island. As harvest time approached, Alexander's army could destroy all the Triballi's crops and try to force them to surrender before their supplies ran out. However, the king soon noticed that troops of the Getae tribe were gathering on the other side of the Danube. The Getae hoped that Alexander would not land on the shore occupied by soldiers, but the king, on the contrary, considered the appearance of the Getae a challenge to himself. Therefore, on homemade rafts, he crossed to the other side of the Danube, defeated the Getae and thereby deprived the ruler of the Triballi Sirmus of hope for a quick end to the war. It is possible that Alexander borrowed the organization of the crossing from Xenophon, who described the crossing of the Euphrates on homemade boats in his work Anabasis. Soon Alexander concluded alliance treaties with all the northern barbarians. According to legend, during the conclusion of treaties, the king asked the barbarian rulers who they feared most. All the leaders answered that they feared him, Alexander, more than anything in the world, and only the leader of a small Celtic tribe living in Greece said that he was most afraid if the sky suddenly fell to the ground.

However, while Alexander was settling matters in the north, in the south, at the end of summer, under the influence of a false rumor about the death of Alexander, a rebellion broke out in Thebes, the Greek city most affected by Philip. The inhabitants of Thebes called on all of Greece to revolt, but the Greeks, while verbally expressing solidarity with the Thebans, in fact preferred to observe the development of events.

The Athenian orator Demosthenes called Alexander a child, convincing his fellow citizens that he was not dangerous. The king, however, sent an answer that he would soon appear at the walls of Athens and prove that he was already a grown man. In the tense situation, Alexander did not waste time. With rapid marches, he transferred the army from Illyria to Thebes. The siege took several days. Before the storming of Thebes, Alexander repeatedly proposed peace negotiations and was refused.

At the end of September 335, the assault on the city began. Sources give various reasons for the defeat of the Thebans: Arrian believes that the Theban troops lost heart and could no longer restrain the Macedonians, while Diodorus believes that the main reason was the discovery by the Macedonians of an unprotected section of the city walls. In any case, Macedonian troops occupied the walls of the city, and the Macedonian garrison opened the gates and helped surround the Thebans. The city was captured by assault, plundered, and the entire population was enslaved (see article Siege of Thebes). With the proceeds (approximately 440 talents), Alexander fully or partially covered the debts of the Macedonian treasury. All of Greece was amazed both by the fate of the ancient city, one of the largest and strongest in Hellas, and by the quick victory of the Macedonian weapons. Residents of a number of cities themselves brought to trial politicians who called for a rebellion against Macedonian hegemony. Almost immediately after the capture of Thebes, Alexander headed back to Macedonia, where he began preparing for a campaign in Asia.

At this stage, Alexander’s military expeditions took the form of pacifying opponents of the Corinthian League and the Panhellenic idea of ​​vengeance on the barbarians. Alexander justifies all his aggressive actions during the “Macedonian” period by an inextricable connection with the goals of the Pan-Hellenic Union. After all, it was the Corinthian Congress that formally sanctioned Alexander’s dominant status in Hellas.

Conquest of Asia Minor, Syria and Egypt (334-332 BC)

Having appointed Antipater as his governor in Europe and leaving him 12 thousand infantry and 1500 cavalry, in the early spring of 334 BC. e. Alexander, at the head of the united forces of Macedonia, the Greek city-states (except for Sparta, which refused to participate) and the allied Thracians, set out on a campaign against the Persians. The moment to start the campaign was chosen very well, since the Persian fleet was still in the ports of Asia Minor and could not prevent the army from crossing. In May, he crossed the Hellespont into Asia Minor in the area where the legendary Troy was located. According to legend, sailing to the other shore, Alexander threw a spear towards Asia, which symbolized that everything conquered would belong to the king.

The ancient historian Diodorus gives the composition of his troops, generally confirmed by other sources:

Infantry - a total of 32 thousand - 12 thousand Macedonians (9 thousand in the Macedonian phalanx and 3 thousand in the shield-bearing units), 7 thousand allies (from Greek cities), 5 thousand mercenaries (Greeks), 7 thousand barbarians (Thracians and Illyrians), 1 thousand archers and Agrians (Paeonian tribe in Thrace).
Cavalry - only 1500-1800 Macedonians (hetaira), 1800 Thessalians and 600 Greeks from other regions, 900 Thracians and Paeonians. That is, in total there were 5 thousand cavalry in Alexander’s army.

In addition, there were several thousand Macedonian soldiers in Asia Minor, who crossed there under Philip. Thus, the total number of Alexander's troops at the beginning of the campaign reached 50,000 soldiers. There were also many scientists and historians at Alexander’s headquarters - Alexander initially set himself research goals.

When Alexander's army found itself near the city of Lampsacus on the banks of the Hellespont, the townspeople sent the rhetorician Anaximenes, who taught Alexander oratory, to Alexander to ask him to save the city. Expecting sophisticated rhetorical tricks and requests from his teacher, Alexander exclaimed that he would not do anything that Anaximenes asked. However, the rhetorician asked him to capture and plunder his hometown, and the king had to keep his word - not to capture or plunder Lampsacus. Occupying the nearby town of Priapus, Alexander's soldiers were surprised to learn about the cult of the local deity of the same name, and soon his veneration spread throughout the Mediterranean.

The commander of the Greek mercenaries in the Persian service, Memnon, who was well acquainted with the Macedonian army (he fought against Philip’s troops sent to Asia Minor) and personally knew Alexander, recommended refraining from open clashes with Alexander’s army and suggested using scorched earth tactics. He also insisted on the need to actively use the fleet and to strike at Macedonia itself. However, the Persian satraps refused to listen to the advice of the Greek and decided to give battle to Alexander on the Granik River near Troy. In the Battle of Granicus, the satraps' detachments, mostly cavalry (numbering up to 20 thousand), were scattered, the Persian infantry fled, and the Greek hoplite mercenaries were surrounded and exterminated (2 thousand were taken prisoner).

Most cities in Asia Minor voluntarily opened their gates to the winner. Phrygia surrendered completely, and its satrap Atisius committed suicide. Soon, the commandant of the city of Sardis, Mithren, surrendered the city, despite the fact that it was perfectly fortified, and the citadel located on the mountain was practically impregnable. Thanks to this betrayal, Alexander gained one of the strongest fortresses in Asia Minor and the richest treasury without a fight. In gratitude, the king introduced Mithren into his inner circle, and soon appointed him satrap of Armenia. The residents of Ephesus also surrendered the city without a fight: before the arrival of Alexander, they overthrew the pro-Persian elite and restored democracy. In place of the Persian satraps, Alexander appointed Macedonians, Greeks, or, as in the case of Mithrenos, Persians personally loyal to him.

Shortly after arriving in Caria, Alexander was met by Ada, the former satrap of Caria, who had been removed from power by her brother Pixodarus. She surrendered to him the city of Alinda, where she lived after her removal, and said that Alexander was like a son to her. Sometimes this phrase, recorded by Arrian, is interpreted as legal adoption. For him, this became an opportunity to win over some of the Carians to his side - Ada still enjoyed authority among the local aristocracy.

In Caria, Alexander faced resistance from the cities of Miletus and Halicarnassus, where there were strong Persian garrisons, and where the troops of the satraps who survived the battle of Granicus accumulated. Alexander's entire fleet approached Miletus, with the help of which he crossed the Hellespont. However, within a few days a huge Persian fleet arrived at the city. Despite this, Alexander did not lift the siege of the city and rejected the offer of the Milesian oligarchy to open the city to both armies. This was probably due to the fact that the commandant of the city, Hegesistratus, conducted secret negotiations with Alexander about surrender and had already contributed to the occupation of the outer fortifications of the city by the Greeks. The very next morning, the Greeks, using siege engines, destroyed the walls of Miletus, after which troops broke into the city and captured it. In addition, the Greeks forced the Persian fleet to retreat because it did not have sufficient supplies of food and water. Soon the Persians returned, but after a small clash they again sailed from Miletus. After this, Alexander took an unexpected step and ordered the dissolution of almost his entire fleet. Modern historians see this decision of the king as one of the few mistakes he made.

Already near Halicarnassus, the king regretted his decision - the city was supplied from the sea, and since Alexander did not have the opportunity to block the supply channel, the army had to prepare for a deliberately difficult assault (see Siege of Halicarnassus). During 334 BC. e. and until the autumn of 333 BC. e. Alexander conquered all of Asia Minor.

Having barely left Asia Minor from Cilicia, Alexander encountered the Persian king Darius III in battle at Issami in November 333 BC. e. The terrain favored Alexander; a huge Persian army was squeezed into a narrow gorge between the sea and the mountains. The Battle of Issus ended with the complete defeat of Darius; he himself fled from the battlefield, leaving his family in the camp, which went to the Macedonians as a prize (see article by Statira). Macedonian troops captured part of the treasures of the Persian king and many noble captives in Damascus.

The victory at Issus opened the way to the south for the Macedonians. Alexander, skirting the Mediterranean coast, headed to Phenicia with the goal of conquering coastal cities and depriving the Persian fleet of bases. Peace terms twice proposed by Darius were rejected by Alexander. Of the cities of Phenicia, only the impregnable Tire, located on the island, refused to recognize the power of Alexander. However, in July 332 BC. e. after a 7-month siege, the impregnable fortress city fell after an assault from the sea (see the article Siege of Tire). With his fall, the Persian fleet in the Mediterranean ceased to exist, and Alexander could freely receive reinforcements by sea.

After Phenicia, Alexander continued his journey to Egypt through Palestine, where he was resisted by the city of Gaza, but it was also taken by storm after a 2-month siege (see article Siege of Gaza).

Egypt, whose armed forces were destroyed at the Battle of Issus, was surrendered by the satrap Mazak without any resistance. The local population welcomed him as a deliverer from the hated Persian yoke and willingly recognized his power. Alexander did not touch local customs and religious beliefs; in general, he preserved the system of governing Egypt, supporting it with Macedonian garrisons. Alexander stayed in Egypt for six months from December 332 BC. e. to May 331 BC e. There the king founded the city of Alexandria, which soon became one of the main cultural centers of the ancient world and the largest city in Egypt (currently the second largest city in Egypt). Also dating back to this time was his long and dangerous pilgrimage to the oracle of Zeus-Amun in the Siwa oasis in the Libyan desert. After meeting him, Alexander began to actively spread the rumor about himself that he was the son of the supreme god Zeus. (The ascension of the pharaoh to the throne has long been accompanied in Egypt by his sacralization; Alexander adopted this tradition).

Having strengthened himself sufficiently in the conquered territory, Alexander decided to delve into lands unknown to the Greeks, into the central regions of Asia, where the Persian king Darius managed to assemble a new huge army.

Defeat of the Persian Empire (331-330 BC)

Summer 331 BC e. Alexander crossed the Euphrates and Tigris rivers and found himself on the outskirts of Media, the heart of the Persian state. On a large plain (on the territory of modern Iraqi Kurdistan), specially prepared for the action of large masses of cavalry, King Darius was waiting for the Macedonians. October 1, 331 BC e. A grandiose battle took place at Gaugamela, during which the troops of the Persians and the peoples subject to them were defeated. King Darius, as in the previous battle, fled from the battlefield, although his troops were still fighting, and the outcome of the battle was not at all determined.

Alexander moved to the south, where ancient Babylon and Susa, one of the capitals of the Persian Empire, opened their gates to him. The Persian satraps, having lost faith in Darius, began to serve the king of Asia, as Alexander began to be called.

From Susa, Alexander headed through mountain passes to Persepolis, the center of the original Persian land. After an unsuccessful attempt to break out on the move, Alexander and part of his army bypassed the troops of the satrap of Persia, Ariobarzanes, and in January 330 BC. e. Persepolis fell. The Macedonian army rested in the city until the end of spring, and before leaving, the palace of the Persian kings was burned. According to the famous legend, the fire was organized by the hetaera Thais of Athens, the mistress of the military leader Ptolemy, inciting the drunken company of Alexander and his friends.

In May 330 BC. e. Alexander resumed his pursuit of Darius, first in Media and then in Parthia. In July 330 BC. e. King Darius was killed as a result of a conspiracy by his military leaders. The Bactrian satrap Bessus, who killed Darius, named himself the new king of the Persian Empire under the name Artaxerxes. Bess tried to organize resistance in the eastern satrapies, but was captured by his comrades, handed over to Alexander and executed by him in June 329 BC. e.

King of Asia

Having become the ruler of Asia, Alexander stopped looking at the Persians as a conquered people, tried to equalize the victors with the vanquished and combine their customs into a single whole. The measures taken by Alexander initially concerned external forms such as oriental clothing, a harem, and Persian court ceremonies. However, he did not demand compliance with them from the Macedonians. Alexander tried to rule the Persians like their previous kings. In historiography, there is no consensus on the title of Alexander - by adopting the title “king of Asia,” the new king could either indicate the continuity of his state with the Achaemenid empire, or, conversely, could emphasize the opposition of the new power and Persia, since he did not use such Achaemenid titles as “king of kings” and others.

The first complaints against Alexander appeared in the fall of 330 BC. e. The comrades-in-arms, accustomed to the simplicity of morals and friendly relations between the king and his subjects, silently grumbled, refusing to accept Eastern concepts, in particular proskynesis - prostration and kissing the king's feet. His closest friends and court flatterers followed Alexander without hesitation.

The Macedonian army was tired from a long campaign, the soldiers wanted to return home and did not share the goals of their king to become the master of the whole world. At the end of 330 BC. e. a conspiracy against Alexander by several ordinary soldiers was discovered (only 2 participants are known). However, the consequences of the unsuccessful conspiracy were more than serious due to the inter-clan struggle within Alexander’s entourage. One of the leading commanders, the commander of the hetaira Filota, was accused of passive complicity (knew, but did not inform). Even under torture, Filota did not admit to evil intent, but was executed by soldiers at a meeting. Philotas' father, the general Parmenion, was killed without trial or any proof of guilt due to Alexander's increased suspicion. Less significant officers, who were also suspected, were acquitted.

Summer 327 BC e. the “conspiracy of pages”, noble young men under the Macedonian king, was discovered. In addition to the direct culprits, Callisthenes, a historian and philosopher, who alone dared to object to the king and openly criticize the new court orders, was also executed. The death of the philosopher was a logical consequence of the development of Alexander's despotic inclinations. This tendency was especially clearly manifested in the death of Cleitus the Black, the commander of the royal bodyguards, whom Alexander personally killed as a result of a drunken quarrel in the fall of 328 BC. e. The increasing frequency of information about conspiracies is associated with Alexander’s worsening paranoia.

Campaign in Central Asia (329-327 BC)

After the death of Darius III, local rulers in the eastern satrapies of the collapsed Persian Empire felt independent and were in no hurry to swear allegiance to the new monarch. Alexander, dreaming of becoming king of the entire civilized world, found himself involved in a three-year military campaign in Central Asia (329 -327 BC).

It was predominantly a guerrilla war rather than a battle between armies. The Battle of Polytimetus can be noted. This was the first and only victory over the troops of the commanders of Alexander the Great in the entire history of his campaign to the East. Local tribes acted in raids and retreats, uprisings broke out in different places, and Macedonian troops sent by Alexander destroyed entire villages in retaliation. The fighting took place in Bactria and Sogdiana, on the territory of modern Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

In Sogdiana, Alexander defeated the Scythians. To do this, he had to cross the Yaxartes River. The Macedonian troops did not go further north; the places there were deserted and, according to the Greeks, sparsely inhabited. In the mountains of Sogdiana and Bactria, the local population, when the Macedonians approached, hid in inaccessible mountain fortresses, but Alexander managed to capture them, if not by storm, then by cunning and perseverance (see the article Alexander’s Mountain War). The king's troops brutally dealt with the rebellious local population, which led to the devastation of Central Asia.

In Sogdiana, Alexander founded the city of Alexandria Eskhata (Greek Αλεξάνδρεια Εσχάτη - Extreme Alexandria) (modern Khujand), currently the second largest city in Tajikistan. In Bactria, on ancient ruins, he founded the city of Alexandria in Arachosia (modern Kandahar), currently the second largest city in Afghanistan. There in Bactria in the winter of 328/327 BC. e. or in the summer of 327 BC. e. Alexander married Roxana, the daughter of a local nobleman (possibly a satrap) Oxyartes. Although ancient authors generally assumed that the marriage was for love, this union made it possible to attract the local aristocracy to the side of the king. After the wedding, which consolidated Macedonian dominance in Bactria and Sogdiana, the king began preparations for a campaign in India.

Campaign to India (326-325 BC)

In the spring of 326 BC. e. Alexander invaded the lands of the Indian peoples from Bactria through the Khyber Pass, conquered a number of tribes, crossed the Indus River and came into the possession of King Abha of Taxila (the Greeks called the king “the man from Taxila,” that is, Taxila) in the territory of what is now Pakistan. The main combat operations of the Macedonian troops took place in the Punjab region, the “five rivers” - a fertile region in the basin of the five eastern tributaries of the Indus.

Taxilus swore allegiance to Alexander, hoping with his help to defeat his rival, King Porus of eastern Punjab. Porus placed an army and 200 elephants on the borders of his land, and in July 326 BC. e. A battle took place on the Hydaspes River, in which Porus' army was defeated and he himself was captured. Unexpectedly for Taxila, Alexander left Porus as king, and even expanded his domain. This was Alexander’s usual policy in the conquered lands: to make the conquered rulers dependent on himself, while trying to maintain a counterbalance to them in the person of other appanage rulers.

Late summer 326 BC. e. Alexander's advance to the east stopped. On the banks of the Bias River (a tributary of the Indus), the Macedonian army refused to further follow the king due to fatigue from the long campaign and endless battles. The immediate cause was rumors of huge armies with thousands of elephants beyond the Ganges. Alexander had no choice but to turn the army south. When retreating to Persia, he planned to seize other lands.

From about November 326 BC. e. The Macedonian army floats down the Hydaspes and Indus rivers for seven months, making forays along the way and conquering the surrounding tribes. In one of the battles for the city of Mallov (January 325 BC), Alexander was seriously wounded by an arrow in the chest (see Assault on the city of Mallov). Irritated by the opposition and courage of the peoples of India, Alexander exterminates entire tribes, unable to stay here for a long time to bring them to submission.

Alexander sent part of the Macedonian army under Craterus to Persia, and with the rest reached the Indian Ocean.

Summer 325 BC e. Alexander moved from the mouth of the Indus to Persia along the ocean coast. The return home through the deserts of Gedrosia, one of the coastal satrapies, turned out to be more difficult than the battles - many Macedonians died on the road from the heat and thirst.

Alexander's last years

In March 324 BC. e. Alexander entered the city of Susa (in the south of Iran), where he and his army indulged in rest after a 10-year military campaign. Having secured dominion over the conquered lands, Alexander began the final organization of his fragile empire. First of all, he dealt with the local satraps and executed many for poor governance.

One of his steps towards creating a unified state from subjects of diverse cultural backgrounds was a grand wedding at which he married Stateira, the eldest daughter of King Darius, captured after the Battle of Issus, and Parisat, daughter of the Persian king Artaxerxes III. Alexander also gifted his friends with wives from noble Persian families. And in total, according to Arrian, up to 10 thousand Macedonians took local wives, all of them received gifts from the king.

A serious reform took place in the army: a phalanx of 30 thousand young men from Asian peoples was prepared and trained according to the Macedonian model. Local aristocrats were even enrolled in the elite cavalry of the hetaira. The Macedonians' unrest resulted in open rebellion in August 324 BC. e., when ordinary soldiers accused the king of almost treason. Having executed 13 instigators and pointedly ignoring the soldiers, Alexander forced the army, which could no longer imagine any other commander other than Alexander, into obedience.

In February 323 BC. e. Alexander stopped in Babylon, where he began to plan new wars of conquest. The immediate goal was the Arab tribes of the Arabian Peninsula; an expedition against Carthage was visible in the future. While the fleet is being prepared, Alexander builds harbors and canals, forms troops from recruits, and receives embassies.

Death of Alexander

5 days before the start of the campaign against the Arabs, Alexander fell ill. From June 7, Alexander could no longer speak. After 10 days of severe fever, June 10 or 13, 323 BC. e. Alexander the Great died in Babylon at the age of 32, just over a month short of his 33rd birthday and leaving no instructions on his heirs.

In modern historiography, the generally accepted version is that the king died naturally. However, the cause of his death has not yet been reliably established. The version most often put forward is about death from malaria. According to this version, the king’s body, weakened by daily attacks of malaria, was unable to resist two diseases at once; the second disease was either pneumonia or transient leukemia (bleeding) caused by malaria. According to another version, Alexander fell ill with West Nile fever. There have also been suggestions that Alexander could have died from leishmaniasis or cancer. However, the fact that none of his dining companions fell ill reduces the plausibility of the version of an infectious disease. Historians pay attention to Alexander’s drinking bouts with generals that became more frequent towards the end of his conquests, which could have undermined his health. There is also a version that the king overdosed on poisonous hellebore, which was used as a laxative. According to the modern opinion of British toxicologists, the symptoms of the disease from which Alexander died - prolonged vomiting, convulsions, muscle weakness and slow pulse - indicate his poisoning with a drug made from a plant called White hellebore (lat. veratrum album) - a poisonous plant used by Greek doctors for medical purposes. Greek doctors gave a drink made from white hellebore with honey to drive out evil spirits and induce vomiting. Finally, even in antiquity, versions appeared about the poisoning of the king by Antipater, whom Alexander was going to remove from the post of governor of Macedonia, but no evidence of this appeared.

Alexander the Great was born in the fall of 356 BC. e. in the capital of Ancient Macedonia - the city of Pella. From childhood, Macedonsky’s biography included training in politics, diplomacy, and military skills. He studied with the best minds of that time - Lysimachus, Aristotle. He was interested in philosophy and literature, and was not interested in physical joys. Already at the age of 16, he tried on the role of a king, and later - a commander.

Rise to power

After the assassination of the king of Macedon in 336 BC. e. Alexander was proclaimed ruler. Macedonsky's first actions at such a high government post were the abolition of taxes, reprisals against his father's enemies, and confirmation of the union with Greece. After suppressing the uprising in Greece, Alexander the Great began to contemplate war with Persia.

Then, if we consider the short biography of Alexander the Great, military actions followed in alliance with the Greeks and Franks against the Persians. In the battle near Troy, many settlements opened their gates to the great commander. Soon almost all of Asia Minor, and then Egypt, submitted to him. There Macedonian founded Alexandria.

King of Asia

In 331 BC. e. The next most important battle with the Persians took place at Gaugamela, during which the Persians were defeated. Alexander conquered Babylon, Susa, and Persepolis.

In 329 BC. BC, when King Darius was killed, Alexander became the ruler of the Persian Empire. Having become the king of Asia, he was subjected to repeated conspiracies. In 329-327 BC. e. fought in Central Asia - Sogdean, Bactria. In those years, Alexander defeated the Scythians, married the Bactrian princess Roxana and set off on a campaign to India.

The commander returned home only in the summer of 325 BC. The period of wars ended, the king took up the management of the conquered lands. He carried out several reforms, mainly military.

Death

From February 323 BC. e. Alexander stopped in Babylon and began planning new military campaigns against the Arab tribes, and then on Carthage. He gathered troops, prepared a fleet and built canals.

But a few days before the campaign, Alexander fell ill, and on June 10, 323 BC. e. died in Babylon from a strong fever.

Historians have still not established the exact cause of the death of the great commander. Some consider his death to be natural, others put forward theories about malaria or cancer, and still others about poisoning with a poisonous medicine.

After Alexander's death, his great empire fell apart, and wars for power began among his generals (diadochi).

Birth of Alexander the Great

On the same night, Herostratus burned the temple of Artemis in Ephesus (Asia Minor).

Alexander was born on the eve of a lunar eclipse, which occurred during the daytime on July 30, and therefore was not visible in the European part of the Earth and there were no records about it. Nowadays, with the help of a computer you can tell exactly when an eclipse occurred.

Eclipse of July 30, 356 BC. e. stood out because during the eclipse the Moon was in Aquarius, in a tense aspect (90 degrees) with the Black Moon, which was in Scorpio.

This situation is always dangerous for the fetus, as it stimulates premature birth. Only the mother’s energy can protect the fetus.

But in this case, Alexander’s mother Olympias, as a zealous bacchante, was often surrounded by snakes, on which the eclipse could have a strong impact. Therefore, during the eclipse, her bioenergy field could decrease, which would not allow protecting the child from its effects. Most likely, this caused premature birth, and the child was born at seven months, which at that time meant that he had no chance of survival.

Why seven months? Yes, because winter bacchanalia was held on the new moon, located close to the winter solstice.

The conception of a child by Olympias could have occurred in the final stage of bacchanalia in 3-4 days, approximately December 23-25. This means that Alexander was born after 31 weeks of pregnancy. I think he was born in the morning (around 4 am local time) on July 30, when there was an opposition between the Sun and the Moon, and an eclipse was about to begin, which created a tension in the birth horoscope, located parallel to the horizon.

Supernatural abilitiesAlexander the Great

They knew about this pathology because they were afraid of the gaze of people with different eyes and, especially with similar cat eyes.

But they obviously did not know that this hereditary disease was life-threatening for the child. Since Alexander was entrusted with big plans, for the implementation of which a person had to live a long life. And with this disease, a person’s life could stop at any moment.

At the same time, such a physical pathology of the eye endowed its owner with supernatural abilities. He could energetically influence the people around him, causing them fear and depression.

Over the years, with the help of skillful teachers, Alexander learned to read and influence people's thoughts. With such energy, he could allow evil spirits to come close to him in order to receive the necessary information from it. And he himself could mentally move over long distances and see future events in his imagination.

When Alexander grew up, it became obvious to everyone that Philip was not his father. Alexander was fiery red-haired, with snow-white skin, very sensitive to the sun's rays, with eyes of different colors - one eye was like a cat's, the other like a lion's.

These features of Alexander explained his supposedly divine origin, that he was the son of Dionysus. But Dionysus was not red, and this characteristic color is transmitted only from the parents, and is dominant. This was obviously known at the time.

Although in childhood Alexander was taught that Dionysus was his father, but when he grew up and could draw his own conclusions, he realized that not everything was so smooth and reliable with Dionysus. In addition, his official father, Philip, died under unusual circumstances.

Why was Philip killed?

Justinian noted Philip's oratory: "In conversations he was both flattering and cunning, in words he promised more than he delivered... As an orator, he was eloquently inventive and witty; the sophistication of his speech was combined with ease, and this ease itself was sophisticated."

He skillfully resorted to bribery, thereby sparing his soldiers. His expression remains famous in history: “A donkey loaded with gold will take any fortress.”

In addition, Philip, despite the fact that he spent his youth in Thebes, did not in any way resemble an enlightened sovereign, and in his morals and way of life he was similar to the barbarian kings of Thrace.

Theopompus, who lived at Philip's court, left the following damning review (Polybius, 8.11): “If there was anyone in all Greece or among the barbarians whose character was distinguished by shamelessness, he was inevitably drawn to the court of King Philip in Macedonia and received the title of “comrade of the king.” For it was the custom of Philip to praise and promote those who wasted their lives in drunkenness and gambling... Some of them, being men, even shaved their bodies clean; and even bearded men did not shy away from mutual defilement. They took with them two or three slaves for lust, at the same time giving themselves over to the same shameful service, so that it would be fair to call them not soldiers, but prostitutes."

Drunkenness at Philip's court amazed the Greeks, who severely condemned drunkenness, debauchery, and homosexuality.

Athenaeus adds that although the number of “companions” did not exceed 800, they owned more land than any 10 thousand rich Greeks.
Philip's lifestyle shows that in those distant times, peoples with different cultures, principles and spiritual values ​​lived in the neighborhood.

Due to their opposing views, these cultures could not live in peace. Therefore, wars were periodically waged between cultural centers. The culture of Hellas was represented by cultural centers - Athens and Thebes, and the opposite culture - Delphi, Sparta, Macedonia, etc.

In his youth, Philip, together with his future wife Olympias, was initiated into the cult of Dionysus on the island of Samothrace.

But he was not as young as the Olympics and had life experience. Therefore, this dedication and the cult of Dionysus itself was perceived rather as part of the political culture of that time. When he married at Olympias, he began to take the cult of Dionysus more seriously and cautiously.

A story has also been preserved about how, having once entered his wife’s bedchamber, Philip saw on her bed a huge snake stretched along the queen’s body. He allegedly thought that this was not a simple reptile, but someone reincarnated as a snake.

Although in fact Philip was not so naive as to believe that the snake was Dionysus. Since then, he no longer shared a bed with the Olympics. Philip knew that he was not involved in the birth of Alexander.

At the same time, Philip was constantly tormented by the question of who Alexander’s father was. Obviously, he looked closely at all the men who surrounded him, but 20 years have passed, and no one like Alexander has been found.

And so Philip married the young Macedonian Cleopatra, which forced Olympias and Alexander to leave Macedonia and go home to Epirus.

To smooth out the conflict situation with the king of Epirus, Philip, a year after his own wedding, arranged the wedding of his daughter with the prince of Epirus.

And suddenly, during the feast, Philip is killed by his own bodyguard. Alexander returns to Macedonia and investigates, but finds no conspiracy.

It seemed that no one at that time was interested in Philip's death. Philip played a key role in preparing military actions against the Persians, so he had no enemies in geopolitics.

The dissatisfaction of Olympias's ex-wife was alleviated by the fact that Philip married his daughter to the king of Epirus, which satisfied the ambitions of the kings of Epirus, including Olympias, the daughter of the king of Epirus.

Alexander was also not interested in Philip’s death, since he trained him in military affairs, took him with him to the most important battles and trusted him to defend important positions. For example, he entrusted Alexander with protecting the left flank in the Battle of Chaeronea, where the fate of two cultures was decided - Hellas (Athens and Thebes) and Macedonia with Sparta.

So what happened during the feast? I think that the point was that Philip, among the invited guests, finally saw a man who looked like Alexander.

And since Philip was a very skilled diplomat, well versed in politics and actively took part in it, when he saw a man similar to his so-called son, he instantly realized the whole secret plan.

The stranger, understanding Philip's gaze, instantly realized the danger of such a discovery for a certain circle of secret rulers of world politics. The stakes in this political game were too high to ignore. This concerned global politics not only in Greece itself, but throughout the Mediterranean and Egypt.

The stranger most likely had magical powers and could hypnotize Philip's bodyguard. And already in this state, instill in him the idea of ​​​​killing Philip.

Father of Alexander the Great

By the time of Alexander the Great, Egypt was divided into two states - Egypt, ruled by the Persians - Upper Egypt and the Eastern Nile Delta, and Egypt, ruled by the Libyan dynasty - Western Nile Delta, Siwa Oasis, Ethiopia and the Libyan coast.

These two states were in constant war. The pharaohs of the Libyan dynasty invited soldiers of Sparta to their military service (with mandatory payment), and the Persian kings invited soldiers of Athens.

Pharaohs with the name Nectaneb traced their ancestry to the pharaohs of the Libyan dynasty, which had previously ruled part of Egypt. Moreover, the main priest guarding the power of the pharaohs was also from this family. Therefore, in the historical chronicles left behind, the chief priest with the name Nectaneb is often confused with Pharaoh Nectaneb.

In addition, a characteristic feature of Libyan culture is that the chief priest had much more influence on government than the dynastic pharaoh.

Events developed this way. At first, Western culture, the oasis of Siwa (temple of Amun) and Ethiopia were ruled by Nectaneb I, then by his son Tachos, who, due to an unsuccessful military battle and to save his life, had to go over to the side of the Persians and leave Egypt.

After him, his cousin Nectanebo II became pharaoh, who ruled Egypt for 18 years, 360-343 BC. e.

Obviously, this pharaoh was the son of the chief priest of Amon and after his father should have taken this hereditary position. But circumstances forced him to become a pharaoh. Therefore, he could combine these two key positions.

This is indicated by his magical abilities, the ability to predict the future and much more that the ancient Egyptian priests did. In addition, he allocated colossal funds to the temples, which he might not have done if he had only been in the position of pharaoh. Records of the activities of this pharaoh were made in all the temples that were subordinate to this dynasty.

Perhaps the combination of two key roles in the state and the magical abilities of Nectanebo II contributed to the implementation of successful policies not only in Egypt itself, but also at the global level, which made him very popular.

So, when in 350 BC. e. The Persians made an attempt to conquer Egypt, then Nectanebo II, inviting talented Greek commanders, the Athenian Diophantus and the Spartan Lamia, who, together with mercenaries, successfully repelled the enemy’s onslaught.

The successes of Nectanebo II had an effect in Phenicia and Cyprus, where new uprisings broke out against the Persians. The anti-Persian coalition was headed by Nectaneb II and the Sidonian (Phoenician) king Tennes, to whom he in 346 BC. e. sent 4,000 Greek mercenaries at the disposal of Mentor from Rhodes.

But in 345 - 344. BC e. Artaxerxes III Ochus managed to suppress the uprisings in Phenicia, Judea and Cyprus. The mentor and the mercenaries went over to the side of the Persians.

Then the subsequent military successes of the Persians in alliance with a number of Greek kingdoms (Thebes, Argos, Greeks of Asia) forced Nectanebo II to flee to Memphis.

In 342 BC. e. the Persians captured Memphis and all of Egypt, and Nectanebo II, collecting his treasures, fled to Ethiopia, where he remained an independent ruler until 341 BC. e., as evidenced by his inscriptions in the temples of Edfu.

This historical event is remembered in folk tales, where it is said that the king, when enemies approach and to repel danger, resorts to the priest’s weapons - magical operations.

“Having launched wax boats onto the surface of the water, and raising his staff with his hand, Nectanebo II used a powerful word. But when he peered closely at the dish, he saw that the ships of the barbarians were controlled by Egyptian gods. Realizing that he, as the pharaoh of Egypt, had been betrayed by the betrayal of the blessed, Nectanebo II He shaved his head and beard to change his appearance, and, putting as much gold in his bosom as he could carry, fled from Egypt through Pelusium."

From what has been written we can conclude that the blessed ones, that is, the good Egyptian gods, were not the close and dear gods of the chief priest. And he used them as servants, they were in his service like the goldfish in Alexander Pushkin’s fairy tale.

For example, the ancient Jews had a secret magical teaching, according to which miracles could be performed not only by the power of Jehovah, but also by the power of “elohim hasherim,” i.e. literally “other gods.”

The fact that the faith of the chief priest of Amun in the Egyptian gods was only a theatrical performance is evidenced by the fact that the pharaoh of the Siwa oasis, in order to move unrecognized to Ethiopia, easily shaved off all his hair and changed into different clothes.

Herodotus wrote in his historical chronicles that in ancient Egypt, priests constantly shaved off all the hair on their bodies. Only those who were in mourning for the deceased grew their hair. And only the Libyans - residents of the Siwa oasis, where the temple of Amon was located, did the opposite - they wore their hair when they were happy, and shaved their hair when they were grieving.

Therefore, the Egyptians would have recognized Nectanebo II not by his face, but by his beard and long hair on his head. Since the Egyptians' mourning did not last long, their hair did not have time to grow significantly.

This means that the Libyan pharaohs of the Nectaneb family represented a completely different people, who had their own god, and whom, for convenience, they called by the Egyptian name Amon - invisible. Since it was convenient to hide one’s real god and one’s essence.

It must be taken into account that Nectanebo II, in accordance with his faith, fled from Egypt as a pharaoh, but not as a priest. Although for the Egyptians his appearance indicated that he belonged to the priests, which was very convenient for disguise.

The Persians did not touch the priests. Therefore, before leaving Egypt, Nectanebo II transferred the position of chief priest to his sister’s son, and reserved only royal power for himself. This position allowed him to behave freely, pretend, move around the world and visit the rulers of other countries and peoples.

And since Nectanebo II had diplomatic and military talent, he naturally wanted to take an active part in world politics in order to implement the plan developed by his family.

Therefore, it is not surprising that, after leaving Egypt, he could visit his relatives and allies in Greece and Macedonia, who wanted to introduce him to King Philip of Macedonia, an active participant in their political plans. The wedding of the king's daughter was an excellent excuse for a meeting and political conversations.

Philip, of course, had heard a lot about the Egyptian pharaoh Nectanebe II, his military exploits, and magical abilities, so he was glad to meet him. But when he saw him with his own eyes, and especially his great similarity with Alexander, he immediately realized that the Nectanebo family represented the royal family of the people, which was striving to establish hegemony on a global scale.

For world domination, the leaders of this people came up with various cults, philosophical theories and other means with the help of which they corrupted the morals of the aristocracy of other nations, depriving them of the opportunity to continue their family line.

Under the guise of gods' intervention in procreation, they conceived their own offspring. And thus, representatives of their people were placed at the base of the royal families.

Nectanebo II, having read Philip's thoughts, used magic to persuade his bodyguard to kill the king of Macedonia. At that time, few could guess the true cause of Philip's death.

But after Alexander the Great visited Egypt, where the people received him as a pharaoh returning from flight, rumors of this similarity reached Greece. And, obviously, the Greek politicians guessed the reason for the murder of Philip.

Therefore, the Greeks gradually cooled towards the cult of Dionysus, and openly held bacchanalia became a thing of the past. And admirers of the cult of Dionysus, in order not to attract attention to themselves, replaced it with the cult of Apollo and Asclepius.

Thus, the father of Alexander the Great was a representative of the royal branch of the Nectanebos, and Nectanebo II was a representative of the priestly branch of this family.

In Libyan culture, royal power was transmitted through the male line, and priestly power through the female line.

In Egyptian culture, everything was the other way around - priestly power was passed down through the male line. Therefore, having returned to Egypt after 11 years, Pharaoh Nectanebo II, and again becoming a pharaoh, ceded the royal throne to Ptolemy, who arrived in Egypt after the death of Alexander the Great. And his (Nectanebo II) grandson, according to tradition, took the position of chief priest of Amon.

The Making of the Messiah

When Alexander came to Egypt, he was initiated into the secret of Amon, that in his manifest form Amon could take the form of the god Set, the defender of the power of the pharaohs, the god of war and the desert.

In addition, the god Set was born at an inopportune hour - all the Gods of Ancient Egypt were born during the winter solstice, only Set was born earlier, premature, lame and fiery red.

And another important feature of the god Seth is that he promoted homosexual relations and sodomy. These characteristics suited Alexander and his circle in many ways.

Alexander and his comrades were people of their time, representatives of a culture where the ideal was not a righteous man protecting his soul from vices, but a hero capable of overcoming any obstacles on the way to his goal. Their motto was the slogan: “The end justifies the means!”

Naturally, Alexander wanted to become a great hero, a conqueror of the whole world. He called on his friends and warriors to take over the world. And if they voluntarily followed him, it means that they believed him, and, just like him, they thirsted for glory, booty, adventure and immortality. The Macedonians would never have followed anyone other than a “hero” into Persia for ten whole years, that is, a leader endowed with extraordinary abilities, courage, a passion for adventure and an aura of invincibility.

And for others to believe him, it was necessary for Alexander to believe in himself even more. Any person striving for the highest achievements knows what a huge role his own willpower, the power of imagination, and his own thoughts and feelings play. They, ultimately, determine the success of the plan, which inspires. Also, a true leader should never lose faith in himself or retreat from his path due to failures. He must be able to use the experience of his own mistakes for his own purposes.

From this list of qualities of a hero, we can conclude that a hero needs to be raised, he cannot be born. Therefore, all the stories about Alexander’s divine birth would not have had the necessary impact on him, they would not have developed the ability to control his own feelings, thoughts, imagination and will. And according to historians’ description, he was not such an exemplary child.

In his childhood, Alexander differed from his peers in that he was indifferent to bodily joys and indulged in them very moderately, but he was too ambitious. Therefore, from childhood I envied my father’s fame.

Plutarch wrote about Alexander's character: “Philip saw that Alexander was stubborn by nature, and when he got angry, he did not yield to any violence, but with a reasonable word he could easily be persuaded to make the right decision; therefore, his father tried more to convince than to command.”

Aristotle played the main role in Alexander’s upbringing, who taught him to control his emotions, thoughts and imagination.

Aristotle was a follower of Socrates, Pythagoras and, of course, the priests of Amun from the oasis of Siwa. Therefore, he made the main emphasis in raising Alexander on the development of his supernatural abilities - clairvoyance, telepathy and telekinesis.

Aristotle taught Alexander to isolate a certain part of consciousness and transport it with it to a planned place, where, with the help of clairvoyance and clairaudience, search for the necessary information. Possessing such abilities, Alexander could do without geographical maps and reconnaissance detachments in his military campaigns.

Currently, similar technology is used by intelligence services in developed countries.

At one time, I tested this method on my consciousness and saw its possibilities. When a part of consciousness is separated from the body and ends up in the intended place, the perception of this part by consciousness is significantly enhanced.

Perhaps the physical body, with its fields, somewhat depresses or lowers the threshold of perception. Therefore, consciousness, separated from the body, perceives nature much more sensitively - the vibration of the air is felt and even seen, nature acquires a brighter color, for example, the green foliage of trees and grass becomes brighter.

In addition, the consciousness isolated from the human body easily penetrates into the consciousness of plants, animals, and people. Everything around you seems to start talking to you. And this is fascinating, which is very dangerous, since it is difficult to get out of this state on your own.

This is especially dangerous for children's consciousness, since children are not able to control their own thoughts. Children can remain in this state for many years, and sometimes all their lives. Modern medicine classifies this state of consciousness as a disease - childhood autism.

Thus, Alexander, as a representative of the royal family, also developed the abilities of a priest. Perhaps the combination of blood and magical abilities was a sign of the messiah. Therefore, the priests of the temple of Amon accepted Alexander into the secret Masonic order, which may still have survived from the pharaohs of the New Kingdom of Egypt.

The priests initiated Alexander into secret knowledge, taught him telepathic communication with them, so that he could receive their advice on long campaigns. Perhaps they gave him the Ring of Solomon for the duration of his mission, with which one can control the genies.

At one time, the genies helped King Solomon build a temple. Solomon and his father King David were members and leaders of the ancient Freemasons.

Conquests of Alexander the Great

He then tried to conquer India, but, having met decent resistance, he abandoned further battles with the Hindus. He did not want to waste the strength of his army on the war, since the conquest of territories in the eastern direction was not part of his plans.

Therefore, having completed one of the points of the planned plan, he moved on to implementing the remaining points. And these points were the transition and conquest of the Arabian Desert, a military campaign against Carthage.

But why was it necessary to fight with Carthage if in the fight against the Persians the Phoenicians were allies and acted as a united front. History is silent, and science ignores this fact, as if it were something insignificant that is not worthy of attention.

But how can the ultimate goal of Alexander the Great’s campaign be ignored? Moreover, such a goal as the destruction of the culture of Carthage.

Fate did not allow Alexander to achieve his final goal. The campaigns of Alexander the Great nevertheless achieved significant success and he accomplished a number of feats, and the empire of Alexander the Great had a huge territory. It is from these successful actions that one can unravel what secrets Alexander possessed.

Although there are quite a lot of them, what is of interest for our topic is the meeting of the army of Alexander the Great with the legendary basilisk. This monster of the Libyan desert killed with his gaze. And Alexander used the method in which the mythical Gorgon Medusa was killed - he placed a mirror in the path of the basilisk.

His biography demonstrates to us a person’s indefatigable desire for a grandiose dream, and he became one of the most important characters in ancient history. Even in ancient times, he gained the reputation of the greatest commander in the world. And it is no coincidence, because it was this ruler who managed to create an empire of colossal scale.

Alexander the Great: short biography

The father of the future commander was the Macedonian king Philip II, who managed to subjugate a significant part of the Greek territories by the middle of the 4th century. Alexander the Great, whose biography begins around 356 BC, was born in the capital of the state - Pella. In his childhood he managed to receive an excellent education. The fact that the young man was raised by the most famous thinker of the ancient era, Aristotle, speaks volumes. The latter sought to instill in his ward the qualities of an ideal sovereign - wise, fair and courageous. The philosopher's ideas greatly influenced the future policies of the great ruler.

Alexander the Great: biography of the first period of reign

The young warrior ascended the throne at the age of twenty, after his father Philip was killed by conspiratorial aristocrats. Over the next two years (from 336 to 334 BC), the new ruler was busy restoring the shaky

empires. After establishing order in the country and eliminating the threat from the northern Thracian tribes, Alexander turns his gaze beyond the borders of his own state. For a long time, his father had been nurturing the idea of ​​finally defeating what had by that time been Hellas’s main rival for more than a century and a half. His son managed to fulfill this dream.

Alexander the Great: biography of brilliant years

In 334 BC. e. Alexander's armies are transported to Asia and begin to advance deeper into the possessions of the Persians. The general battle took place that same year on the Granik River, after which a significant part fell into the hands of the Macedonians. It was after this battle that the young commander gained the glory of the greatest conqueror. However, he did not stop there. Alexander's next two campaigns were also

directed to the East, but now he almost did not encounter any serious resistance. So he took Egypt, where the ruler founded a city that was named after him - Alexandria. Some resistance was shown in the central regions of Persia, but after 331, King Darius III was defeated, and the city of Babylon became the capital of the Macedonian Empire. Many noble Persians after this went over to his side. By 328, almost all of it had been conquered, after which the ambitious military leader began preparing an invasion of India. This campaign took place in 325 BC. e. However, the heavy battles of Alexander the Great across the Indus River greatly depleted his army, which had been on campaigns for many years without returning to its homeland. The army's grumbling forced the ruler to turn back to Babylon. Here he spent the short rest of his life, still managing to marry a noble Persian woman, but suddenly died in 323 BC. e. After the death of the great conqueror, his state could not be maintained in unity, and it broke up into several small entities.

Alexander the Great is one of the main characters. Most of us know the name of this great commander from childhood.

Feature films are made about him, books are written about him, and his exploits are real legends. Our hero was born in 356 BC. He was the son of King Philip II of Macedonia.

The parents paid special attention to their son's education; Aristotle himself was among the teachers. The boy loved medicine, philosophy and literature. Alexander was ambitious, indifferent to material values ​​and dreamed of campaigns and exploits.

In 336 BC, Philip was killed in a conspiracy. Who will take the throne? There were several applicants. But the Macedonian army, which knew the courage of young Alexander in battle, supported him.

Having ascended the throne, he first dealt with the conspirators and other pretenders. Meanwhile, in Greece, which was dependent on Macedonia, an uprising broke out. The ancient city of Thebes refused to submit to Alexander. The army quickly brought the city into submission. The city's defenders were massacred and its inhabitants enslaved. The cruelty and strength of the Macedonian weapons brought Greece to obedience.

Having dealt with internal affairs, the future Great Commander decided to move on to conquest. His gaze turned to Persia, where Darius III ruled. Alexander had to command a united army of Macedonians, Greek states (except Sparta), and Thracians.

From 334 BC to 332 BC the allied army completely captured Syria and Egypt, while almost completely defeating the enemy troops. On October 1, 331 BC, the famous battle of Gaugamela took place. The Persian army was defeated, Darius fled from the battlefield in the middle of the battle, when its outcome was not decided.

Stunning views of Babylon and Susa opened up before Alexander the Great. The capital opened its doors to the king of Asia, and the local nobility, who no longer trusted Darius, switched to Macedonian service. For some time, Alexander was actively involved in the internal affairs of the conquered power. Communicating with the Persians not as a conquered people, but on an equal basis. But soon the time came for new campaigns. Alexander the Great did not like peaceful life.

Only during the war did he feel comfortable. Now the commander’s path lay in Central Asia, where, on the territory of present-day Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, he fought with local tribes, depriving them of statehood. In 326 BC. Alexander the Great tried his luck in India. The campaign started well, the local tribes became dependent on the Greeks. But then the army rebelled, tired from campaigns, and had not seen home and family for a long time. I had to turn back.

In 323 BC. Alexander became seriously ill and died. Alexander the Great was an amazing person. During his life he founded more than 70 cities. Most of them were named Alexandria, in his honor. The largest such city was founded at the mouth of the Nile River and was destined to become a major trading center. The horse's name was Bucephalus. This horse lived for 30 years and faithfully served his master. During a campaign in India, the horse was killed. A city of the same name was founded in his honor.