C5.4 – Alexander the Great

Through a brilliant career of military Setting the Scene: Through a brilliant career of military conquest, the Macedonian leader Alexander the Great built an empire that reached from the Mediterranean to the Indus River valley. To rule more efficiently, Alexander encouraged a blending of Greek culture with the customs of conquered peoples. An ancient historian wrote about Alexander, “He understood that the sharing of race and customs is a great step towards softening men’s hearts.”

Section 4 – Alexander the Great Main Idea Alexander the Great formed a huge empire, spread Greek culture into Egypt and many parts of Asia, and paved the way for a new civilization to develop in those areas. Objectives How did Alexander the Great rise to power? What was life like in the Hellenistic world that developed after Alexander’s death? What were some important Hellenistic achievements?

I. Philip of Macedon After Peloponnesian War – a time of struggle and conflict among Greek city-states

I. Philip of Macedon 359 B.C. - Philip II of Macedon became king of Macedonia

I. Philip of Macedon Philip improved on the Greek phalanx and created a highly disciplined army Each phalangite carried as his primary weapon a sarissa, a pike over 6 m (18 ft.) in length, with a counterweight and spiked end at the rear. An intact phalanx could easily keep its enemies at a distance; the weapons of the first five rows of men all projected beyond the front of the formation, so that there were more spear points than available targets at any given time.

I. Philip of Macedon He conquered the Athenian colonies in the north, then turned on the Greek heartland

I. Philip of Macedon Some Greeks saw Philip as a savior; others, such as Demosthenes, opposed Philip Demosthenes (384 BC - 322 BC) is generally considered the greatest of all Ancient Greek orators. He is best-known for his Philippic Orations, urging the populace to rise up and defend their country against Philip II of Macedon, who was steadily gaining power and territory for Macedonia.

I. Philip of Macedon 338 B.C. - Philip defeated Athens and Thebes at the Battle of Chaeronea and brought peace to Greece Philip's army was greatly outnumbered but crushed the Greek alliance, including the elite Sacred Band of Thebes, in the Battle of Chaeronea in August of 338 B.C.

I. Philip of Macedon He united all of Greece, except Sparta, under his rule Phillip II of Macedon sent an envoy to Sparta threatening: “If I win this war, you will be slaves forever.” The Spartan’s replied: “If.” Both Phillip and his son Alexander avoided Sparta entirely.

I. Philip of Macedon 336 B.C. - Philip planned to invade Persia but was assassinated by his bodyguard Theater of Aegae, where King Philip II was assassinated

Philip was hosting a massive banquet as a going away party before he left for Asia. Philip wanted his march into the theater to be triumphant, and so he asked his bodyguards to stand back and out of the way to show he had nothing to fear. At that moment, however, his bodyguard Pausanias rushed forward from the crowd and stuck a dagger in Philip's chest. During his escape, Pausanias tripped and fell and was killed on the spot.

II. Alexander the Great Philip was succeeded by his 20-year-old son, Alexander III, aka Alexander the Great (356 BC –323 BC) was king of Macedon from 336–323 BC. One of the most successful military commanders in history, he was undefeated in battle and by the time of his death, he had conquered most of the world known to the ancient Greeks.

II. Alexander the Great Alexander received military training and was tutored by Aristotle 342 BC - Aristotle tutors Alexander in Macedonia at the invitation of Alexander's father, Philip II of Macedon. Aristotle spent seven years tutoring the future general.

II. Alexander the Great By 331 B.C. Alexander had conquered Persia, Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt, and Mesopotamia Alexander the Great fighting Persian king Darius (Pompeii mosaic, from a original Greek painting, now lost)

II. Alexander the Great 326 BC - Reached the Indus River but his army refused to go on - he was forced to turn back

II. Alexander the Great 323 B.C. - Alexander became seriously ill in Babylon; died at the age of 32 Death of Alexander

II. Alexander the Great In 13 years, Alexander conquered most of the known world

III. The Spread of Greek Culture He spread Greek culture by founding cities and settling them with Greeks and Macedonians

III. The Spread of Greek Culture Most famous city - Alexandria in Egypt; became a center of learning and trade The Pharos (Lighthouse) of Alexandria, Egypt – one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Alexandria was Egypt’s second largest city and known as “The Pearl of the Mediterranean”

III. The Spread of Greek Culture New culture emerged - no longer purely Hellenic, or Greek, but Hellenistic, “Greek-like”

A. New schools of philosophy Cynicism - rejected pleasure, wealth, social responsibility Diogenes of Sinope

A. New schools of philosophy Epicureanism - seek pleasure, avoid pain

A. New schools of philosophy Stoicism - most influential new school: emphasis on reason, self-discipline, and emotional control

B. Science and Technology Euclid – new ideas about geometry Eratosthenes – calculated size of the world Archimedes – greatest inventor of ancient world

IV. The Breakup of Alexander’s Empire After Alexander’s death, empire was divided between three of his generals

IV. The Breakup of Alexander’s Empire c. 200 B.C. - Romans invaded Macedon and eventually conquered the Hellenistic empire