If You're Curious About These Questions...
You should listen to this audiobook
- What drove a 21-year-old to embark on a decade-long campaign to conquer the known world?
- How did one man's military genius create an empire that shaped the course of history for centuries?
- What secrets can Alexander's leadership style teach us about achieving our own goals and building a lasting legacy?
Listen to Alexander the Great — Free Audiobook
Loading player...
Key Takeaways from Alexander the Great
- Discover how a young Alexander used keen observation and problem-solving to tame the legendary horse Bucephalus.
- Learn why Alexander ruthlessly destroyed the rebellious city of Thebes to set a violent example that successfully secured his absolute power in Greece.
- Understand how Alexander achieved stunning military victories against the Persians by trusting his own strategic intuition and defying the conventional advice of his senior generals.
- Find out how Alexander neutralized the superior Persian navy not by fighting them at sea, but by strategically conquering the Mediterranean coastline to eliminate their ports.
- Explore the highly unconventional tactics Alexander employed to capture enemy cities, including pushing campaigns through harsh winters and using disguised dancers as undercover assassins.
Learning Tools
Reinforce what you learned from Alexander the Great
Mind Map
Alexander the Great
Early Life & Ascension
Taming Bucephalus
Relationship with Philip II
Taking the Throne
The Persian Campaign Begins
Consolidating Greece
Tactical Brilliance
Naval Strategy
Overcoming Illness
The Battle of Issus
Battlefield Tactics
Confronting Darius
Diplomatic Manipulation
Conquest of Egypt
Liberator Status
Founding Alexandria
Oracle of Ammon
Fall of the Persian Empire
Battle of Gaugamela
Taking Babylon
Persepolis
The Eastern Frontier
Pursuing Bessus
Indian Campaign
The Army's Mutiny
Death & Legacy
Final Days
Cultural Impact
Quiz — Test Your Understanding
Question 1 of 10
How did a young Alexander successfully tame the famously untameable horse, Bucephalus?
Alexander the Great — Full Chapter Overview
Chapter 1: Recommendation
Chapter 2: Born to Macedonia’s royal house, Alexander the Great’s gifts were recognized very early on.
Chapter 3: Having secured his rule over Greece, Alexander marched forth to invade Persia.
Chapter 4: Alexander’s sharp military mind let him advance rapidly across Asia Minor.
Chapter 5: Sudden sickness and death profoundly altered the course of history.
Chapter 6: Alexander first met Darius at the Battle of Issus in November, 333 BC.
Chapter 7: Alexander’s time in Egypt proved a truly momentous turning point in his own life.
Chapter 8: After defeating Darius once more, Alexander seized the ancient Mesopotamian city Babylon.
Chapter 9: Following an embarrassing setback, Alexander at last captured Persepolis, Persia’s capital city.
Chapter 10: Pursuing Bessus, Alexander embarked on a perilous march that would ultimately carry him far to India.
Chapter 11: Alexander reached the very banks of India’s Ganges River before realizing his exhausted soldiers could no longer continue marching forward any farther.
Chapter 12: Alexander died at age thirty-two, before he could properly fulfill any of his grand planned future campaigns.
Chapter 13: Alexander’s legacy would continue to exert far-reaching influence across the entire world.
Alexander the Great Summary & Overview
The eponymous hero of Alexander the Great (2011) is remembered as one of the greatest military commanders who ever lived. Setting out from Greece at the age of 21, Alexander waged a ten-year campaign, during which he defeated the Persian Achaemenids and, in so doing, created the largest empire the world had ever seen. By spreading Greek culture and language throughout Eurasia, his legacy remained influential for centuries after.
Who Should Listen to Alexander the Great?
- People interested in how Greek culture became so dominant
- History buffs interested in military strategy
- Students of ancient history
Books Similar to Alexander the Great
Readers who enjoyed this also liked these titles.
Napoleon the Great
★ 4.6 / 5 • 217 ratingsHow Napoleon Conquered Europe and Changed the World
The Iliad
★ 4.5 / 5 • 109 ratingsThe Greek Epic on the End of the Trojan War and Achilles’ Wrath
History of the Peloponnesian War
★ 4.6 / 5 • 32 ratingsA Chronicle of Power, Conflict, and the Fall of Ancient Greece
The Peloponnesian War
★ 4.5 / 5 • 98 ratingsGet a primer on the epic Peloponnesian War