323 B.C.
During the summer, Alexander is stricken with a mysterious illness. Some historians will later contend that it was a poisoning attempt by Cassander, son of Antipater, as their family feared that Alexander would execute them for actions taken while Antipater was regent in Macedonia. Others will contend that it was merely a relapse of malaria. In any event, Alexander recovers after being near death for many days.
In the summer, their departure having been delayed by Alexander’s illness, the Alexandrian army and fleet set out on a campaign to subjugate the coastal regions of the Persian Gulf. The force was made up of roughly 20,000 Macedonian troops, 10,000 Greek mercenaries and 20,000 men of the newly-formed Persian corps. The fleet is commanded by Alexander’s boyhood friend Nearchus, who had led the return fleet from the Indus to the Tigris-Euphrates.
The Arabian tribes, virtually unorganized and with only primitive weapons, are able to put up little resistance to the Alexandrian troops. The Arabs are defeated and scattered with little difficulty, and Alexander orders a series of ports constructed on both the northern and southern coasts, and a major naval base is set up on the island of Dilmun (Bahrain). Alexander’s intention is to create a solid line of communication between the mouth of the Tigris –Euphrates and the mouth of the Indus, so as to facilitate communication and transportation with the far eastern portions of his Empire.
While Alexander was campaigning in the Persian Gulf, his wife Roxanne gives birth to a son, who was named Alexander II. This angers some of the Macedonians, who think that the boy should properly be termed Alexander IV, due to previous kings of Macedonia having held the name Alexander. But Alexander declares that the title is in reference to the position of King of Asia, of which Alexander himself is the first. This leads to much grumbling among the Macedonians, who were still seething with many resentments.
In Italy, the Roman Republican is engaged in the Great Samnite War, making progress against the enemy tribes despite fierce resistance.
322 B.C.
Alexander, having returned to Babylon from the brief and easy campaign in Arabia, accelerated preparations for campaigns to the west. Vast shipbuilding activity was underway in Phoenicia, Alexander having ordered the construction of 1,000 ships in order to overawe the Empire of Carthage.
Having become intrigued by a passage in Herodotus indicated that Phoenicians in the service of an Egyptian pharaoh had once circumnavigated the whole of Africa, Alexander orders a small expeditionary fleet to confirm this story. With thirty ships and several hundred men, they set out from Dilmun in the early spring and head south along the African coast.
In India, the Nanda Empire was encroaching on Alexandrian territory, believing that Alexander would never return to the East. King Porus, who was Alexander’s satrap in the region, resisted them stoutly, sending to Alexander for help. While Alexander remained focused on the coming campaign in the West, he did send an army of 30,000 men (mostly Persians and Greek mercenaries) to assist Porus.
The Great Samnite War continues to rage in Italy. The Romans, having suffered tactical setbacks, begin to experiment with new infantry tactics, abandoning the Greek phalanx in favor of the more flexible legion.
Carthage, fearing the coming invasion by Alexander, makes overtures to the Roman Republic for a defensive alliance, implying that Rome might provide the land power while Carthage provides the naval strength. Rome, focused on the conflict with the Samnites and not particularly worried about Alexander, does not express much interest in the proposal.
In China, the Warring States period continues, with small political entities ruled by warlords fighting amongst themselves. Rumors from traders along the Central Asian caravan routes have begun to reach China of a mighty conqueror in the West. Alexander himself had become well aware of the existence of an ancient civilization far to the East, on the shores of what he thought was the Great World Ocean.
321 B.C.
The construction of a vast road along the Mediterranean coast westwards from Alexandria begins. The intention of Alexander is for this road eventually to reach all the way to the Pillars of Hercules. The Carthaginians, who see this as a direct threat, send ambassadors to Alexander with gifts, but they are unable to dissuade him from continuing the construction of the road.
The city of Alexandria, although only about a decade old, is already becoming a rich trading center, largely because it has inherited the trade of the city of Tyre, destroyed by Alexander in 332.
Work begins on an immense pyramid at the tomb of Alexander’s father, Philip. He intends for it to rival the pyramids of Egypt.
In India, King Porus is defeated and killed in battle against the Nandas, who are now gaining control of substantial parts of what had been Alexandrian territory. Upon hearing the news, Alexander appoints the son of Porus, Malayketu, as the new satrap. To take command of the army in India, Alexander dispatches Ptolemy, one of his most trusted generals.
320 B.C.
After years of preparation, the invasion of North Africa begins. Using Carthaginian protests of the construction of the “Western Road” as a pretext, Alexander declares war against Carthage. A vast invasion fleet, with 1,200 ships and nearly 85,000 men, sails from Alexandria and ports along the Phoenician coast.
The Carthaginians, knowing that the invasion would be coming, have assembled an army of 60,000 men, most of them being mercenaries (including many Greeks). However, they are well aware of Alexander’s skill as a general and adopt of strategy of avoiding pitched battles, while attempting to deny Alexander his supplies.
Although the Carthaginian fleet is the strongest in the western Mediterranean, it is not even half the strength of Alexander’s massive fleet. Instead, the Carthaginians sally forth from ports in Sicily and North Africa to launch brief raids against Alexandrian supply ships, while avoiding any major engagements.
Alexander and his army land on the east Tunisian coast and attempt to launch an offensive directly against Carthage itself. However, the mountainous terrain, with innumerable easily-defended defiles, and the lack of supplies caused Alexander numerous delays. This, in turn, threw him into a rage. At the end of the year, only slow progress was being made.
In the midst of all this, the ships from the African expedition return to the Mediterranean via the Pillars of Hercules, proving that Africa can be circumnavigated and giving some idea of its immense size. Alexander personally interviews the surviving crewmembers of the expedition and is amazed at their findings.
319 B.C.
Carthage, facing defeat, attempts to stir up trouble for Alexander elsewhere in his empire, hoping that such distractions, combined with their strategy in North Africa, will force Alexander to break off his offensive. Carthage sends ships and money to Sparta, encouraging it to again rebel against the Macedonian yoke. Similar entreaties are made to Athens, with a great deal of money being sent to Demosthenes. Even disaffected elements in Macedonia are approached.
In North Africa, Alexander’s army finds the progress slow and frustrating. Carthaginian guerilla tactics, combining the defense of nearly impregnable fortresses with effective raids on Alexandrian supply lines, are effective in slowing the Alexandrian advance. Nevertheless, as the fortresses are gradually reduced, Alexander ends the year nearly within site of the walls of Carthage.
In India, Ptolemy is able to reverse the tide of war and push back the Nanda forces. By the end of the year, the border of the Alexandrian Empire has been restored. He considers embarking upon an invasion of central India, but is unwilling to do so without express orders from Alexander.
318 B.C.
Carthage is now under direct siege, but it continues to resist, hoping that rebellions against Alexander’s rule in Greece may cause the conqueror to break off the attack.
Their hopes are not entirely unfounded. In the spring, King Eudamidas of Sparta raises the flag of revolt in the Peloponnesus. Other Greek cities follow suit, embittered by years of Macedonian oppression. The revolt gains serious credibility when, at the urging of Demosthenes, Athens joins in. By the fall, a Greek army of 20,000 men has taken control of Greece up to Thermopylae.
Alexander, hearing word of these events at his base camp in North Africa, sends back Cassander, son of Antipater, to Greece to quell the revolt. He takes with him 10,000 men, including most of the Macedonian veterans, as it was seen as politically inexpedient to use Persian troops for the task. However, the departure of these troops weakens the Alexandrian army in North Africa.
Even in the midst of the Carthaginian War and the Great Greek Revolt (as both came to be known), Alexander maintains his interest in exploration. From Dilmun, exploratory expeditions are sent out to determine the exact size and geography of India, while ambassadors are sent as far as China to determine the political situation there.
317 B.C.
After a long, drawn-out siege, Carthage falls to Alexander the Great. Frustrated by years of delays and obstructions, the Alexandrian troops are given free reign to loot and sack the city. Nearly all adult males are killed, while the women and children are sold into slavery. The city itself is burned to the ground, satisfying Alexander’s anger at the stubborn resistance of the Carthaginians. A new city is founded upon the site of Carthage, known (naturally) as Alexandria. In practice, it will be known as Alexandria-Carthage.
In Greece, the rebellion of the city-states has achieved surprising success. A restored Delian League is established, largely through the efforts of Demosthenes. Although Sparta does not join, it willingly forms an alliance with the new League, explicitly linking the new alliance against Alexander with the old alliance against Xerxes.
Now that Carthage has been reduced, Alexander begins the journey back to Macedonia, where he has not set foot since departing in 334 B.C. He sees Babylon and Alexandria as the center of his world now, with Macedonia as merely one of his many provinces. But the Great Greek Revolt demands his presence.
Alexander receives messages from Ptolemy that an invasion of central India be mounted. He writes for the general to engage the enemy army but not to advance deeply into enemy territory. Now that Carthage is reduced, he intends to return to the east as soon as affairs in Greece are settled, with the goal of conquering India as far as its eastern shore.
An embassy to Alexander’s empire arrives from the Chinese state of Qin.
As the two states are too far away from one another for direct interaction, the embassy merely expresses its admiration for the “Emperor of the West” and states its hope for friendly relations. Nevertheless, Alexander is becoming increasingly interested in China.
In Italy, the Romans gradually gain the upper hand against the Samnites and begin to establish colonies in their territory. Alexander, grateful for the non-interference of the Romans during the Carthaginian War, offers a treay that includes favorable trade relations, to which the Roman agree