Alexander the Great: Footsteps in the Sand: Visionary warrior, ambitious youth, angry son, ruthless conqueror. Such words have been used to describe Alexander the Great. But who exactly was this proclaimed man? When he set out to conquer the world way back in the 4th Century BC, not even the erstwhile philosophers of Ancient Greece could have predicted that the 20 year old would bend the course of history to his will, and make a name for himself that was never to be forgotten.