Alexander the Great Chapter 6 – Section 3

Philip II of Macedon Despite its great advances, Greece entered a period of struggle after its golden age. Bitter competition among the city-states weakened Greece. Finally, in 338 B.C., peace was restored.

Macedon was a rising kingdom north of Greece. The Macedonians were hardy, warlike people, who lived in villages led by a local nobles. In the 4th century B.C., Philip II of Macedon became king.

During his years as a hostage in Greece, Philip learned about the organization of Thebes’s army. He recruited and organized the best-disciplined army in Macedonian history. A phalanx contains rows of soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder. Tightly spaced, with pikes (or heavy spears) facing forward, they were very effective against cavalry charges.

After Philip restored order in Macedon, he won control of several Athenian colonies in northern Greece. Demosthenes led an Athenian opposition to Philip, by attacking him in a series of speeches. With a win at the Battle of Chaeronea, Philip defeated_ Greece. Philip planned to invade Persia, but was assassinated. His 20-year-old son would succeed him and become known as Alexander the Great.

Essential Question #1 How did Philip’s army differ from previous Macedonian armies? Philip recruited and organized the first professional army.

Alexander the Great Philip had given Alexander the best training and education possible. Alexander’s formal education had come from Aristotle. He crushed the revolts that broke out in Greece following Philip’s death, and soon destroyed Persia.

In trying to achieve world domination, he conquered Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt and Mesopotamia. Alexander’s troops refused to go any further into India, and he was forced to turn back from there. In the city of Babylon, Alexander became seriously ill and died. He was just shy of 33 years old.

Essential Question #2 Compare the accomplishments of Alexander the Great with those of Philip II. Philip held regional power, while Alexander achieved world domination.

Beginnings of the Hellenistic World In 13 years, Alexander almost never lost a battle. During that time, he conquered much of the known world.

The Spread of Greek Culture Alexander purposely spread Greek culture wherever his armies went. To set the example of territories working together, Alexander married two Persian noblewomen. He also required his generals to marry women of the Persian royal family. Alexander aimed to bring together Greece and Persia in a single culture. No longer purely Greek culture, this new culture became known as Hellenistic culture.

The Breakup of Alexander’s Empire After Alexander’s death, his general’s competed for his empire. Three generals divided the empire into three main kingdoms: Macedon, Egypt and Syria. These kingdoms were often at war with one another and in 200 B.C., the Romans invaded Macedon. The Romans conquered most of what was once the mighty Hellenistic empire.

Essential Question #3 What actions of later rulers contributed to the decline of the Hellenistic empire? Wars and internal conflict contributed to the decline.