Alexander the Great

After the Peloponnesian War…

• Alliances were made by different city-states to aid each other–Didn’t last long–Each city-state put its own needs

above the common good

In Macedonia …

• New leader came to rule–King Philip

•United Macedonia under one rule•Wanted to do the same for Greece•Wanted to make Greece apart of his empire

In Macedonia … • Why??

–Loved Greek culture–Hired Aristotle to teach his son,

Alexander–Alexander learned to appreciate

different people and cultures–From Philip, Alexander learned to

be a great warrior

On the move … • Philip invaded Greece

–couldn’t be stopped• By 338 B.C., he controlled most

of Greece, including Athens• His goal was not to destroy

Greece or her culture

In Greece … • Philip made a few decisions:

–City-states could rule themselves–Said Greeks couldn’t fight amongst themselves

• These provisions were meant to ensure peace!

After Philip dies … • In 336 B.C., Alexander takes the

throne–He was 20–Was not satisfied ruling Greece–Wanted the world

•Eastern Europe•Northern Africa•Asia Minor

Alexander the Great • He began with the Persians (Asia

Minor)–Took back former Greek colonies–Aided by the people of Persia

• As he conquered, he established cities–Named most of them after himself

•Called “Alexandria”

Alexander the Great • Why do you think Alexander

returned home using a different route than he started with?

• Alexandria–Became centers for learning–Spread Greek culture

Alexander the Great –People spoke the same language

–Worshipped the same gods–As he conquered, he integrated aspects of other cultures into the Greek culture and shared those ideas (assimilation)

Alexander the Great • He did this so that those

conquered would more readily accept his rule

• Because he was so influential, the period he ruled is known as “The Hellenistic Age”

Alexander the Great • Throughout his conquests,

Alexander never lost a single battle!

• Once he returned home, Alexander became very ill and died at the age of 32

Alexander the Great • No one was strong enough to

lead the entire empire–Split into 3 sections

•Macedonia•Syria•Egypt

Alexander the Great • Alexander left behind his legacy:

–Hellenistic Culture!–In Math:

•Euclid:–From Egypt–Was the “Father of Geometry”–Studied lines and angles

Alexander the Great •Archimedes:

–From Syracuse on the island of Sicily–Principle of levers and pulleys

–In Geography:•Aristarchus:

–Developed the idea that the Earth and planets moved around the Sun

Alexander the Great –In Science:

•Alexandria, Egypt –Center for medicine and surgery–Doctors discovered that the brain was the center of the nervous system