Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great

Rise of Macedonia

Northernmost section of the Greek peninsula

Still governed by kings while most of Greece was either oligarchical or democratic

Macedonians were influenced by Greek culture despite holding different customs

Phillip of Macedonia

The Macedonian kingdom spread across the North of the Greek peninsula 

Philip, King of Macedonia, gained power after his brother the former king died in battle in 359 BCE.

Used phalanxes, but armed with sarissas (18 foot pikes) much bigger than the Greek spears

Trained to change direction seamlessly so not to lose formation

Multiple Choice

How did Philip become king of Macedonia?

• His brother died

• He took power by force

• He was elected

Phillip Conquers Greece

Philip and his son, Alexander, went to war with Greece after diplomacy failed.

Together they helped defeat the Greek army, allowing Philip to conquer all of Greece

Philip allowed the individual city-states to keep their local governments if you supported his planned invasion of Persia.

However, Philip died.

Multiple Choice

Why did Philip allow the city-states to keep their local governments?

• So they would like him

• If they supported the invasion of Persia

• He was a nice guy

Alexander's Conquests

After his father’s death, Philip’s 20 year old son, Alexander, gained the throne

He was a military leader who was filled with dreams of glory.

Studied under the great philosopher Aristotle

Multiple Choice

Who did Alexander study under when he was young?

• Socrates

• Plato

• Aristotle

Securing Greece

Alexander did not allow City-States to regain their independence.

To discourage further revolts, he burned the city of Thebes to the ground

Alexander took 30,000 foot soldiers and 5,500 calvary soldiers (soldiers on horseback) east into Asia

Alexander gained loyalty in his army by personally leading them into battle

Multiple Choice

What action did Alexander take in order to stop revolts?

• Burned the city of Thebes to the ground

• Put cities on lockdown

• Instituted a law banning revolts

World Conquest

Alexander’s goal invading Asia was to free city-states from Persian control. 

He freed Ionia and Egypt, which helped him to march to Persia and defeat the Persian King

Founded the city of Alexandria in Egypt

World Conquest

Alexander’s ultimate goal was world conquest

After conquering Persia, Alexander marched his army into Afghanistan and India,

He built a vast empire in only 11 years, causing the nickname Alexander the Great

After his last major battle, Alexander’s army mutinied - they wanted to return home

On the march back towards Greece, Alexander died of a fever at 33 years old

His kingdom was divided among his generals

Multiple Choice

Why did Alexander's army mutiny?

• They did not approve of Alexander's leadership

• They wanted to go home

• Too many people had died

A New World

After his death, his kingdom was divided amongst his generals.

As Alexander conquered he spread Greek culture with mixed with other lands to form Hellenistic culture.

Hellenistic means Greek-like

Hellenistic culture spread all the way to India and impacted the world for years to come

Multiple Choice

What does Hellenistic mean?

• A relative of Helen

• Roman like

• Greek-Like