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