Alexander the GreatAnd Hellenistic Greece

MacedoniansLive north of the Greek peninsula and even

spoke a Greek dialectMost Macedonians were farmers and

shepherds, so they had not achieved the same cultural feats as the Greeks

Macedonians

By the 4th century BCE the people of Macedonia were united because of the work of several kings

This transformed the country into a military power to be reckoned with

Philip IIRuled Macedonia

until 336BCEWas considered the

most brilliant of Macedonia’s kings

Discovered gold deposits and gained enough wealth to assemble a massive army

ThebesIn 338BCE at the

battle of Chaeronea near Thebes the forces of Macedonia defeated the Greek city-states and amalgamated them into Macedonia

Macedonia ArmyWas strong due to two primary factors

The phalanx formationWell-trained cavalry

Assassinated!In 336BCE, one of

Philip’s body guards assassinated him

Philip’s son Alexander was proclaimed king of Macedonia

Alexander the GreatAlexander was a cavalry officer in

wars with the Greek states and had proven himself as a military leader

After being announced kin, Alexander had any rivals murdered and launched military campaigns to show his military strength

Thebes had tried to revolt, so Alexander had 6000 citizens executed and sold the rest into slavery

11 Year Campaign Alexander wanted to complete his father’s

plans to conquer Egypt, Persia, Mesopotamia, and India

Within one year Alexander had already conquered the Persian Empire

HydaspesIn 327 BCE, 30 000 of

Alexander’s troops moved into India

But, Alexander’s cavalry became virtually immobilized by the Indian elephants

The battle of Hydaspes ended in a victory for Alexander

But, his men were ready to mutiny so Alexander turned back to head home

Marching HomeThe Greek forces went south down the Indus river,

marched along the Persian Gulf, and entered Babylon

Alexander died at Babylon in 323BCE of either typhoid or malaria

Hellenistic GreeceAlexander’s campaigns resulted

in an increased cultural exchange for the Greek civilization from both the east and the west

Alexander had used men from all over his empire in his army, so troops became quite cosmopolitan

Alexander’s empire also stretched from Greece to India with lots of interaction between different people:• Scholars • Artists

• Craftsmen • Soldiers

Hellenistic GreeceAlexander wanted to make

Greek culture and language the unifying factor in his empire

But, he was too pluralistic and respected the laws and customs of conquered peoples

He even allowed officials in conquered territories to maintain administration rights

Hellenistic GreeceImportant scientific and

philosophical advancements:Euclid made advancements

in geometry Archimedes made

advancements in physicsAristarchus formulated the

heliocentric view of the universe

Stoicism developed People believe humans

should always be honourable

Crumbling EmpireAlexander had no children, so there was no

heir to his throneAs a result, his generals fought for power for

40 yearsThe Macedonian Empire became several

large states each ruled by a descendent of a general

The Greek mainland was not peaceful until the Roman conquest in 27BCE

Quick Review

“Alexander the Great and the Situation” – CrashCourse

Turn to pg. 122 and complete questions 1-3