Alexander the Great

The most famous Greek warrior was Alexander the Great, who set the standard against whom every general in history has been measured, and usually found wanting. No other commander has come close to the astonishing record of victory and conquest that unfolded in less than ten years, from 334 to 325 BC, when his army overran empires and kingdoms from the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean, from the Danube to the Ganges.

What we are trying in this brief survey is to give you an impression of where Alexander was born, grew up and educated. We travel to Vergina, 80 km from Thessaloniki, the site of ancient Aigai, the first capital of Macedonia, where in 336 BC Philip II was assassinated and Alexander the Great was proclaimed king. After visiting the Royal Tombs, we are introduced to Philip who created the superb Macedonian State and Army that his son used to conquer the known world. The second site is Mieza, some 30 km from Vergina, where the great philosopher Aristotle taught the boy Alexander between 343 and 340 BC. Our last site is Pella, 50 km from Mieza, the capital of ancient Macedonia and birthplace of Alexander where we will briefed on Alexander’s army and tactics.