Alexander the Great Dies: Empire Shattered in Babylon
Alexander the Great died in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II in Babylon on June 10 or 11, 323 BC, at the age of 32. The cause of death has been debated for over two millennia: theories include typhoid fever complicated by Guillain-Barre syndrome, malaria, alcoholic liver disease, and poisoning. He had been drinking heavily at a banquet and developed a fever that worsened over two weeks. When his generals asked to whom he left his empire, he allegedly replied "to the strongest." The Wars of the Diadochi (Successors) that followed lasted 40 years and divided his empire among his generals: Ptolemy took Egypt, Seleucus claimed Persia and Mesopotamia, Antigonus fought for Anatolia and Greece. Alexander had conquered territory from Greece to India in just thirteen years, creating the Hellenistic world that spread Greek culture across Asia.
June 11, 323 BC
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