Based the earliest surviving historical source on Alexander the Great, Diodorus Siculus (90–30 B.C.), we have seen the defining characteristics that made Alexander great over the course of most of his short life. These were his characteristics of building a brotherhood with his men, displaying good manners—even to those he conquered—and having faith in the…

Whether fictional or factual, there are many splendid flourishes in the tapestry of the history of Alexander the Great. However, they don’t coherently or reliably tell us how Alexander earned this attribute. On their own, they take us down that path of bizarre and pointless triviality, such that all a student today may remember is…