Alexander the GreatAnd Hellenistic Greece
MacedoniansLive north of the Greek peninsula and even
spoke a Greek dialectMost Macedonians were farmers and
shepherds, so they had not achieved the same cultural feats as the Greeks
Macedonians
By the 4th century BCE the people of Macedonia were united because of the work of several kings
This transformed the country into a military power to be reckoned with
Philip IIRuled Macedonia
until 336BCEWas considered the
most brilliant of Macedonia’s kings
Discovered gold deposits and gained enough wealth to assemble a massive army
ThebesIn 338BCE at the
battle of Chaeronea near Thebes the forces of Macedonia defeated the Greek city-states and amalgamated them into Macedonia
Macedonia ArmyWas strong due to two primary factors
The phalanx formationWell-trained cavalry
Assassinated!In 336BCE, one of
Philip’s body guards assassinated him
Philip’s son Alexander was proclaimed king of Macedonia
Alexander the GreatAlexander was a cavalry officer in
wars with the Greek states and had proven himself as a military leader
After being announced kin, Alexander had any rivals murdered and launched military campaigns to show his military strength
Thebes had tried to revolt, so Alexander had 6000 citizens executed and sold the rest into slavery
11 Year Campaign Alexander wanted to complete his father’s
plans to conquer Egypt, Persia, Mesopotamia, and India
Within one year Alexander had already conquered the Persian Empire
HydaspesIn 327 BCE, 30 000 of
Alexander’s troops moved into India
But, Alexander’s cavalry became virtually immobilized by the Indian elephants
The battle of Hydaspes ended in a victory for Alexander
But, his men were ready to mutiny so Alexander turned back to head home
Marching HomeThe Greek forces went south down the Indus river,
marched along the Persian Gulf, and entered Babylon
Alexander died at Babylon in 323BCE of either typhoid or malaria
Hellenistic GreeceAlexander’s campaigns resulted
in an increased cultural exchange for the Greek civilization from both the east and the west
Alexander had used men from all over his empire in his army, so troops became quite cosmopolitan
Alexander’s empire also stretched from Greece to India with lots of interaction between different people:• Scholars • Artists
• Craftsmen • Soldiers
Hellenistic GreeceAlexander wanted to make
Greek culture and language the unifying factor in his empire
But, he was too pluralistic and respected the laws and customs of conquered peoples
He even allowed officials in conquered territories to maintain administration rights
Hellenistic GreeceImportant scientific and
philosophical advancements:Euclid made advancements
in geometry Archimedes made
advancements in physicsAristarchus formulated the
heliocentric view of the universe
Stoicism developed People believe humans
should always be honourable
Crumbling EmpireAlexander had no children, so there was no
heir to his throneAs a result, his generals fought for power for
40 yearsThe Macedonian Empire became several
large states each ruled by a descendent of a general
The Greek mainland was not peaceful until the Roman conquest in 27BCE
Quick Review
“Alexander the Great and the Situation” – CrashCourse
Turn to pg. 122 and complete questions 1-3
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