Alexander III of Macedon, known as "Alexander the Great" lived from 356 to 323 B.C. and is remembered as one of the greatest military leaders in history. During his rule, Alexander created the largest empire the ancient world had ever known. A student of the Greek philosopher Aristotle, Alexander was known for loyalty to his friends and his soldiers. He was an exceptionally handsome man, and his image was displayed on coins and on many works of art of the period.

Alexander's father, Philip, had transformed the backward nation of Macedonia (located just north of Greece) into the strongest military power in the area. By excelling in the use of "phalanx warfare," Philip conquered Macedon's southern neighbor Greece in 338 B.C.

Philip was murdered in 336 B.C., and Alexander became king of Macedonia and Greece. Two years later, Alexander led his army of Macedonians and Greeks to attack Persia. When the Persian king Darius III and his soldiers fled east from the battle, Alexander did not follow them. Instead, his army marched south through Phoenicia, Judea, and into Egypt. Alexander conquered the cities of Tyre and Gaza, and all the other cities in the area, including Jerusalem, surrendered without a fight. In 331 B.C., Alexander founded a Greek-style city in Egypt on the western Nile delta and named it after himself, Alexandria.

Turning his attention back to Persia, Alexander defeated the Persian king Darius and his army at the battle of Guagamela. Darius survived the battle and fled, but was later killed by one of his officers. After that victory, Alexander was able to conquer the eastern parts of the Persian Kingdom, capturing the key cities of Susa and Persepolis and seizing huge stores of gold and silver. In 327 B.C. Alexander led his army through Afghanistan and into India, returning to Persia only when his troops refused to go any farther east. During his entire expedition, Alexander never lost a military battle. While preparing still more military campaigns, Alexander died in 323 B.C.

Wherever Alexander's armies went, Greek ideas and culture went with them. He founded over seventy Greek cities to serve as supply bases for his army, and encouraged Greeks to settle near them. Besides promoting trade throughout his empire, Alexander allowed and even encouraged his troops to intermarry with local women. Because of these factors, Greek language and culture came to dominate the ancient Near East for hundreds of years.