Alexander the Great

“He understood that the sharing of race and customs is a great step towards softening men’s hearts.”

Philip II of Macedon

City-states were not united.Philip had been held hostage by the city-state Thebes as a youth.He learned the organization of the Thebes’s army.In 359 B.C. Philip became king on Macedon.He did not want to rely on nobles for support, so he created a giant army.

Philip II cont.

Based on the Greeks, Philip organized his army in phalanx.Soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder with long spears.Very effective against cavalry charges.

more of ole Phil

He restored order in Macedon.

He gained control some northern city-states in Greece.

Philip wanted to conquer Greece.

Some Greeks welcomed him as someone who could reunite the Greeks.

Demosthenes

Demosthenes was an orator, who opposed Philip II.

He tried to get Athenians to fight Philip.

The Athenians did not listen to Demosthenes.

The city-states fell to Philip II and were united under the Macedon king.

Philip’s Plan

Philip II organized the city-states into a league.

He planned to invade Persia.

Philip II was assassinated in 336 B.C.

Alexander, Phil’s 20 yr. old son, succeeded him.

Alexander the Great

Alexander received training in the Macedonian army.

He was educated by Aristotle.

He is admired for his bravery in battle and for his military skills.

Alexander’s troops would follow him to battle.

Alexander cont.

331 B.C. Alexander destroyed the Persians.He conquered Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt, and Mesopotamia. He wanted to bring all of the known world under one empire.He got as far as the Indus River before his troops refused to follow him anymore.

Alexander’s Empire

Cont.Alexander split his troops at the Indian Ocean.Part sailed west and explored the Persian Gulf.Alexander led the other troops west through the desert. Many soldiers died.They reached Susa in 324 B.C.In 323 B.C. Alexander died in Babylon with a fever. He was 33 years old.In 13 years he had almost never lost a battle.

Beginning of the Hellenistic World

Alexander’s armies spread Greek culture where ever they went. Greeks settle in conquered areas.Cities were named after Alexander.Alexander married two Persian noblewomen. He required his soldiers to marry Persian women.He spread Hellenistic culture or “Greek life” all over the known world. It combined Mediterranean culture with Asian culture.

Hellenistic Culture Cont.

The Hellenistic Age lasted until the Romans conquered Greece in 146 B.C.The achievements of this era still influence the world today. Upon Alexander’s death, his generals divided up the empire into three kingdoms. Macedonia, Egypt, and Syria. These kingdoms were often at war with each other and allowed for the Romans to conquer.