What if King Phillip II of Macedon had Survived?

[Xgentis]

Me too. If Alexander takes on Rome and wins and lives long enough to consolidate his hold on Italy and then decides to go after Persia the resulting Macedonian Empire could concievably stretch from Britain to India.

He can't go after Persia if his father took care of them.

 

[Cuāuhtemōc]

Philip would probably take all the western Persian lands right up to the Euphrates, call a truce and build up his newly gained lands.

 

[Falecius]

He can't go after Persia if his father took care of them.

He might try
a) Carthage
b) Gaul and Celtic central Europe
c) India (Gupta Empire at its height, actually a though nut)
d) Cimmerian Bosporus and nearby areas

I think more or less in that order of likelyhood/prority.
This of course, provided that the various Balkan peoples of the Illyrian stock have been already disposed of.
As for Arabia, i'd say he'll try to control most if not all the coast, and the (almost) arable western strip. An hellenized Arabia could still produce something vaguely similar to Islam centuries after, but the similarities are likely to stop in assessing the Oneness and Trascendence of God, His Clemency and the Prophecy of his Envoy, and little or nothing more than this. And it's not granted in any case.
Nubia and what would become Aksum might provide diversions for the Argeads. However, I think that Philip would stop far before the Indus, leaving Eastern Iran more or less to itself, unless it threatens to become a basis for a possible achaemenid restoration, or if the Greek cities rebel (which is not so weird: Alex had to subdue them once again, they may see an opportunity while Philip is wandering through Media).
It may be an interesting TL to see.
Note: Alex in Italy would stumble right in the middle of the Samnite Wars.

 

[Shogun]

Is it plausible to think that if Philip lives and conquers (as well as consolidates) the entirety of the Persian Empire, Alexander when he succeeds him would turn his attention on India?

 

[Falecius]

Is it plausible to think that if Philip lives and conquers (as well as consolidates) the entirety of the Persian Empire, Alexander when he succeeds him would turn his attention on India?

Plausible, yes. That he would succeed in taking it over is entirely another matter IMO. Candragupta probably ranked in the same league of Alexander's himself as a general and was a skilled politician, with all the advantages of the defensive on his side. And his army had hundreds of elephants the Macedonians are not accustemed to fight (not in such number in any case). Their sheer views must be terryfieng to them at first. The clash could be epic and gigantic, but I hardly see Alex going much further than OTL's Pakistan border at best. Though i have to admit that a Macedonian Empire stretching to Bengal would be really cool.

 

[Arafeel]

And his army had hundreds of elephants the Macedonians are not accustemed to fight (not in such number in any case). Their sheer views must be terrifying to them at first.

Actually Alexandros did face elephants when he crossed the idus in OTL, they did not pose a major difficulty. (the sources mentions several hundreds faced).

 

[Falecius]

Actually Alexandros did face elephants when he crossed the idus in OTL, they did not pose a major difficulty. (the sources mentions several hundreds faced).

Yes, but it was one of the toughest battles of his career. And Porus was just a minor local king. The Mauryan Empire would be a major challenge. Not that he could not win at all in any given situation, but chances are not so favorable. A conquest of the entire India, while not totally out of question, would be very unlikely and any major inroad fairly costly and very difficult, especially with an enemy under the generalship of Chandragupta. Elephants alone are problem that could be overcome, though with heavy losses, but India would be painstakingly though even without them.
And probably diseases could harm a lot too.