Alexander the Great

His Death

His wounds, plus overwork, weakened him. He went on a boating trip while at Babylon, in summer, when the marshes of the river were full of fever. To add to all this, he had engaged in another of his notorious drinking bouts the night before.

Alexander the Great died of a fever 13 June 323. For four days there was silence in Babylon, in shock and mourning. His body was conveyed to Alexandria in Egypt, where it was buried.

As he lay dying, his comrades and generals came to him. Alexander had made no provision for his succession, for what reason we do not know. In any case, it now being clear that he would die, the issue had become pressing.

They asked him the question that tormented them all. Who would get the empire? To whom would Alexander leave his conquests?

His answer was eminently Greek and classic Alexander. He would leave his empire, he said, to the strongest.

History of Western Civilization

E.L. Skip Knox
Boise State University

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