Garibaldi had Marsala, Julius Caesar had Austurcone, Napoleon had Marengo, and even Don Quixote had his steed, the legendary Rocinante. Yet, history has handed down to us a pair whose bond remains one of the most unforgettable: Alexander the Great and Bucephalus.

In 342 BCE, Philip II (Alexander’s father) gifted his son the unruly horse after purchasing him from a breeder (Philonikos of Thessaly) for an astounding sum of 13 talents. Bucephalus was no easy stallion to tame, a characteristic that in many ways mirrored his future master’s own nature. He was a black horse with a white mark on his forehead (or a brand, according to some sources), which resembled the shape of an ox's head. This is where his name originated, from the Greek words βοῦς (bous, meaning ox) and κεφαλή (kephale, meaning head).

The fates of the horse and rider crossed paths for the first time when Alexander was only 14 years old. On this occasion, the future conqueror was the only one able to tame Bucephalus, an act that marked his initiation into Macedonian nobility. From then on, the stallion became his faithful companion in both war and hunting.

Plutarch recounts that Alexander, demonstrating remarkable insight even at such a young age, was the only one to realize that Bucephalus was terrified of his own shadow. In response, Alexander mounted the horse with the sun in his face, thus succeeding where others had failed.

The bond between Alexander and his steed was inseparable. Bucephalus would "tolerate no other riders, but would kneel spontaneously to allow the king to mount him." On one occasion, when Bucephalus disappeared from Alexander’s sight in the land of the Uxii, the Macedonian king ordered that all the Uxii be killed unless they returned the horse. The proclamation had its desired effect, and Bucephalus was promptly brought back to his master.

The pair was finally separated in 326 BCE, after the Battle of the Hydaspes River, where the Macedonian army faced King Porus of the Punjab. Bucephalus passed away, but according to Arrian, "not from any wounds, but from exhaustion due to age and the hardships of battle."

In eternal tribute to his noble steed, Alexander founded a city on the right bank of the Hydaspes River, naming it *Alexandria Bucephala* in honor of his horse. The city must have held some significance, as it was marked on the Tabula Peutingeriana and is today known as Jhelum.

No Macedonian shared a bond with a horse quite like that between Alexander and Bucephalus, a relationship that can only exist between a man and his faithful companion.