Alexander was born in 356 BC in Macedonia, the area around present day
Thessaloniki in northern Greece. Though the Macedonians might have
considered themselves part of the Greek cultural world, the other Greeks
might have viewed them as half-barbarians. Alexander's father, King
Philip, was an energetic ruler who had started a systematic policy of
expanding his kingdom. Philip's main conquest was that of the Greek
mainland, after his victory at Chaeronea in 338 BC. Alexander, still in
his teens, commanded the Macedonian cavalry during this battle.