Johann Gustav Bernhard Droysen (1808 - 1884), a German historian, established himself among the foremost historians of his time with his debut work, the two-volume "History of Alexander the Great," presented here. As a theorist of history, he laid the foundation for the hermeneutic methodology in modern historical science. The source-critical method, which had a significant impact on historiography, can be traced back to him, among others. This is a reprint of the second edition from 1877.