Alexander the Great
...ve Philip the opportunity for ultimate victory. The Phocians seized Delphi and plundered the sanctuary of Apollo. When the Greeks failed to liberate Delphi, they asked Philip to intercede. He quickly responded by crushing the Phocians and in the process intimidated Athens and Sparta. Athens immediately made peace with Philip that lasted until 338 B.C. Athens and Thebes made an alliance to rebel against Philip. Philip and his army met them at Chaeronea where he won a hard fought battle that united all of Greece (except Sparta) under his command. Two years after he unified Greece, Philip was assassinated. Alexander inherited the throne of this powerful empire. At the time Philip was assassinated he planned to attack the Persian Empire. Alexander intended to fulfill Philip’s plan. Alexander proclaimed to the Greeks that the invasion was to be a great crusade of revenge against the Persians for their invasion of Greece in 480 B.C. In 334 B.C., Alexander and his soldiers entered Asia Minor. There they encountered the Persian army on the plains of Issus. Alexander’s army was outnumbered almost two to one. Alexander led his army to victory. The Persian king Darius escaped. Alexander next traveled to Egypt where he was welcomed and proclaimed pharaoh. While in Egypt, he consulted with the famous oracle Zeus-Amon. No one is certain what the oracle told Alexander but when Alexander left, he believed he was the son of Zeus. In 330 B.C., he encountered Darius again. Alexander again defeated Darius’ army. Alexander now had control of the Persian Empire. Alexander had no intention of stopping. He dismissed his Greek troops, allowing some to stay as mercenaries. He then set out to conquer the rest of Asia. It took Alexander and his army four years to conquer the eastern most parts of the Persian Empire. Alexander was still determined to continue his march. In 326 B.C., Alexander entered India. His army met resistance along the way until finally at the Hyphasis River his army refused to go any further. Finally, Alexander relented and turned the army south to the Arabian Sea....