Detailed Timeline
359 BC
Death of Perdiccas III, King of Macedonia: Perdiccas leaves infant heir Amyntas; Philip II elected King of Macedonia
358 BC
Philip subdues Paeonians and Agrians
357 BC
Marriage of Philip II and Olympias, mother of Alexander
Philip captures the cities of Amphipolis and Pydna
356 BC
July 20 - Birth of Alexander III at Pella, Macedon
August - Philip captures city of Potidaea
355 BC
Birth of Cassander, son of Antipater, ruler of Macedonia after Alexander
354 BC
Philip captures city of Methone: Philip loses one eye
353 BC
Philip defeats Greek state of Phokis
352 BC
Persian noble Artabazus receives asylum at Philip's court
348 BC
Philip captures city of Olynthus (Chalcidice peninsula)
343 BC
Aristotle appointed as tutor of Alexander
342 BC
Philip's conquests in Thrace
Alexander gets Bucephalas, his personal horse
340 BC
Alexander regent in Macedonia during campaign of Philip against Byzantium; Alexander defeats Thracian tribe
Persia aids city of Perinthus against Philip
Probable end of the tutorship of Aristotle
338 BC
August 2 - Battle of Chaeronea: King Philip defeats Greeks, Alexander commands cavalry
Autumn - Establishment and first meeting of the Corinthian League: Philip confirmed as hegemon of Greece
337 BC
Spring - Second meeting of the Corinthian League: Philip reveals plans for invasion of Persia
Marriage of Philip and Cleopatra; Alexander and Olympias leave for exile
Autumn - Alexander returns from his exile in Illyria
336 BC
Spring - Officers Parmenion and Attalus take advance force into Persia
October [June] - Murder of King Philip; Alexander ascends throne of Macedonia
Autumn - Execution of Amyntas, son of Perdiccas III and heir to the throne; Execution of Cleopatra, widow of Philip, and her newborn son; Third meeting of Corinthian League at Corinth: Alexander confirmed as hegemon of Greece; Possible legendary meeting with philosopher Diogenes
Other events - King Darius III ascends the throne of Persia; Marriage of Alexander of Epirus and Cleopatra, sister of Alexander
335 BC
Spring - Campaign to the Danube; Battle of the Lyginus: Alexander defeats Triballians
May - Alexander crosses river Danube: establishment of northern frontiers
Summer - Attack on Pelium: Alexander defeats Illyrians
September - Alexander ends revolt at Thebes
Other events - Persian commander Memnon stops advance force of Parmenion and Attalus
334 BC
May - Alexander crosses Hellespont into Persia
May/June - Battle of the Granicus: Alexander defeats Persian defense force
Summer - Alexander captures Milete
Autumn - Alexander captures Halicarnassus, Persian stronghold; Alexander grants winter leave to newly wedded soldiers
Other events - Antigonus the One-Eyed appointed as satrap of Phrygia; Queen Ada re-instated as ruler of Caria
333 BC
Winter - Alleged conspiracy: arrest of Alexander of Lyncestis; Legendary miraculous passing of Mount Climax; Campaign against Pisidians
March - Alexander solves riddle of the 'Gordian Knot', Gordium
May - Alexander of Epirus invades Italy (defeated and killed around 331 BC)
May [July] - Alexander leaves Gordium
June/July [Spring] - Memnon dies of illness
Summer - King Darius III and Persian army leave Babylon
September [July] - Alexander falls ill at river Cydnus
September - Alexander arrives at Tarsus, Cilicia
September/October - King Darius III and Persian army arrive at Sochi, base camp near Mediterranean
November - Battle of Issus: Alexander defeats Persian King Darius III; Alexander captures Persian Royal family
Autumn - Parmenion captures Damascus: capture of Barsine, widow of Memnon and future mistress of Alexander and possibly mother of his first child, Heracles
Other events - Idarnes (or Hydarnes) re-captures Milete; Balacrus defeats Idarnes in 332 BC
332 BC
January-July [August] - Siege of Tyre
Spring [Summer 331 BC] - Statira, wife of Darius III, dies in childbirth
Summer - First peace offer of King Darius
July 29 [August] - Fall of Tyre
September-October - Siege of Gaza
November 14 - Alexander crowned Pharaoh in Memphis, Egypt
331 BC
Winter - Oracle of Siwa allegedly confirms divinity of Alexander
April 7 [Winter] - Foundation of Alexandria, Egypt
Spring - Return to Phoenicia
Summer - Second peace offer of King Darius
September 20 - Army witnesses total eclipse of the moon in northern Mesopotamia: single 100% sure dating of the Alexander period
October 1 - Battle of Gaugamela (Arbela): final defeat of Persian King Darius III
October 21 - Alexander enters Babylon
November 25 - Alexander leaves Babylon
December 15 - Alexander enters Susa
December - Campaign against the Uxians
330 BC
January - Alexander forces his way through Persian Gates: defeat of last Persian defence troops
Winter/Spring - Five months stay in Persepolis, ceremonial Persian capital
April - Campaign against the Mardians
May [Summer/Autumn 331 BC] - Battle of Megalopolis: Alexander's Macedonian regent Antipater defeats King Agis III of Sparta
May - Alexander burns Persepolis
July - Persian King Darius III murdered by his kinsmen
Summer - Alexander dismisses allied troops
Autumn [Summer 329 BC] - Alleged but unlikely legendary meeting with the Queen of the Amazons
Autumn - Revolt of Satibarzanes, satrap of Aria; Satibarzanes killed by officer Erigiyus
October - Alleged conspiracy: execution of officers Philotas and his father Parmenion; Craterus becomes second in command; execution of Alexander of Lyncestis
329 BC
Spring - Alexander crosses Hindu Kush into Central Asia
May - Arrest of Bessus, usurper of Persian throne
Summer - Alleged massacre of the Branchidae; Founding of Alexandria-the-Furthest; Battle of the Iaxartes: Alexander defeats Scythians; Rebel leader Spitamenes annihilates Macedonian forces at Maracanda
328 BC
Spring - Submission of Pharasmenes, ruler of the Chorasmians
Spring/Summer/Autumn - Army split in five divisions against rebellions in Central Asia
Autumn - Defeat of rebel leader Spitamenes; Alexander kills officer Cleitus the Black during brawl
327 BC
Winter - Attempt to introduce 'proskynesis'; Alleged conspiracy: execution of court historian Callisthenes
Spring - Alexander captures 'Sogdian Rock', rebel stronghold; Surrender of rebel Chorienes; Defeat of rebels Catanes and Austanes
Spring [August] - Marriage to Roxane, daughter of Bactrian noble Oxyartes
Summer - Invasion of India
326 BC
Winter - Siege of Massaga: Massaga's Queen Cleophis allegedly concieves a son of Alexander (named Alexander)
April - Alexander captures 'Rock of Aornus', Indian stronghold
May [July] - Battle of the Hydaspes: Alexander defeats King Porus; Death of Bucephalas
September - Army refuses further advance at river Hyphasis; Alexander orders retreat
Autumn - Death of officer Coenus; Roxane's first child dies at birth at the river Acesines
November - Start of voyage down the Indus
December - Campaign against the Mallians: Alexander's lung pierced by an arrow
325 BC
June - Craterus leads part of the army through Arachosia towards Carmania
July - Alexander reaches Indian Ocean
August - Alexander starts march through Gedrosian desert
September 20/21 - Fleet under command of Nearchos sets sail for Persian Gulf
October/November - Alexander reaches Pura, capital of Gedrosia
December - Reunion of Alexander and Craterus in Carmania
Other events - Mercenary revolts in Bactria; Desertion of Harpalus
324 BC
Winter [December 325 BC]- First reunion between Alexander and Nearchos near Salmus, Carmania
Winter/Spring - 'Reign of Fear': Alexander punishes and executes Persian satraps who abused power in his absence
January - Restoration of tomb of Cyrus the Great
February - Alexander orders mass wedding at Susa, Persia: marriage to Statira, daughter of Darius III, and to Parysatis, daughter of Artaxerxes III
Spring - Second reunion between Alexander and Nearchos near mouth of the Tigris
April/May - Alexander founds last Alexandria (Charax) at the mouth of river Tigris
July - Mutiny (or strike) of the army at Opis, Mesopotamia
August 4 [September 3] - Alexander issues Exiles' Decree
Summer - Craterus leaves with veterans for Macedonia
October - Death of Hephaestion, Alexander's lifelong friend and lover, in Ecbatana
323 BC
Winter - Campaign against Cossaeans
April - Alexander returns in Babylon
May - Funeral of Hephaestion
June 10 - Alexander dies after ten days of illness
321 BC
Ptolemy hi-jacks Alexander's sarcophagus and brings Alexander's body to Egypt
Winter - December-February; Spring - March-May; Summer - June-August; Autumn - September-November; [ ] - alternative dating
Timeline compiled according to accounts of Arrian, Curtius Rufus, Plutarch, Diodorus Siculus, Justin and especially the footnotes and comments of their translators and editors. All dates mentioned are subject to debate. For corrections or suggestions please e-mail me.
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