Legend says he was born on the same day that the Temple to Artemis at Ephesus (one of the seven wonders of the ancient world) burned down. No one knows for sure, but it was definitely in the summer of 356 BC. His real name was, Alexandros.

Alexander had a sister, Cleopatra. His first teacher was Leonidas, uncle to his mother, Olympias. Leonidas was later replaced by Lysimaho, who was the one who brought Alexander close to Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. Lysimahos used to call Alexander, "Achilles". Alexander made friends with an older boy named Hephaestion. They became very close friends, and this friendship was to last right through their (short) lives. Alexander's tutor in his teens was Aristotle. Alexander was a good scholar and learned quickly. He loved philosophy, politics, medicine and, of course, Homer's poem Iliad and Odyssey. By all accounts he slept with a copy of the Iliad under his pillow. He studied with Aristotle away from court and with a group of friends.

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