1. Write what you know about Alexander and Bucephalus
Many people in the ancient world had a love for horses. They saw them not simply as useful in battle or the hunt but as status symbols and creatures to be admired. Alexander's horse Bucephalus is one of the most famous in history. He was described as being black with a large white star on his forehead. Hi anme is made up of the Greek bous, ox and kephalos, head, perhaps a nod to his intractable nature. According to Plutarch, writing in the 2nd century AD, in his Life of Alexander Bucephalus was a gift to Alexander from his father, Philip II. The horse proved to be vicious and unmanageable and would not allow anyone to mount him. Alexander, just a boy at the time, undertook the challenge to tame the horse, much to the amusement of the older men. Alexander, however, had noticed that the horse was afraid of its shadow and gently turned its head toward the sun so that he was able to mount him and attach the bridle. Philip was so impressed he declared that Alexander would secure for himself a large kingdom, as Macedonia was too small for him. An alternative story from the same period is found in The Alexander Romance. Bucephalus is probably the horse depicted in the Alexander Mosaic, uncovered at the Roman site of Pompeii in the House of the Faun that was probably based on a 4th century BC wall painting. Alexander rode Bucephalus until the horse's death at the Battle of the Hydaspes in 326 BC. In his honour, Alexander named a local city, Bucephala after him (Jhelum in the Punjab in Pakistan?).
2. Which city did Alexander name after himself?
Alexander commemorated his conquests by founding dozens of cities (usually built up around previous military forts), which he invariably named Alexandria. The most famous of these is the one at the mouth of the Nile, founded in 331 BC. Today it is Egypt's second-largest city.
3. Alexander's travels
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