Monday, March 24, 2014

• Homework: Complete Alexander’s Biography and Connections worksheet

• Do Now: page 333 1-6

The Rise of Macedonia• The Macedonians were a

primitive people from the north of Greece.

• Philip II took the throne in 359 BCE, and reorganized the Macedonian army.

• The Macedonians quickly conquered every major city-state in Greece.

• Philip’s conquests might have continued, but he was assassinated in 336 BCE. His title and his plans for conquests fell to his son Alexander.

Alexander Becomes King• Alexander was only 20 years old, when he

became king.• Alexander had learned both warfare and politics

from several teachers: his father, his clever mother, and the philosopher Aristotle.

Alexander Faces Rebellion• Almost as soon as

Alexander took over the kingdom, he was faced with revolts in Greece.

• He immediately set out to reestablish his control there, using harsh measures to show the Greeks that he would not tolerate rebellion. For example, when Thebes rebelled, Alexander totally crushed its army, sold the people into slavery, and burned the city to the ground.

Alexander Creates an Empire• In 334 BC he led

his army into Asia to take on the Persians.

• Within a year, Alexander’s army had won a major victory against the Persians in Asia Minor. From there, Alexander led his troops south into Phoenicia and Egypt and was welcomed as a liberator.

Alexander Defeats the Persians• From Egypt, Alexander

marched into what is now Iraq. In a huge battle near the city of Gaugamela, the Macedonians destroyed the Persian army and caused the Persian emperor, Darius III, to flee.

• Darius was later murdered by one of his own officers.

• With the defeat of Darius, Alexander was essentially master of the Persian world. His troops marched to Persepolis, one of Persia’s capitals, and burned it to the ground as a sign of their victory.

Alexander’s Plan to Unite His Empire

Alexander’s plan had 3 key parts.

1. Spread Greek culture and ideas.

2. Use religious tolerance to inspire loyalty.

3. Show respect for conquered cultures. (He often left local leaders in power.)

How Alexander Spread Greek Ideas• Alexander spread Greek

ideas by establishing many cities that were like Greek cities with marketplaces, temples, and theaters.

• Greeks who moved to these cities brought with them Greek laws, art, and literature.

• Alexander also wanted local soldiers and government officials to speak only Greek.

How Alexander Used Religion

• Alexander believed that people would be more willing to accept him as a leader if he respected their religion by honoring their gods.

• He also encouraged the idea that he was a god so that people would obey his orders.

How Alexander Adopted the Ways of Conquered Cultures

Alexander • adopted the Persian

system of government, but appointed Macedonians to the key posts.

• began wearing Persian-style clothes.

• received official visitors in a luxurious tent as Persian kings did.

• demanded visitors greet him in the Persian way by kneeling and touching the head to the ground.

• married the daughter of a Persian king.

The Empire Expands• Alexander led his army deeper into Asia, winning more

victories against the peoples of Central Asia.• Alexander led his army to the Indus, perhaps intending to

conquer India. His soldiers, however, had had enough. When they refused to proceed any farther from home, Alexander was forced to turn back to the west.

Alexander Dies• In 323 BC while in the city of Babylon,

Alexander fell ill. After a few days, he died. • At the time of his death, Alexander was only

33 years old.

The Empire Crumbles• After Alexander’s death, the empire crumbled.• Alexander’s generals fought for power.• The empire is divided in three: Egypt, Asia, and

Macedonia/Greece.• Greek culture continued to influence the conquered lands.

Greek Historians

• In 435 B.C., a Greek named Herodotus wrote the history of the Persian Wars.

• He asked questions, recorded answers and verified his sources. Many Western historians consider him to be the “father of history”.

• Many historians consider Thucydides, of Athens, the greatest historian of the ancient world. He fought in the Peloponnesian War and then wrote the History of the Peloponnesian War while in exile. Unlike Herodotus, he saw war and politics and acts of humans, not gods.

• Xenophon traveled widely in the Persian Empire. He wrote the first known autobiography – he believed that the study of history could teach people how to live moral lives.

Science• The Greeks made observations of nature

• Then they would form hypotheses to explain the observations they made

• This was a new concept in the ancient world and laid the groundwork for modern science, mathematics, and medicine.

• They came to the conclusion of things we call “atoms” (Thales of Miletus)

Technology• The Greeks put their power of observation to use and

they developed technology

• They created all types of mechanisms– Water clocks– Watermills– Locks– Steam power for mechanical toys, statues, and gadgets

• Archimedes even created a weapon that used mirrors to redirect the sun’s light and set fire to the enemy’s ship

PERIODS IN GREEK MATHEMATICS

• FIRST – influenced by Pythagoras• SECOND – Plato and his school• THIRD – Alexandrian School flourished

in Grecian Egypt and extended its influence to Sicily and Palestine

Some numbers in greek symbols

MOST FAMOUS GREEK MATHEMATICIANS

• Thales• Pythagoras• Anaxagoras• Democritus

• Aristotle• Hipocrates• Euclid• Archimedes

PHYTHAGORAS

• Born 570. BC in Samos

• Died 495. BC

• worked with abstract geometric objects and numbers

• gathered his school as a sort of mathematician secret brotherhood

PHYTAGORAS THEOREM

• in a right triangle, the sum of the squares of the two right-angle sides will always be the same as the square of the hypotenuse

SQUARE NUMBERS

• These numbers are clearly the squares of the integers 1, 4, 9, 16, and so on. Represented by a square of dots

Hippocrates – The ‘Father' of Modern Medicine

Legend has it that Hippocrates was born in Cos in about 460 BC. He was the most famous Greek doctor, and recorded his ideas and discoveries in a number of books.

He and his followers broke with the tradition of believing that the gods caused and cured disease and he is looked upon as the founder of modern medicine.

He encouraged doctors to observe symptoms and to look for causes based on those symptoms.

Read page 351 – Hellenistic Learning

•How did Alexandria become so rich?

•What famous scholars lived in ancient Alexandria?

•In what way did Alexandria’s location contribute to its development as an economic and intellectual center?