Alexander the Great’s military strategies and tactics are studied in military academies today. From his first victory, Alexander had a reputation of leading his men to battle with remarkable speed, allowing smaller forces to reach and break the enemy lines before his enemies were ready. After securing his kingdom in Greece, in 334 B.C. Alexander crossed into Asia where he won a series of battles with the Persians under Darius III. The foundation of Alexander’s fighting force was the 15,000-strong Macedonian phalanx, whose units held off the sword-wielding Persians with 20-foot-long pikes called sarissa. As Alexander's empire expanded, the Greek culture spread and merged with other cultures. In the lands he conquered after the battles, he treated
