1. T HE G REEK E MPIRE Ancient Greece, Lesson 4

2. R EAD A LOUD Stadium. Gymnasium. Museum. Democracy. These words represent things that are important in our lives today. All of them had beginnings in ancient Greece. The story of Greek civilization continues with a young man named Alexander.

3. T HE B IG P ICTURE During the Peloponnesian Wars, the Persian empire controlled a huge part of the world. They ruled the Egyptians, Phoenicians, Jews, Babylonians, and Indians. This empire was connected by a network of roads and messenger services. A man named Alexander traveled the Persian network of roads and messenger services. He conquered many roads and became known as “Alexander the Great”. Because of Alexander, Greek language and traditions spread as far as Egypt in African and the Indus Valley in Asia.

4. A LEXANDER OF M ACEDONIA

5. M ACEDONIA After the Peloponnesian Wars ended, the Greek city-states were still at risk of being under attack by Macedonia. Macedonia- a powerful kingdom north of Greece. A 20 year old man named Alexander was the king of Macedonia. He was a bold commander who was educated. One of the most famous philosophers from Athens, Aristotle, was Alexander’s private teacher. Alexander developed a deep respect for Greek culture and traditions due to Aristotle’s teachings.

6. E XPANDING THE E MPIRE For three years, Alexander and his armies set out to conquer Persia. They fought their way across the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea. They seized food and supplies along the way to continue their journey. The Macedonians never lost a battle. This allowed Alexander to publicly declare himself ruler of Persia’s empire, as well as all of Greece. He pushed his army farther east to secure his power. His troops entered the Indus River Valley after a few years, where they defeated an army that used elephants. His army had never seen elephants before, but they still won this battle. Not long after their victory, Alexander became sick. He was not able to finish the journey. He died in June 323 BC in Babylon.

7. A C ITY IN THE E MPIRE

8. A LEXANDRIA About 9 years before Alexander died, he planned the creation of a city in Egypt along the Nile Delta, called Alexandria. It was named after the emperor and became one of the most important cities in the Greek empire.

9. A B LENDING OF C ULTURES Alexandria, although it was located in Egypt, it had the same basic layout as a Greek polis. It had an agora, a theater, several temples, a stadium, and a gymnasium. It’s harbor was a major hub of the Mediterranean trade. It contained a lighthouse, which was one of the first in the world. It served a guide for sailors many miles away at sea. The mixture of people and cultures created an unusual community. Alexander included temples for Greek gods, as well as a temple for the Egyptian goddess, Isis. They took part in democratic assemblies. Egyptians had courts of their own and so did the city’s Jews, who lived in their own section of the city.

10. A L EGACY OF L EARNING The city’s museum stood not far from the busy agora. Here, the scholars studied the world and how it worked. The used books from the library near by to help their research. The library had almost 500,000 books, which were written on papyrus rolls. Inspectors would search newly arrived ships for any books.

11. A N A LPHABET Alexandria was a popular place for many scholars from all over to visit. They went to study the books there. Unlike Egyptian hieroglyphics, Mesopotamian cuneiform, and Chinese characters, the Greeks used a simple alphabet. Each symbol represented a sound. There were less than 30 symbols, which made it easier for more people to learn how to read and write.

12. M ATH AND S CIENCE Ancient Greece produced brilliant mathematicians. They learned a great deal from earlier Egyptian scholars. Many of the things you do in math today are legacies of their work. Arithmetic, geometry, and mathematics are all words that have Greek origins.

13. W HY I T M ATTERS After Alexander died, no one person was able to control the vast empire. So, his generals divided the empire up. Alexander’s short rule had lasting effects. One of the most important was the mixing of cultures throughout North Africa and western and central Asia. Greek legacies have an influence on subjects such as math, philosophy, and science. Greek ideas live on in the way our government operates- as a democracy.

14. M AIN I DEAS When Alexander the Great conquered the Persian empire, he spread Greek culture from Egypt to India. Alexandria, one of the empire’s first powerful cities, reflected the great mix of cultures within the empire. Legacies from ancient Greece influence today’s education, government, philosophy, sports and drama.