1. Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Age
AIM: How did Alexander the Great create a large empire and spread Greek culture throughout the region?

2. Philip Builds Macedonian Power
Macedonia—Kingdom of mountain villages north of Greece
Macedonians call themselves Greek; rest of Greece does not
King Philip II’s Army
well-trained professional army; to invade Greece

3. Philip Builds Macedonian Power
Macedonians defeat Greece
Treats Athens with great respect
The Corinthian League (Macedonia and Athens) led by King Philip to attack the Persians.

4. Alexander the Great Tutored by Aristotle Inspired by the Iliad
Military training
Becomes king when 20 years old (Philip assassinated)

5. Alexander Invades Persia
Alexander invades Persiasuccess
Alexander marches into Egypt and is crowned Pharaoh
In Mesopotamia, Alexander defeats the Persians again
Ashes of Persian capital, Persepolis, signal total destruction of the Persian Empire
Alexander conquers Indus Valley

6. Alexander’s Legacy Alexander melds Greek and Persian cultures.
Empire becomes three kingdoms
Macedonia, Greek city-states
Egypt
Old Persia (India)
Hellenistic Culture: Greek, Persian, Egyptian, and Indian

7. The Empire of Alexander the Great5
The Empire of Alexander the Great
In ten years, Alexander of Macedonia created the largest empire in the world up to that time

8. Hellenistic Culture in Alexandria
Cultural Blending
Trade and Cultural Diversity
Alexandria—Egyptian city become the center of Hellenistic civilization
Lighthouse, called the Pharos, stands over 350 feet tall

9. Alexander’s divinity While in Egypt, Alexander
had visited the temple of
Amon-Ra
The oracle proclaimed that Alexander was the divine son of Amon-Ra and destined to rule the world
Conflicts arose with his Greek soldiers as he adopted Persian dress & demanded to be recognized as a god

10. Science and Technology
Astronomy
Aristarchus proves sun is larger than Earth
Proposes planets revolve around sun
Mathematics and Physics
Pythagoras: creates the Pythagorean theorem
Archimedes—scientist and mathematician
He accurately estimated the value of pi (p).

11. Securing a legacy Alexander made Babylonia the capital of his Empire
He married a Persian, Roxana, in order to unify his empire
He died the following year at 33 before he could produce an heir and his kingdom was divided among 3 of his generals

12. The mystery of Alexander’s death
Alexander died of a fever at 33… but why?
Plutarch reports that he was had been plagued by several bad “omens”
Some others from the time claimed Alexander was poisoned