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Clearly Alexander's success lies in his military genius in knowing how to use his cavalry and troops precisely at key moments in battle. Several times it seemed he was close to defeat but was able to use the situation to his advantage by luring his enemies into a deeper trap. Furthermore, his troops were well trained in holding their positions and not panicking in battle.<ref> For more on the battle tactics of Alexander, see: Bose, Partha Sarathi. 2004. Alexander the Great’s Art of Strategy: Lessons from the Great Empire Builder. London: Profile.</ref> However, a lot of the success had little to do with Alexander but the nature of the Achaemenid Empire. The Achaemenids were perhaps the most successful empire up to that point. They had not only succeed in uniting a vast territory but also truly integrating it into a cohesive empire that traded extensively and had well maintained roads. The Achaemenid state was prosperous and people had by then began to move and live in areas far from their homelands. The world, in essence, had become smaller thanks to many of their tolerant policies. While it is true that Egypt and some other regions had revolted against them, many had actually benefited from the Achaemenids. It is no wonder, therefore, that Alexander marries Persian royalty and eventually takes on the regalia of the Achaemenid kings. This is also why he had planned for Babylon to be his new capital, as it was one of the chief cities and capitals of the Achaemenid Empire despite being in Mesopotamia. Commerce had now become the glue that bound many regions and Alexander understood this. This probably led to his men resenting Alexander's penchant for the Achaemenids, as the Greeks still held beliefs that the Persians were not on the same level as them. While Alexander died perhaps before he could realize his dream of a super empire, the benefits of the east became more apparent to his generals and men, where many stayed after the wars. New Greek populations began to migrate to the Near East and the process of mixing Hellenic and eastern cultures had begun, something that also brought and integrated knowledge that facilitated the rise of astronomy, physics, mathematics, and other scientific fields. Alexander's legacy lasted long after his death and his military success paved the way for the great Classical achievements that eventually became one of the foundations of the Renaissance and our modern Western world.

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