The Legacy of Alexander

Social Studies for 9th E.G.B. |

Teacher: Mauricio Torres

Introduction• Although Alexander’s empire soon crumbled, he had unleashed

changes that would ripple across the Mediterranean world and

the Middle East for centuries.

• His most lasting achievement was the spread of Greek culture.

Blending of Cultures• All across his empire, Alexander

founded cities bearing his name. His

successors founded even more.

• Greek soldiers and traders soon

began to establish themselves in

these lands (From Egypt to India),

they built Greek temples, with Greek

art and lived with the same traditions

as they had done in Greece.

• Greeks settled, adopted local

customs, and locals adopted Greek

customs.

Long Lasting Legacy

• The blending of

Greek civilization

and those of

Egyptian, Persian

and Indian

influence, would

flourish for

centuries.

Alexandria• At the very heart of the Hellenistic world,

stood the city of Alexandria, Egypt.

• Located on the sea routes between Asia

and Europe its markets boasted a wide

range of goods.

• It was designed by an architect, it housed

almost a million people (Hebrews, Greeks,

Egyptians, Persians, etc).

• One of the most famous landmarks was the

Pharos, an enormous lighthouse standing

up almost 150 meters into the air.

Learning in Alexandria

• Alexander as well as his

successors encouraged the

work of scholars.

• They built the great Museum

(House of the Muses) which

included: laboratories, lecture

halls, a zoo and its world

famous library.

Hellenistic Civilization

• The cities of the Hellenistic

world employed armies of

architects and artists.

Temples, palaces and other

public buildings were much

larger and grander than

the buildings of classical

Greece.

New schools of thought: Stoicism

• News schools of thought arose, and

the most important was stoicism.

– Its founder, Zeno, urged people to

avoid desires and disappointments by

accepting calmly whatever life

brought.

– They preached high moral standards,

such as the idea of protecting the

rights of fellow humans (for them,

EVERYONE was equal).

Advances in Learning• During this age, thinkers built on Greek,

Babylonian and Egyptian knowledge.

– Pythagoras derived his famous formula,

Euclid wrote the basis for Geometry.

– Using math, the astronomer Aristarchus

argued that the Earth rotated on its axis

and orbited around the sun (heliocentric

solar system theory).

– Eratosthenes showed that the Earth

was round and even calculated its

circumference.

– Archimedes applied principles of physics

to make practical inventions.

Ask Yourself• Analyze

– What was the legacy left by Alexander’s conquest?

– Why was it possible for many cultures to blend together?

• List

– What were some of the most important discoveries of the time?

• Recall

– What is stoicism?

• Describe

– What was the city of Alexandria like?

– In your own words, describe the term “Hellenistic Civilization”.

Bibliography

• Ellis, E. G., & Esler, A. (2009). World History. (P.

Hall, Ed.) Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, US:

Pearson Education INC.

• Burstein, S. M., & Shek, R. (2012). World History

(Teacher´s Edition) (1st Edition ed.). (H.

McDougal, Ed.) Orlando, Florida, US.: Houghton

Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

• Images taken from Google.