Alexander the
Great
Ruler of the
World
Why “the Great”?
In ten years, Alexander of
Macedonia created the largest
empire in the world up to that time
Alexander spread Greek culture,
ensuring cultural diffusion and the
survival of the qualities of
classical Greece
Alexander the Great conquered
Persia and Egypt and
extended his empire to the Indus
River in northwest India.
Philip Builds Macedonian Power
•Macedonia—kingdom of
mountain villages north of Greece
•King Philip II—ruler, brilliant
general; dreams of controlling Greece
• Macedonians call themselves
Greeks; the rest of Greece does
not.
Very important
Phillip II
expanded the power of
Macedon (Macedonia)
before conquering the
Greek city states to the
south.
Battle of Chaeronea
Philip the II lead his Macedonian troops to
decisively defeat the Greeks.
Philip II
of
Macedon
Created the League of Corinth (an
alliance of all city states except
Sparta). The League of Corinth was
going to help him invade Persia, but he
died before this happened.
He was assassinated by a bodyguard at his daughter’s
wedding.
His death meant that his son, Alexander, would have to
take over as King at a very young age of 20.
Alexander’s Early
Life
• He was tutored by Aristotle;
inspired by The Iliad
• Became king when 20 years old;
destroyed Thebes to curb rebellion.
Alexander and Continued . . .
The Iliad
Alexander set his
sights on the Persian
Empire and began his
attack by conquering
Egypt; Egyptians
viewed Alexander as a
liberator, freeing
them from the
Persians
Conquering Persia
Alexander and his army invaded
Persia. Following several early
victories, The King of Persia,
Darius III, tried to negotiate
with Alexander by offering him
a great amount of land. Despite
his advisers telling him to
accept the deal, Alexander
declined the offer, and told
him he planed on conquering
ALL of the Persian Empire.
Darius III
Conquering Persia
• Alexander marches into
Egypt, crowned pharaoh in
332 B.C.
• At Gaugamela in
Mesopotamia,
Alexander defeats
Persians again
• Persepolis, the
Persian capital,
burned to the ground
• Ashes of Persepolis signal
total destruction of
Major cities in Asia Minor and
along the Phoenician coast
surrendered to Alexander
Between 332-331 BC
Alexander proceeded
to Egypt, &
established the
city of Alexandria
*He was
made pharaoh
Brilliant Tactician or a
Madman?
Following his conquest of Persia, Alexander
had all army members who would rival
him executed. He had very little trust for
any people around him.
Alexander founded 20+ cities that were named
after him (Alexandria).
The most famous of these “Alexandrias” was the
one located in Egypt, which had one of the
largest libraries in the world, The Royal Library
of Alexandria.
Another one of his legacies is that by conquering
numerous lands, it allowed Greek language and
culture to spread to distant places.
Expanding the Empire
Alexander in India
Alexander fights his way across
the deserts of Central Asia to
India
Alexander conquers Indus Valley
area in 326 B.C.
The Death o f
Alexander
the Great
The death of Alexander the
Great at age 32 remains a mystery:
1.Death from liver disease deriving
2.from his heavy consumption of
alcohol.
3.Typhoid fever.
4.West Nile Fever.
5.Poisoned by half-brother or wife.
Alexander’s Legacy
Alexander helped meld the Greek and
Persian cultures together.
Future conquerors like Napoleon
Bonaparte admired him.
After he died, his empire became three
kingdoms:
(1) Macedonia & Greek city-states
(2) Egypt
(3) Persia, also known as Seleucid
kingdom
THE SPERAD OF
HELLENISTIC CULTURE
CHAPTER 5
SECTION 5
Hellenistic Culture
“Hellenistic” culture is the Greek culture that existed
during and after the time of Alexander the Great.
It was classical Greek culture blended with Egyptian,
Persian and Indian influences.
Alexandria, Egypt
The Egyptian city of Alexandria became the
foremost center of commerce and science in the
Hellenistic civilization. Ships from around the
world used the docks of Alexandria for trade, and
the diverse city had over half a million people.
Famous Buildings:
Lighthouse of Alexandria
(later destroyed by earthquake)
Library of Alexandria
(later destroyed by fire)
Astronomy
Alexandria’s museum contained an observatory
which astronomers could study planets and stars.
Scientists there disproved the widely held
belief that the sun was smaller than Greece.
However, they did view the earth as the
center of the solar system, which would be an
incorrect assumption for over 10 centuries.
Eratosthenes, the director of library
calculated the earth’s circumference at
28,000 miles, which was very close to
the actual size 24,860 miles.
Mathematics and
Physics
Euclid was a
mathematician
who taught in
Alexandria. He
wrote Elements,
which contained
various geometric
proofs.
Archimedes
Accurately estimated
the value of pi.
Invented
Archimedes screw,
a device that raised
water from the
ground.
New Philosophy
Stoicism Epicureanism
• Founded by Zeno • Founded by Epicurus
• Stoic philosophers believe • Epicurean philosophers
that humans should not believe that the
pressure desires like power only real things
and wealth, because are those we can
these are dangerous. experience with
• The ultimate good our 5 senses.
is seeking knowledge • The ultimate
and showing no good is seeking
emotion towards pleasure and
pleasure or pain. achieving
harmony of
body and mind.
