Alexander the Great (song)

"Alexander the Great" is a song by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was written by Steve Harris and appears on the band's 1986 album Somewhere in Time. It tells the story of the Macedonian king Alexander the Great and his eleven-year conquest of Asia.

The song begins with a reenacted passage from Alexander's father, Philip of Macedon, "My son, ask for thyself another Kingdom, for that which I leave is too small for thee”.

"Alexander the Great" is unusual for a rock and roll song in the level of detail it contains in its lyrics. Among the events specifically mentioned are:

• Alexander's arrival in Asia in 334 BC
• The fall of the Scythians by the river Jaxartes
• Alexander's cutting the Gordian Knot
• The founding of the city Alexandria in Egypt
• The Battle of Arbela, where Alexander crushed King Darius III
• Alexander's entrance to Babylon, Susa and Persepolis.

The song also claims that Alexander paved the way for Christianity. The song concludes stating, incorrectly, that Alexander's army refused to follow him into India, and with his death from fever in Babylon.