The Hellenistic Period By the end of this lesson you will know the important accomplishments of the Macedonians, and How they spread Greek culture

Macedonia and Alexander the Great Greeks thought of their neighbors, the Macedonians, as barbarians because they were rural people and did not live in city-states. But by the end of the 5th century B.C., however, Macedonia was a powerful kingdom

Macedonia and Alexander the Great In 359 B.C., Philip II became king of Macedonia. He admired Greek culture and wanted to unite all of Greece under Macedonian rule. The Macedonian Army crushed the Greek city-states army at the battle of Chaeronea in 338 B.C.

Macedonia and Alexander the Great Philip wanted to form a great army (league) and conquer Persia but he was assassinated before he could. His son, Alexander the Great, would accomplish that goal. Alexander became king of Macedonia at age 20

Alexander the Great He had been educated by the Greek philosopher Aristotle. Alexander believed that non-Greeks and Greeks were equal and wanted to see a world where mixed cultures could live together. He had learned military tactics and leadership skills from his father and immediately conquered Persia. In 334 B.C., he entered Asia Minor with an army of thirty thousand Macedonians and Greeks. By 331 B.C., Alexander had conquered all of Persia and established Alexandria in Egypt.

Alexander the Great In 326 he crossed the Indus River and entered India. Weary, his soldiers refused to go on. In 323 B.C., Alexander died in Babylon, exhausted from wounds, fever, and alcohol. Alexander modeled himself after the Greek Hero Achilles. He was well organized and informed in the art of military tactics. After his death, his empire also fell apart, as generals fought for power.

The Hellenistic Era Alexander created a new age, called the Hellenistic Era. Hellenistic means “to imitate Greeks” This is the period when Greek language and ideas were expanded into non-Greek world of Southwest Asia and beyond

Hellenistic Era There were four Hellenistic Kingdoms: Macedonia, Syria, Pergamum in western Asia Minor, and Egypt. All were, later on, conquered by Rome. Unlike Alexander, the Hellenistic rulers only allowed Greeks and Macedonians in the ruling class Alexandria became the largest city in the Mediterranean region by the first century B.C.

The Hellenistic Era: Culture The Hellenistic Era saw considerable cultural achievement, especially in science and philosophy. The most important cultural center was Alexandria. Its library was the largest of its kind, with over five hundred thousand scrolls. Greek architecture and sculptures could be found throughout Hellenistic cities (bath, theaters, and temples

The Hellenistic Era Important advances were made in mathematics and astrology during the Hellenistic Era. Aristarchus Eratosthenes Euclid Archimedes Schools of thought: Epicureanism and Stoicism