Name: ______________________________Date: 1/12/16

Alexander the Great

Aim: How did Alexander the Great impact the Mediterranean world?

Do Now: How did Pericles impact Ancient Greece?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Introduction:Alexander the Great was born in 356 BC in the northern kingdom on the Greek peninsula. Although he only lived to the age of 32 and ruled for only 13 years, he is considered one of the greatest military leaders throughout history. During Alexander’s reign he conquered Greece, Persia, Egypt and India. He ruled over an empire that stretched over 3,000 miles. Because of Alexander’s conquests a whole new culture, known as Hellenistic culture, developed and spread throughout the Mediterranean world. Hellenistic culture was a mix of Persian, Egyptian, Indian, and Greek and grew as a result of Alexander’s conquests.

What was Hellenistic Culture? How did Alexander the Great impact Hellenistic Culture?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Instructions: Today you are going to look at all of the different ways Alexander the Great impacted the lands he conquered and the people he led. Keep in mind the essential question of today, was Alexander the Great really all that great?

Station Alexander’s Impact

Childhood

Leadership

Military

Personality

Essential Question: Was Alexander the Great really all that great?

Circle one of the following:

Yes, Alexander the Great deserves the title “Great.”

No, Alexander the Great does not deserve the title “Great.”

1.

2.

3.

Accountable Talk:

I agreed/disagreed (circle one) with __________________________________ when they said

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

I agreed/disagreed (circle one) with __________________________________ when they said

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

I agreed/disagreed (circle one) with __________________________________ when they said

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Alexander’s Childhood

Alexander’s conquests are often attributed to his personality and strength’s as a military leader. He was determined to conquer more land and his bravery pushed Alexander to create his empire. Alexander grew up a clever child. His father, King Philip II, made sure Alexander had the best education. The king hired Aristotle [Greek philosopher] to educate his son and Aristotle taught Alexander political philosophy, literature, science, and medicine.

Alexander also showed signs of being a strong warrior from a young age. At 16 he had his first battlefield command and defeated an enemy at Greece’s border. At 18, in another war against a neighboring nation Alexander showed his bravery by leading troops through the strongest part of his enemy’s forces. These early victories showed Alexander a new kind of glory that he hoped to spread as far and wide as he could as he grew up.

Alexander’s Leadership

His philosophy was to not plunder [rob/destroy] the lands he conquered, but to become a favorable leader to the natives of those lands. In fact, when Alexander took over Egypt in 331 BC the people named him as their pharaoh, or king. In Persia Alexander appointed many Persians as governors in the conquered areas and in India Alexander studied with the Brahmins [priests] to learn about Hinduism.

He allowed his subjects to continue to practice their own customs and beliefs and often showed an interest in learning about the people. This allowed Hellenistic culture to grow as the Greeks, Persians, Egyptians, and Indians were able to share their achievements with one another. Greece became the main language in the empire. At the same time, Persian clothing styles were adopted throughout the empire. Greeks, Egyptians, Persians, and Indians also married one another, further blending their cultures.

Alexander followed Aristotle’s method of teaching. He never forced Greek culture among the people he conquered, but he introduced it to them and allowed the people to embrace it in their own way. Because of the growth of Hellenistic culture Alexander’s people made new discoveries in math, science, and medicine, and scholars shared information and studied together.

Alexander’s Military

Alexander did not take over his empire by himself. His army, left to him by his father King Philip II, was strong before Alexander was born. Philip had reorganized, reformed, and strengthened the army. In 336 BC a noble assassinated Philip and all of his hard work went to his son. However, by this time Philip had already prepared the army to conquest the powerful Persian Empire.

While Alexander was out conquering new lands, he neglected his homeland in Greece. Two years after he took over from his father, Alex set out to take over foreign lands and he never returned home. During his absence local military leaders abused their power and rarely responded to the needs of the people. In addition, Alexander never made it clear who should succeed him after his death. When Alexander did die there was no strong leader to take his role and eventually his empire was divided among his three generals.

Alexander’s Personality

Alexander’s mother, Olympias, is said to have held unique religious beliefs and had a very strong impact on Alexander’s upbringing. Alex and his mother were very close and he often sided with his mother in arguments between her and his father. Olympias always encouraged Alexander and convinced him that he was destined to accomplish great things and he could even surpass his father in military greatness. Alexander and his mother called him the “son of Zeus” to give him the status and power of the gods. Eventually his mother and father divorced, however this tumultuous childhood made Alexander prone to emotional outbursts throughout his life.

Alexander’s advisors, aware of these outbursts, often felt Alexander’s wrath and his emotional instability. Alexander demanded and received the utmost allegiance and obedience from them, and was brutal to them despite their loyalty. Furthermore, his fierce temper and heavy consumption of alcohol caused him to make poor decisions, resulting in excessive causalities in battle. Eventually, this mistreatment of his troops caused them to rebel against Alexander. In 326 BC they demanded to be taken home after having traveled thousands of miles. Alexander agreed with reluctance and anger, but became sick in 323 BC and died on the trip home.