1. Alexander the Great
An Introduction

2. Who was he?
a Macedonian prince (father was King Philip II) born in Pella, in 356BC
Alexander commanded cavalry during a battle when he was 18
King Philip built the Macedonian army to expand his kingdom
Inherits the kingdom at 20 (336BC), when his father was assassinated
Died at age 33, in 323BC

3. Where was he?
Macedonia (present-day Thessaloniki in northern Greece), a mountainous area around 2 rivers: the Axios and the Haliacmon
Macedonia was a great military & political power during the reign of King Philip
Historical & Cultural Context:
Find Macedonia on a map & read pg 253.
What was the relationship between the Macedonians and the Greeks? How do they view themselves in relation to each other?

4. What was he? Highly-educated, tutored by Aristotle at 14
Deeply admired Achilles, the Trojan War warrior, and considered him to be his ancestor
Prepared for kingship throughout his life
A young successful military leader
Made legendary strategic decisions on the battlefield

5. The Extent of his Empire
Look at the map of his military campaigns on page 2 of “Study Notes.”
Using an atlas, can you find the ancient locations on a modern map?
What modern-day countries did Alexander conquer?

6. Alexander’s Family
father = King Philip, mother = Olympias, sister = Cleopatra, many half-siblings from Philips’ other wives
Olympias’ uncle, Arybbas, was the king of Epirus, an area near Macedonia
Olympias was not Macedonian, but from Epirus so some people thought Alexander was not a legitimate heir to the throne (not pure Macedonian)

7. Phillip, Olympias & Alexander: a controversy?
In 337, Phillip was to be married to a young Macedonian girl (Cleopatra), a niece of one of his generals (Attalus)
This threatened Olympias’ position as Queen because if Cleopatra had a son with Phillip, he might become heir instead of Alexander
Alexander & Olympias argue with Phillip and flee
Later they return, but the relationship isn’t the same
King Phillip is murdered in 336
Alexander becomes King