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HELLENISMand
ALEXANDER
THE GREAT
Essential Question:
–What was the impact of the spread of Hellenic culture under Alexander the Great?
Warm-Up Question:
–What are the top three Greek innovations? Explain how our world is better because of these three achievements.
Mountains divided the Greeks into independent city-states,
like Athens and Sparta
Access to the sea increased trade and cultural diffusion (sharing of ideas) with other cultures
The Greek city-states, especially Athens, developed cultural innovations that are still used today which transformed Greece into a
“classical civilization”
Greek wealth and innovation made it a targetfor outside invaders (especially Persia)
The Greek city-states, led by Sparta, defended themselves
From 493 B.C.E. to 479 B.C.E., Persian kings Darius and Xerxes tried (but failed) to conquer
the Greeks in the Persian Wars
After the Persian Wars, the Greek city-states, led by rivals Athens and Sparta, fought each
other in the Peloponnesian Wars
The Peloponnesian Wars left the Greeks weakand open to invasion; the invasion came from
the Greeks’ neighbors to the north: Macedonia
Macedonians viewed themselves
as Greeks and shared much of
their culture
However, the Greeks (especially the Athenians) viewed the Macedonians as barbarians, not as
kinsmen (someone who is related)
In 338 B.C.E., King Philip II of Macedonia attacked and conquered the Greeks, but he was assassinated
soon after this (possibly arranged by his wife)
The Macedonian Empire at the time of King
Philip’s death
King Philip II had hired the great teacher and philosopher Aristotle to tutor his son Alexander
“I am indebted to
my father for living…but I am indebted
to my teacher for living
well.”
Aristotle had recognized brilliance in the young Alexander and jumped at the chance to teach him
King Alexander of Macedonia
Alexander was only 20 years old when he
became king
The well-educated Alexander was just as ambitious as he was brilliant at military
strategy
Once he cemented his power, he began
to expand his empire
The Empire of Alexander the Great
Alexander began his conquest by crushing a Greek revolt in Thebes; he ordered the death of 6,000 people and sold everyone else into slavery; his brutality convinced other Greeks to not rebel
After gaining the generalship of all Greece, Alexander then launched his
late father’s plans for expansion
Alexander set his sights on the Persian Empire and began his attack by conquering
Egypt; Egyptians viewed Alexander as a liberator, freeing them
from the Persians
In 331 B.C., Alexander attacked and defeated the mighty Persian army led
by King Darius III
Alexander destroyed the Persian capital of
Persepolis
“There is nothing impossible to him who will try.” “I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep.
I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.”
Alexander repeatedlydefeated the Persians,
a task that, years before, would have seemed impossible
Alexander completely conquered the Persian Empire, overthrowing its king; he then set his sights on India
“The heavens cannot brook two suns… nor Earth two masters.”
Alexander led his army to conquer India; after taking the Indus River Valley, Alexander planned on reaching
“the ends of the Earth and the Great Outer Sea”; basically, he wanted to conquer Asia
After a particularly hard-fought battle against an Indian king, Alexander faced a crisis: his troops were exhausted after being away for 11 years and wanted
to return home; after a near-mutiny, he agreed
At this point, it was 323 B.C.E; Alexander had conquered a massive empire, one of the largest in history
The Empire of Alexander the Great
Alexander began plans to govern and unify his kingdom, but he fell ill in Babylon and died at the age of 32; his death was caused by a combination
of exhaustion, fever, and too much drink
When Alexander died without an heir, his empire was divided among his top
generals, who fought each otherAlexander's empire was the largest of the Classical Era, but it was short-lived (only
13 years) and was never fully unified
Remarkable as his conquests were, Alexander’s legacy was not his reign; his true legacy was
spreading Greek innovations and culturethroughout his empire
In each territory he conquered, Alexander left behind a Greek-styled city named Alexandria
Alexander brought Greek colonists and culture to Persia and parts of Asia, blending the cultures
together; this created a new culture called Hellenism
The term “Hellenism” comes from the sun goddess Helen, which the Greeks thought themselves the children of; they called Greek culture “Hellenism”
Alexandria in Egypt was the most significant of these cities and best represented Hellenism (the spread and blending of Greek culture)
Alexandria became the center for Hellenistic culture and trade for
the Mediterranean world
Alexandria had a museum and library that preserved Greek, Egyptian, Persian, Indian
cultures and attracted scholars for centuries
He was well-educatedand a military genius
ALEXANDER THE GREAT: A SUMMARY
His interest in Greek culture as well as
Persian, Egyptian, and Indian ideas led to a vibrant new culture:
Hellenism
Hellenism helped shape future
civilizations (including Western civilization)
His empire was enormous, but would
not last as long as other great empires in history
ALEXANDER THE GREAT: A SUMMARY
Nonetheless, he is a major part of Greek
history and myth
He became the measure against which many
generals, even to this day, comparethemselves to