Ancient Greek History: Supplemental Readings
Instructions: These readings are intended to supplement and expand on the material presented in
class. Most of them are quite short and can be read in a matter of minutes, though some are longer.
The study questions will help you understand what you should be getting from the reading and will
guide your note-taking. These will also serve as review questions to help you prepare for your exams.
A General Timeline of Major Periods of Greek History
Power Shifts In the Classical Period
Note that the end of the Classical Period and the beginning of the Hellenistic
period is generally associated with the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC.
© 2015 The Lukeion Project
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Ancient Greek History: Supplemental Readings
Philip and the Rise of Macedonia
1) Macedonia, the Monarchy and the Greeks
a) Thomas Martin, Overview of Classical Greek History
i) http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0009%3Acha
pter%3D16%3Asection%3D1
(1) What was the Macedonian king’s relationship with the people? The aristocrats?
(2) In what activities did the Macedonian king need to demonstrate his prowess?
(3) Describe the status of women in the Macedonian royal court.
ii) http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0009%3Acha
pter%3D16%3Asection%3D2
(1) What did the Macedonian aristocracy think of the Greeks?
(2) In general, what charges did each group make against the other?
2) Early Years of Philip II
a) Livius.org
i) http://www.livius.org/phi-php/philip/philip_ii.htm
(1) Summarize Philip’s accomplishments, and the weakness of the superpower that he
created (from the introductory paragraph)
(2) Explain the importance of Amphipolis to both Philip and Athens, and explain Philip’s
early maneuverings with Athens over control of this city. How does the “Social War”
figure into this?
(3) What were some of Philip’s methods for securing and strengthening Macedonia in the
early part of his reign?
3) The “Third Sacred War” and the Control of Greece
a) Livius.org
i) http://www.livius.org/phi-php/philip/philip_ii2.html
(1) How did the Third Sacred War come about? Who were the initial combatants and what
were they fighting over? Why did other Greeks get involved, and how did Philip manage
to get involved?
(2) What is significance about Philip becoming leader (tagos) of the Thessalian league?
(3) What were things like for the city-states of Greece and for Macedonia at the end of the
“Third Sacred War?”
(4) When Philip besieged both Perinthus and Byzantium, why were Persia and Athens
alarmed? How did they both respond?
(5) What decisive battle solidified Philip’s control in Greece?
4) Analysis of Philip’s Achievements
a) Livius.org
i) http://www.livius.org/phi-php/philip/philip_ii3.html
(1) What were some characteristics of the newer, stronger Macedonia created by Philip?
(2) What were the weaknesses?
5) The End of Philip
© 2015 The Lukeion Project
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Ancient Greek History: Supplemental Readings
a) Livius.org
i) http://www.livius.org/phi-php/philip/philip_ii4.html
(1) What was Philip’s goal in Greece?
(2) What was the “Corinthian League?”
(3) What were his public and private goals in invading Persia?
(4) How did Philip’s marriage to Cleopatra threaten Alexander and his mother Olympias?
Alexander the Great
1) Brief overview of Philip and Alexander (including artifact pictures)
a) Metropolitan Museum of Art
i) http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/alex/hd_alex.htm
2) Special Studies on Alexander
a) Livius.org
i) http://www.livius.org/aj-al/alexander/alexander00.html
(1) This web page is an index to a wealth of information on Alexander. I’m not requiring
you to read all of this, but if you’d like to go more in depth on some topic related to
Alexander, you’re likely to find something here
3) Overview of Alexander’s Life
a) Livius.org
i) http://www.livius.org/aj-al/alexander/alexander00c.html
(1) What way was opened to Alexander after his first great battle with the Persians, the
Battle of Granicus?
(2) Following his second battle with the Persians, the Battle of Issus, where was Alexander
able to proceed?
(3) Alexander was on his way to which Persian city, when he was forced into his third and
final great battle with the Persians, the Battle of Gaugamela?
(4) How did the Persian king Darius die, and what was Alexander’s response? What were
his true motives?
(5) What might have been Alexander’s motivation for these moves, and how did they affect
his relationship with his eastern subjects and with his Macedonian/Greek troops?
(a) his marriage to Roxane
(b) incorporation of eastern troops into his army
(c) insisting on the Persian court ritual of proskynesis
(i) For more on proskynesis, look at
http://www.livius.org/pp-pr/proskynesis/proskynesis.htm
(d) Alexander’s continuing push toward the east
(e) Sending Greek/Macedonian troops back home
(f) insisting on being treated as a god
© 2015 The Lukeion Project
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