Alexander's ten years from Macedon to the Punjab
TL;DR — Alexander succeeded Philip II in 336 BC, crossed into Asia in 334, beat Darius III at Issus and Gaugamela, and reached the Punjab, where his soldiers refused to go on.
Alexander of Macedon went from his father’s throne to the Punjab in ten years, with an army and a war he inherited. His father, Philip II, had turned Macedonia, in the words of the historian Jona Lendering, from a “backward kingdom” into “a strong state with a powerful army,” and was planning war on Persia when he was “murdered before he could leave (336 BCE).” With the help of the courtiers Antipater and Parmenion, Alexander “succeeded his father and inherited the Persian war.”
Quick facts
- When
- Philip II murdered in 336 BC; Granicus 334; Issus November 333; Gaugamela October 1, 331; the Punjab 326; death at Babylon June 11, 323
- Where
- From Macedonia through Asia Minor, the Levant, Egypt, Mesopotamia and Iran to the Punjab
- Who
- Alexander III of Macedon; Darius III of Persia; Porus
- Outcome
- The Persian empire fell to Alexander, who died at Babylon before his conquests could be organized
A kingdom built for war
Philip’s army came with a habit of conquest. “Every year, he waged war, and the Macedonian aristocrats benefited,” Lendering writes, and “to keep his monarchy intact, Philip had to continue his conquests.” Alexander spent his first year as king securing his kingdom and left Antipater as viceroy in Macedonia.
He first made an example in Greece. When Thebes revolted, it was taken, and, according to Arrian’s history of the campaigns, Alexander left its settlement to the allies who had fought with him. They resolved “to raze the city to the ground” and “to sell into slavery the women and children, and as many of the males as survived.”
The Granicus, Issus and Tyre
The invasion began in the spring of 334 BC, when Alexander and Parmenion crossed the Hellespont and defeated a Persian army near the river Granicus, in what is now northwest Turkey. In November 333, at Issus, they met Darius III himself. “Battle was joined on a narrow strip of land, where the Persians were unable to benefit of their superior numbers,” Lendering writes, and they were defeated again.
Alexander turned south along the coast. At Tyre, Arrian records, “about 8,000 of the Tyrians were killed,” and about 30,000 people were sold into slavery; the siege, by Diodorus’s account, lasted seven months. Early in 331 he added Egypt. From then on, Lendering notes, “the Persian empire had no ports anymore, and Macedonia was safe.”
Gaugamela and Persepolis
The decisive battle came on October 1, 331 BC, at Gaugamela, east of the Tigris. A lunar eclipse before it gave omens that, Lendering writes, “predicted a defeat for the ruler of Babylonia and Persia.” Alexander won and reached Babylon and Susa that autumn. His army spent the winter of 330 at Persepolis, the Persian capital, “which they sacked in the spring.” Darius, fleeing east to raise a new army, was murdered near a town called Choara in July 330.
The Punjab, and the army's refusal
After years in Central Asia, Alexander crossed the Hindu Kush again late in 327 and reached the Indus in the spring of 326. On the Hydaspes, the modern Jhelum, the Indian king Porus waited for him; Arrian says Porus brought out 4,000 cavalry, 300 chariots, 200 elephants and 30,000 infantry, though Diodorus gives 130 elephants and Curtius 85. “During a stormy night full of rain,” Lendering writes, “the Macedonians were able to cross the stream, and Porus was defeated because his chariots were unable to proceed in the mud.”
Alexander wanted to go farther east. He crossed two more rivers, “but then, his soldiers refused to go on.” He let himself be persuaded by his officer Coenus and by omens, and turned back down the Indus to the sea.
Death at Babylon
He returned to Babylon in the spring of 323, planning a campaign in Arabia. “At the end of May, he fell ill, and on 11 June, he died,” Lendering records. Arrian, citing Aristobulus, gives his age as 32 years and eight months, after a reign of 12 years and eight months. How his empire was divided, and why Greek outlived it, is told in a separate article on the Hellenistic kingdoms.
Key facts
- Philip II was murdered in 336 BC, and Alexander succeeded him with the help of Antipater and Parmenion (Lendering).
- Alexander crossed into Asia in the spring of 334 BC and won at the Granicus (Lendering).
- He defeated Darius III at Issus in November 333 BC and at Gaugamela on October 1, 331 BC (Lendering).
- At Tyre about 8,000 Tyrians were killed and about 30,000 people sold into slavery (Arrian).
- Porus fielded 200 elephants by Arrian’s count, 130 by Diodorus’s and 85 by Curtius’s.
- Alexander’s soldiers refused to go farther east in 326 BC, and he died at Babylon on June 11, 323 BC (Lendering).
FAQ
How did Alexander conquer so much so fast?
He inherited from Philip II a strong army, a kingdom used to yearly war and a planned invasion of Persia. He then won at the Granicus in 334 BC, Issus in 333 and Gaugamela in 331, and took the Persian capitals.
When did Alexander the Great become king?
In 336 BC, after his father Philip II was murdered.
How far did Alexander get?
To the Punjab. After defeating Porus on the Hydaspes in 326 BC he crossed two more rivers, but his soldiers refused to go on, and he turned back.
How many elephants did Porus have?
The sources differ: Arrian says 200 took the field, Diodorus 130 and Curtius 85.
When and how did Alexander die?
At Babylon. He fell ill at the end of May 323 BC and died on June 11. Arrian's sources record a fever over many days.
Sources
Cite this article
- APA
- Song Letter. (2026, October 11). Alexander's ten years from Macedon to the Punjab. Our Earth's History. https://ourearthshistory.com/europe/classical/how-alexander-conquered-the-world/
- Chicago
- Song Letter. “Alexander's ten years from Macedon to the Punjab.” Our Earth's History, October 11, 2026. https://ourearthshistory.com/europe/classical/how-alexander-conquered-the-world/.
- MLA
- Song Letter. “Alexander's ten years from Macedon to the Punjab.” Our Earth's History, 11 Oct. 2026, https://ourearthshistory.com/europe/classical/how-alexander-conquered-the-world/.
Get the week in history
One email a week: the new articles, and what was happening elsewhere at the same moment. Free, no ads, unsubscribe any time. How we handle your email.
Text licensed CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Found an error? Tell us.