Alexander the Great
Reading Assessment
 1)What was the name of Alexander the Greats father
 2) Where did he come from?
 3) What was the era following the death of Alexander
called?
 4)Did Alexander's son take over his empire when he
died?
 5) Where did Alexander die?
Alexander the Great
 Born 356 B.C.
 Tutored by Aristotle until the age of 16
 Becomes King of Macedon at the age of twenty when
his father Phillip II is assassinated.
 Used his authority to launch his fathers military
expansion plans.
 Starts in Asia Minor and by the time he is done his
empire stretches from the Ionian Sea to the
Himalayas.
Alexander’s Conquests
 Starts conquest by crossing the Aegean Sea to Asia
Minor.
 Defeats Persian army of Darius III (he was not there)
at the Battle of the Granicus River (334 B.C.)
 Defeats Darius himself at the Battle of Issus (333
B.C.)
 Turns south and conquers Syria and Phoenicia and
then invades Egypt, is crowned pharaoh, and founds
Alexandria. (332 B. C.)
Alexander’s Conquests
 Defeats Darius for the last time at the Battle of
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Gaugamela (331 B.C.)
Crosses the Hindu Kush into India
This campaign ended in the pouring rains of the
monsoon
Alexander has to return to put down a mutiny by his
army at the town of Opis (just north of Babylon-He dies
in Babylon
This ends the Greek Classical period and begins the
Hellenistic Age
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQfBinQwPGs
The Hellenistic Age
 Hellas- What the Greeks called Greece
 Started after Alexander’s death in Babylon at age 33
in 323 B.C.
 Spread Greek culture which had been combined with
much of the Asian culture found by Alexander during
his conquests.
Pythagoras
 Greek Philosopher and mathematician
 The Pythagorean theorem
Archimedes
 287 B.C-212 B.C.
 Mathematician
 The lever “Give me a place to stand on and I will
move the Earth”
 Killed by a Roman soldier at the Siege of Syracuse
Hippocrates
 Looked for natural causes for diseases
 Believed diseases were caused by vapors from
undigested food
 Todays doctors take the Hippocratic oath which is an
oath that promises to practice medicine ethically and
honestly
Euclid
 Father of Geometry
 His book Elements is considered by many to be the
most read book in history besides the Bible.
Review
On what three continents did Alexander make
conquests?
Asia, Europe and Africa
Look at the map on page 274-275, How far is it from
the furthest east to the furthest west points of
Alexander's conquests?
About 3100 miles.
Which army did Alexander defeat before heading
further east?
The Persian army of Darius III.
Review
Can you name the three battles the Greeks and the
Persians had?
The Battle of Granicus River (334B.C.), the
Battle of Issus (333 B.C.), and the Battle of Guagamela
(331B.C.)
What facts support the opinion that Alexander was a
brilliant military leader?
He defeated a much larger Persian army 3 times,
he conquered Syria, Phoenicia, Egypt, and part of
India, he never lost a battle and he did this all in about
11 years
Review
Did Alexander's empire continue to grow after his
death?
Not really, his empire was divided amongst three
generals, but the spread of Greek culture combined
with the culture of the east which spawned the
Helenistic Age thrived after his death.
The United States Treasury
The White House
The Jefferson Memorial
St. Basil Greek Orthodox Church
Homework
 Homework Page 276 in your textbook. Answer
questions 1, 2a, 2b, 2c, 3a, and 3b