Alexander the Great, son of Philip II of Macedon, is arguably the most important historical figure in the ancient world. Born on July 20th, 356 BC, he was an astute, if somewhat headstrong student, and was schooled by various famous teachers, notably Aristotle. By the time of his death at the age of 32, he had personally supervised one of the largest land-based military expeditions of all time, and had conquered the whole of the then known world from Asia Minor across the whole of Persia, Anatolia, Syria, Phoenicia, Judea, Gaza, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Bactria, parts of India, Afghanistan and Pakistan. A legend in his own lifetime, he became known as much for his excesses and cruelty as his extraordinary military prowess but was nonetheless a comparatively fair and temperate man. Perhaps due to his supposed descent from Achilles and Heracles (=Hercules), he became essentially deified in the eyes of the Hellenistic period, who celebrated him in art and song, and also by the Romans, who had a fascination with military campaigns and tactics. As a result, he is a favourite topic for statuary, as in the present case.

Antiquities
Ancient Greek