334–323 BCE / Europe
Alexander's Campaigns and the Hellenistic World
Macedonian armies crossed the eastern Mediterranean, Persia, and northwestern South Asia; conquest sparked wars of succession while expanding connections among cities and cultures.
The story
In 334 BCE, Alexander led an army into Asia Minor, subsequently defeating the Achaemenid dynasty and campaigning in Egypt, the Iranian plateau, and northwestern South Asia. Conquest brought death and destruction, while also encouraging the movement of soldiers, merchants, and artisans and the founding or reorganization of cities in many regions. After his death in Babylon in 323 BCE, his generals fought over and divided power, forming kingdoms such as those of the Ptolemies and Seleucids. Hellenistic culture emerged through the interaction of local traditions with Greek language and art, rather than through one culture simply replacing another.
Elsewhere in the world
The successor kingdoms later came into contact with South Asia's Maurya dynasty, connecting diplomatic and trading networks across the Mediterranean, West Asia, and the Indus Valley.
Dates and precision
334–323 BCE Ongoing process
The dates describe a process over time; the interactive timeline uses its starting point.
Representative map location
Representative coordinates · 40.755°, 22.521°
Coordinates locate a representative point for the story. They do not mean the event happened only here and do not represent historical borders.
Bibliography
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art | Art of the Hellenistic Age and the Hellenistic Tradition
Sources are listed as bibliography titles, without external links. A reference does not mean every sentence or interpretation has been independently verified.