Chapter 12

Lesson 3

Alexander the Great

and His Influence

Pages 374-381

How did Alexander the Great

spread Greek culture

throughout the ancient world?

The Rise of Macedonia

• Alexander was bold and ambitious, even as a

child.

• Macedonia had one of the first professional

armies. This gave the Macedonians a huge

advantage over other cities who drafted farmers

and workers to fight when needed.

• They also had new machines called catapults

that could throw heavy rocks over walls.

The Rise of Macedonia 2

• Greece Falls to Macedonia:

– King Philip used his army to conquer the

Greeks.

– Philip admired the Greek culture and

therefore he chose not to destroy it.

– He reorganized the army and combined it

with his own.

Alexander’s Conquests

• Alexander became king at age 20 when his father was

assassinated.

• He began a conquest, or victory by force.

The Spread of Greek Culture

• Alexander had been trained by Aristotle, a

famous Greek teacher and philosopher.

• Alexander was called “the Great” because of

his ability to spread Greek culture.

• New Greek Colonies:

– As he conquered areas, Alexander set up Greek-

styled cities with Greeks left in charge.

– Alexander also adopted some of the local culture.

– The era became known as Hellenistic, or Greek.

The Spread of Greek Culture 2

• The Museum at Alexandria:

– In the new city of Alexandria, Egypt a glorious

museum and a library were built. It was the famous

Library of Alexandria.

After Alexander

• Alexander died at the age of 33 and his empire was

divided by his many generals.