Alexander the Great

Key Terms
• Philip II
• Phalanx
• Alexander the Great
• Hellenistic
The Big Idea: Alexander the Great built a huge
empire and helped spread Greek culture
into Egypt and Asia.
 Macedonia to the North
The Greeks
thought the
• Greece underestimated
Macedonians Macedonia.
were
barbarians. • Philip II, Macedonia’s
new king, began to
plan his attack on
Greece.
• Athenian leaders knew
they would be attacked
but couldn’t rally
troops.
Macedonia attacked and defeated Greece.
Philip II was adopted as Greece’s leader.
 After tackling Greece, Philip II looked to conquer Persia. Unfortunately, he was
murdered, passing his throne to his son, Alexander.

Philip’s Military Strength

• Philip was an awesome
military leader.
• He is famous for
perfecting the phalanx.
• A phalanx was a group of
warriors who stood close
together in a square, each
with a spear.
• As soldiers were killed,
another would step
forward. Philip’s spears
were 16 feet
long.
 Alexander Gets Angry
Alexander
was only
20 when
• After Philip died, Thebes,
he took another Greek city,
power.
rebelled against
Alexander.
• Alexander made an
example of Thebes by
destroying the city and
enslaving its people.
• Confident nobody else
Alexander earned the name Alexander the Great
would rebel, Alexander
when he became one of the greatest conquerors in history.
began to build an empire.
 Building an Empire
• Alexander started by
invading Persia, winning
over and over.
• Then, he went into Egypt
and was immediately
crowned a pharaoh
without a fight.
• Alexander then defeated
Persia once and for all
after the king fled, making
him the ruler.
How do you think historians know this is a picture of Alexander the Great?
Alex’s Empire
 Alexander’s Death
• Alexander wanted to
continue building his
empire, but his army
refused to go on.
• On his way home,
Alexander got sick in
Babylon.
• He died at 33 and was
taken to Egypt to be
buried in a golden coffin.

Nobody knows how Alexander died, but some say he was poisoned. Others say
it was malaria.
 Alexander encouraged Greeks to move to the new cities.

Greek Culture Spreads

• Alexander’s empire
was the biggest ever.
• He founded cities in
the lands he conquered
and named many
Alexandria.
• He modeled many Greek
language, art,
cities after Greece literature, and
with temples and science
spread around
theaters. Alex’s empire.
 Greek Culture Spreads
Alexander’s • Alexander also
empire was
a melting
encouraged his new
pot of people to keep their
cultures!
cultures.
• This mixed Greek
culture with the
original cultures.
• These new cultures
were called Hellenistic,
Hellenistic combined Persian, Egyptian,
Syrian, and other cultures with Greek ideas.
or Greek like.
 Hellenistic Kingdoms
• When Alexander died,
he did not have an
obvious heir.
• Three generals ended
up fighting for and
winning power.
• One became king of
Macedonia, another of
Egypt, and the third of
Greece.
The new Macedonia The new Syria
The new Egypt
had a weak had too many
developed
government and different cultures and
a center of culture and
was conquered differing ideas
learning. Eventually,
by the Romans. to survive. They
it was conquered
were also defeated
By Rome.
by Romans.

Hellenistic
Kingdoms