Summary Born in 356 BC to a Macedonian king and his headstrong queen, Alexander the Great becomes king at age twenty. Many Middle Eastern cities fell under Macedonian rule before Alexander reached present-day India before turning back. His final journey sees tens of thousands of people perish in the Gedrosian Desert before arriving in Persia once again. It is during this peaceful time that Alexander takes ill and dies at age thirty-two. Chapter 1: Alexander’s defeat of the Persians in 366 BC ends a period during which the enemies of Persia were the Greek city-states, and Macedonia was not an important part of the Greek world. This Greek world left an important legacy for the western world: democracy, a style for building religious temples that has been copied for more than two millennia, a love of theatre and literature, philosophy, early contributions to medicine, mathematics and science, the valuing of physical beauty and well-being and the Olympic games. Chapter 2: It is probably his strong parents and outstanding teachers that made Alexander a great leader. His mother, Olympias, was his father’s first wife. Strong in character, she returned to her country when Philip – Alexander’s father – married Eurydice. Philip, in turn, was a great commander and a strong leader. Busy with governing, he hires Aristotle to educate Alexander. Alexander is curious and intelligent. He likes music and literature, animals and hunting. At age thirteen he surprises the court by riding a wild horse, Bucephalas, who will accompany him in all his campaigns. At age sixteen, he is left in charge of the government for a time and at eighteen he has won his first battle. When Philip is murdered, Alexander is only twenty. c Chapters 3–4: Alexander ensures his position in Macedonia by killing all other candidates to the crown and sets off towards Greece and Asia. Along his campaign, he makes use not only of his strength but also of his intelligence, creativity and knowledge. Besides fights on the battlefield and the siege of towns, his tactics include reductions of taxes and leaves for soldiers to make himself popular, the use of his knowledge of history and even the creation of a new month to avoid religious beliefs interfering with his plans. On his way, he destroys Troy, home of the legendary Achilles, and arrives in Gordium, where he unties, whether through skill or cheat, a legendary knot, which makes him the undisputed ruler of Asia. Chapters 5–6: Led by Memnon, the Persians start a march to face Alexander, who in turn marches to meet them. Memnon dies and King Darian III takes command of his army. Alexander finds out that the armies have gone past each other and takes the Persians by surprise. Darian’s family and Barcine – Memnon’s wife – are made prisoners. Alexander falls in love with Barcine, with whom he spends several years. The city of Tyre resists his siege and Alexander’s engineers build a 200-metre wall in the sea. Then, after defeating Gaza, he marches towards Egypt and builds the city of Alexandria. Later, in Siwah, he communicates privately with the god Ammon. By now, he believes he is more than human. Chapter 7: Alexander refuses Darius’s proposal for negotiation and gives him time to gather all his army so as to defeat him completely. He uses his great military skill to defeat a much larger army at Gaugamela, and marches to Babylon and then Susa and Persepolis, the heart of Persia. Although the city is well protected and he has to order a retreat, once again his strategic capacity leads him to success. He takes control of Persepolis and its riches and burns the palace in revenge for Xerxes’s burning of the Acropolis 150 years earlier. Darius is killed by his own men. Chapter 8: Alexander advances to Bactria, to defeat Bessus, one of Darius’s murderers. He knows that punishing the killer of a King will make him popular. Along his march, two plots to kill him are discovered, which General Parmenion, his son Philotas and the historian Callisthenes pay for with their lives. Alexander also kills his commander Cleitus after an argument with him. He then conquers Sogdiana, marries Roxane – the daughter of the Sogdian’s leader – and marches towards