Alexander the Great, son of Philip of Macedon who conquered Athens in 338 BC (from the Acropolis Museum). Pericles, while a great general and leader of Athens made a mistake involving Athens in the Peloponnesian War against Sparta. The great general died shortly after the war began and the less than competent leaders who took over led the city into a disaster. The Athenian navy was wiped out in the Dardanelles and the city suffered a disasterous defeat. While the city recovered slightly during the age of Plato, the city was no match for the great warrior Philip of Macedon who conquered much of the ancient mediterranean. His son proved to be an even greater warrior. Educated in Athens under Aristotle, he proceeded to route Darius III in Persia and conquer most of the civilized world. A brilliant strategist and politician, Alexander not only conquered more land than had ever been conquered, he was able to pacify and incorporate his gains. He would reach as far as India conquering most of the Middle Eastern empires. He also downed Egypt and the Western mediteranean. Only his death stopped him. After his death, the empire soon split becoming a one-hit wonder although no man more affected the ancient world more than Alexander. The bust may actually have been made during his lifetime although he was a popular subject for centuries after.