Inside Alexander the Great Unboxed

• Follow in Alexander’s footsteps and solve the puzzle of the Gordian Knot
• Paint a replica bell-krater as you learn about Alexander’s conquests
• Paint by numbers to see how much of the world Alexander conquered
• Learn about ancient medical practices and theories
• Read about the young ruler’s campaign and legacy

…and more!

Excerpts:

Introduction

“Alexander believed that he was destined for greatness, both because of his mythical ancestry and because of predictions from the Oracle at Delphi.  Although his campaign into Asia began as a vendetta against the Persians, he had greater plans from the beginning. Always desiring eternal fame, he had historians, poets, sculptors, painters, and musicians accompany his army in order to both record and glorify his accomplishments.  His pride may have been his downfall, as he began to act as if he truly were a god.”

Bucephalus

“When Alexander was about twelve-years-old, a horse dealer named Philonacus came to Philip II’s court. He was selling a magnificent horse for thirteen talents, an enormous sum. The horse, Bucephalus, was a huge, glossy-black stallion with a white star on his head and striking blue eyes. But Philip did not buy the animal—Bucephalus reared and bucked, and no one could tame him. Alexander asked for the chance to try, and his father agreed. The boy removed his fluttering cloak and approached the stallion and turned it towards the sun, so that the animal could no longer see its own shadow. Bucephalus had been afraid of his own shadow and the movements of the men’s flowing cloaks.

The horse was now Alexander’s to command, and he rode Bucephalus into many battles until the horse was killed in the Battle of the Hydaspes, in modern-day Pakistan. The distraught Alexander founded a city in his horse’s memory, calling it Bucephala.”

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Looking for what box to do next: Alexander’s retreat left a power vacuum that lead to the Mauryan Empire!