ALEXANDER THE GREAT
...ards him the same loyalty which they had accorded to his father. Philip's last wife, Cleopatra, had borne a daughter a few days before his assassination, while Attalus, her uncle and guardian, had been sent on ahead to Asia to share the command of the forces with Parmenion. Attalus acquired great popularity in the army. Alexander at once executed all those who were alleged to be behind Philip's murder along with all possible rivals and the whole faction opposed to him. The known victims of this purge were Alexander's own rivals: his older cousin Philip's nephew Amyntas, son of King Perdiccas III; the principal family of Alexander of Lyncestis, although he himself was spared; and Philip's wife Cleopatra and her infant daughter, killed by Olympias. A possible rival for the throne remained Attalus himself; the uncle of Cleopatra (Philip's last wife) was disaffected because of her murder and that of her daughter, but he had no claim to the throne of Macedonia; indeed, he was loyal to Philip and hostile to his assassin. Alexander determined to eliminate Attalus discreetly. Alexander had good reason to fear that he might challenge his rule, making common cause with those of the Greeks who opposed him, and selected among his friends a certain Hecataeus from Cardia and sent him off to Asia with a number of soldiers, under orders to bring back Attalus- accused of high treason- alive if he could, but if not, to assassinate him. Parents: Alexander was born at Pella in Macedonia in late July of 356 BC, on the same day on which the famous Temple of Artemis at Ephesus was destroyed by fire. His father, Philip II of Macedon, was a brilliant ruler and strategist. His mother was Olympias, princess of Epirus, daughter of King Neoptolemus. Olympias was initiated into the cults of Dionysus and Orpheus. Famous: Another famous incident sheds light upon Alexander's and Hephaestion's friendship. Alexander had captured Darius's throne tent with treasure of 3000 talents of gold ( US$ 1.2 billion, 1 TALENT = 27 kg Au), with a complete imperial escort; including Darius's mother, Sisygambis; his wife, Stateira; his harem and other princesses. When Alexander and Hephaestion went to meet Sisygambis, she prostrated herself at the feet of the most imponent figure in the group. She chose by the mistake the taller Hephaestion! Alexander is said to have responded in a rather friendly fashion: Influence: The Western influence upon India and the surrounding areas are greatly attributed to Alexander the Great. Shortly by the end of spring 327B.C., his army was eagerly awaiting the invasion of India. In fact, several Indian rulers had met with Alexander in hope that his army could help in the expansion of their own regions. At that time, it was believed that the son of Zeus would retrace the path of his forebears and establish a lasting empire. After ten days of marching from Bactra which took him across the passes of Hindu Kush and into Parapamisadae, he fortified his newly established Alexandria with extra settlers. Then, he drove down the valley of the Cophen towards the plain of the Indus. He considered all of the natives as his subjects. Thus, he assumed they would give him complete submission. If one was reluctant, he or she was swiftly executed. As a result of these types of actions, many Indians feared and hated Alexander. Sadly, In the end many submissively gave their lives and possession to him. However, even today they see him as invader and destroyer. There are few places where Alexander the Great's influen...