be proved. Alexander then came to the throne by announcing that he was king. The army, with whom he had been popular since his first campaign, accepted him without question. In the same year he marched southward to Corinth, where the Greek city-states (all except Sparta) swore allegiance to him. Alexander received the congratulations of many famous people at Corinth, but one he particularly wanted to meet was Diogenes the Cynic, a great philosopher of the time and the most famous citizen of Corinth. He was known to sleep in a tub and always carried a lit lantern during the day, explaining that he was looking for an honest man. A believer in a community of all mankind rather than of small separate states, Diogenes coined the word "cosmopolite," meaning "citizen of the world." This concept became increasingly meaningful as Alexander's campaigns of conquest extended the boundaries of the known world.
             Thebes, however, later revolted, and Alexander destroyed the city. He allowed the other city-states to keep their democratic governments. With Greece secure, Alexander prepared to carry out his father's bold plan and invade Persia. Two centuries earlier, the mighty Persian Empire had pushed westward to include the Greek cities of Asia Minor--one third of the entire Greek world.
             In the spring of 334 BC, Alexander crossed the Hellespont (now Dardanelles), the narrow strait between Europe and Asia Minor. He had with him a Greek and Macedonian force of about 30,000 foot soldiers and 5,000 cavalry. The infantry wore armor like the Greek hoplites but carried a Macedonian weapon, the long pike. Alexander himself led the companions, the elite of the cavalry. With the army went geographers, botanists, and other men of science who collected information and specimens for Aristotle. A historian kept records of the march, and surv
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