At the Battle of Issus, fought in early November 333 BC, Alexander faced the Persian King Darius in person for the first time. Massively outnumbered, the Macedonian army faced the numberless might of the Persian military machine. The outcome would decide the future of both the Persian and the Macedonian empire. Alexander the Great had invaded the Persian Empire in Spring 334 BC, crossing the Hellespont in fulfilment of the military ambitions of his father, Philip II. Philip had been assassinated in 336 BC and Alexander wasted no time in using the army his father had developed to ensure that Greece and Thrace were subdued before embarking on the most aggressive military campaign the world had ever seen. The Battle
