Alexander the Great was a conqueror of the Persian Empire who built up the largest empire of the ancient world. He ruled Macedonia beginning in 336 B.C. after his father's rule ended.
Following his father's legacy, Alexander ended the Greek, Thracian and Illyrian rebellions. He defeated Persia at the Tigris River, which was a moment of victory for the Greeks. He freed Egypt from Persian rule in 331 B.C., founded the cultural city of Alexandria and continued traveling eastward to India. He died from a fever on the journey back home to Macedonia in 323 B.C.
Because of Alexander's conquests, Greek culture spread. This ushered in the Hellenistic Age, which was an era of Greek power and influence in the Mediterranean world.
