1. C5.4 – Alexander the Great

2. 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.”

3. 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?

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

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

6. 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.

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

8. I. Philip of Macedon Some Greeks saw Philip as a savior; others,
such as Demosthenes, opposed Philip
Demosthenes (384 BC 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. 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)

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

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

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

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

20. 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”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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