Macedonian Reforms
Philip II trained his new infantry with this other, more traditional (and aristocratic) part of the Macedonian army, so that both could work together effectively.
cavalry
This Macedonian was appointed "absolute general" (strategos autokrator) of a campaign against the Persian Empire, but he was assassinated before he could lead the planned campaign.
Philip II
One factor leading to Macedon's cultural and political isolation early on is that Macedon was rich in natural resources, such as precious metals and this material that is important for shipbuilding.
timber
One major source for Alexander's life and career is the 1st/2nd century CE biographer Plutarch, who wrote the Parallel Lives, a set biographies written in pairs that matched up one Greek historical figure with a historical figure from this other ancient society.
the Romans
In 330 Alexander burned down this royal city, one of four capitals of the Persian Empire.
Persepolis
The young Philip II learned many ideas from his stay as a hostage in this Greek city-state, which was flourishing at the time under the leadership of Epaminondas and Pelopidas.
Thebes
This League swore an oath to a Macedonian hegemon (first Philip II, then Alexander III) that effectively ended their freedom.
Corinthian League
Many Greeks found Macedonians to be barbaric or foreign because of cultural differences like their language and their concentration of political power in this one person at any given time.
Alexander hired a professional one of these, named Callisthenes of Olynthus, to accompany him on campaign, but Callisthenes did not approve of Alexander's increasingly Persian habits and was eventually arrested for potential involvement in a conspiracy against him.
In 323, Alexander died in this very ancient city, one of the four rotating capitals of the Persian Empire that had been conquered early on in the creation of the Persian Empire.
Babylon
Philip's "royal pages" were young men taken from these households and raised at the royal court -- both as a sign of honor and at the same time a means of ensuring loyalty to himself.
aristocratic Macedonian families
Philip's involvement in this war ended up with his achieving a majority vote on the Amphictyonic Council, thus greatly increasing his authority in northern Greece.
Third Sacred War
This group of aristocrats served as the Macedonian king's entourage, serving as advisors, his bodyguard, and as fellow participants in feasting, drinking, and hunting.
The Companions (Hetairoi)
The historian Arrian describes Alexander's primary motive for his endless campaigning and exploration as pothos, which translates to this English word.
longing
Alexander established Alexandria Eschate, or "Farthest Alexandria," on the site of a city foundation made by (and named after) this founder of the Persian Empire.
Cyrus (the Great)
sarissa
Macedonian kings repeatedly tried to (and eventually did) control this important, strategically-located city-state that had been originally founded as an Athenian colony on the Chalcidike Peninsula (in the northern Aegean) during the 5th century.
Amphipolis
In addition to other natural resources, the land of Macedon did not need to develop trade networks in the way many Greeks did, because its farmland and continental climate are more conducive to agriculture than this type of climate found in Greece.
Diodorus of Sicily, from the 1st century BCE, provides a lot of information about Alexander in his Library of History, even though the Library was intended as this kind of history rather than a biography or account of Alexander specifically.
universal history
Alexander renovated and paid honors to this centuries-old structure in Pasargadae as a show of respect to the Persian kings.
the tomb of Cyrus the Great
Archelaus moved the political capital of Macedon from its traditional location in Aegae to this new location, partly chosen because it was closer to the Greek-speaking world.
Pella
One factor leading to Macedon's successful attempt to achieve hegemony is the losses to Athenian hegemony sustained as a result of this war, with defections from the Second Athenian Confederacy provoked in part by the Persian satrap Mausolus of Caria.
Social War / War of the Allies
Instead of practicing this system of passing on the kingdom to the king's oldest son, the Macedonians had an irregular and unpredictable system of royal succession that was characterized by violent elimination of rivals for the throne.
primogeniture
Arrian tells us that his Anabasis of Alexander relies on some sources for Alexander's life that are now lost, such as the contemporary writings of Alexander's commanders Aristoboulos, Nearchus, and this man, who went on to become the first king of Hellenistic Egypt.
Ptolemy I
Alexander had Darius III buried at Naqsh-i Rustam, the site of this complex designed by Darius I (the Great).
royal tombs