Alexander
...t him an ascetic nature, to live simply and to live with his troops. Next was Lysimachus, who developed his abstract side teaching the prince to play the lyre and to appreciate the arts. At age 13, in 343 Aristotle came to mentor the young boy for three years at the Mieza temple, thirty kilometers from the royal palace at Pella. This great Greek philosopher introduced him to arts, sciences, and most useful subject in the future, war. "Aristotels who conquered the world with thought, was the teacher of Alexander who conquered the world with the sword."(Popovic) At age 16 Alexander got his first taste of victory. He was watching over the royal seal in Macedonia while his father was at war with the Byzantium empire in 340. He managed to put a halt to a rebellious tribe that was confronting the empire. He took their capital town by storm and drove out the barbarous inhabitants. The new colony was of several nations and was properly renamed Alexandropolis. His next bout occurred at the battle of Chaeronea, in September 338 under the command of his father. They were at war with the allied Greek states of the Sacred Band of Thebes and Alexander was in control of the left wing of Philip's cavalry. At age 18 he showed personal courage by being the first man ever to charge against the Thebans. Even though he was greatly outnumbered, the Macedonian’s triumphed. Athens and Thebes now came under Philip's rule and was just the beginning of a growing empire. Philip was proud of his son even when his own army called him their general and Alexander their king. “Were it not for the innovations of Philip, the Macedonian army would have had a heck of a time conquering an entire continent."(Kelsey) However, in July 336 during his daughter's wedding, King Philip was assassinated by his officer Pausanias. This immediately presented Alexander as the new king and commander of the Macedon army. Soon at age 20 and not very respected, he got rid of his rivals and established his authority very firmly. Before his father died Philip was about to embark on the quest of taking over Persia. After an invasion by the Persian dominions, Alexander decided to continue the campaign. His father had already sent 13,000 troops and the Persian wealth was greatly needed to maintain the army built by his father. It was also needed to pay off the 500 talents he owed to ten thousand Greek troops. Alexander alone commanded 30,000 foot soldiers and 5,000 cavalry, it was an army with an excellent mixture of arms. With over 50,000 men he began his assault on the Persian Empire. He made a fleet of warships available to his men to cross the Mediterranean Sea, Alexander's pursuit of the extermination of the entire Persian empire began at the battle of Granicus. With some resistance, the Macedon army pushed and crushed the Persian's and continued to march on. In only six months Alexander had taken every city on the west coast of Anatolia. He moved to sou...