Why did people think Alexander the Great was a god?
Learn more about the life of Alexander the Great.
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News •
An acclaimed biography of Alexander the Great wins the Baillie Gifford nonfiction prize
• Nov. 4, 2026, 7:46 PM ET (AP)
Transcript
Alexander the Great was a Macedonian king and general who conquered the Persian empire.
Alexander the Great was born in 356 BCE in Pella, Macedonia, in the northeastern corner of the Greek peninsula.
His parents were Philip II, king of Macedonia, and Olympias, former princess of Epirus. Beginning in 334 BCE, Alexander personally led his troops in battle to defeat the powerful Persian empire.
He became the leader of a new empire that encompassed Macedonia, Greece, Egypt, and parts of India. Even during his lifetime, Alexander was the subject of popular stories and myths.
After his death, the legends began to take the form of Alexander romance literature.
Many of these stories contained little historical fact and depicted Alexander as a godlike—and sometimes actually magical—hero. Alexander the Great died on June 13, 323 BCE, in Babylon, after suffering from an unknown illness.
According to accounts by Plutarch and others, his body didn’t begin to decompose until six days after his death—“supporting” the theory held by Alexander and others that the great general was a god rather than a man.
His parents were Philip II, king of Macedonia, and Olympias, former princess of Epirus. Beginning in 334 BCE, Alexander personally led his troops in battle to defeat the powerful Persian empire.
He became the leader of a new empire that encompassed Macedonia, Greece, Egypt, and parts of India. Even during his lifetime, Alexander was the subject of popular stories and myths.
After his death, the legends began to take the form of Alexander romance literature.
Many of these stories contained little historical fact and depicted Alexander as a godlike—and sometimes actually magical—hero. Alexander the Great died on June 13, 323 BCE, in Babylon, after suffering from an unknown illness.
According to accounts by Plutarch and others, his body didn’t begin to decompose until six days after his death—“supporting” the theory held by Alexander and others that the great general was a god rather than a man.
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