Alexander the

Great
Ruler of the World
Why “the Great”?
In ten years, Alexander of
Macedonia created the largest
empire in the world up to that time
Alexander spread Greek culture,
ensuring cultural diffusion and the
survival of the qualities of classical
Greece
Alexander’s Empire
Alexander’s origins
Born in Pella, Macedonia
Tutored by the Greek
philosopher, Aristotle
His father, Philip, was king of
Macedonia, and had conquered the
Greek city states during his 27 year
reign
Olympia
Olympia Philip
Philip
Alexander’s
Alexander’s mother
mother Alexander’s father
Alexander’s father
Alexander Rules
Philip was murdered in 336 B.C. by
an assassin…maybe hired by his
wife, Olympia…
So Alexander was only 20
when he became king of
Macedonia
Securing his father’s empire
Alexander squelched rebellions in the
northern regions to the Danube River
In the process of reconquering the
Greek city states, his forces destroyed
Thebes, massacring all,
including women
and children
From Pompeii mosaic
Expanding the Empire
Alexander’s forces of over
40,000 crossed at the
Dardanelles into Asia,
where he declared that the
whole of Asia would be won
by the spear
 The Gordian Knot
The Gordian Knot: the legend behind the
ancient knot was that the man who could
untie it was destined to rule the entire
world.

Alexander simply slashed the knot with

his sword and unraveled it.
Defeating Darius
of Persia
#1: Alexander’s forced dispatched
the Persian army, losing only 110
men (legend)
#2: Again Alexander was
victorious, and Darius was forced
to flee, abandoning is mother, wife
and children to Alexander
 Major cities in Asia Minor and
along the Phoenician coast
surrendered to Alexander

Alexander proceeded
to Egypt,
where he established
the city of
Alexandria and was
made pharaoh
 #3: Yet again, Alexander’s forces
defeated Darius, this time in
Mesopotamia…
Alexander was
proclaimed king of
Persia and Darius’s
royal city and palace
were burned to the
ground… Persepolis

Again, Darius fled… Alexander pursued…

When Darius was found murdered
by his own men, Alexander
executed the assassins and gave
Darius a royal funeral

Ruins of
Persepolis
Alexander’s divinity
While in Egypt, Alexander
had visited the temple of
Amon-Ra
The oracle proclaimed that Alexander
was the divine son of Amon-Ra and
destined to rule the world
Conflicts arose with his Greek soldiers
as he adopted Persian dress &
demanded to be recognized as a god
The limits of expansion
In the spring of
327 BC, Alexander
and his army
marched into India
As he conquered
regions he allowed
rulers to continue
to govern in his
name
 Bucephalus
In India, Alexander’s horse was killed…
He mourned his loss
and named a city in
his honor
'O my son, look thee
out a kingdom equal
to and worthy of
thyself, for Macedonia
is too little for thee.'
Alexander on his favorite
horse, Bucephalus Philip to Alexander
(Plutarch, Alexander 6.8.)
 Retreat
At the Indus, the Macedonians rebelled
and refused to go any farther
The forces travelled down the Indus
and began the arduous journey back
to Mesopotamia
His best friend, Hephaestion,
died of a fever; to console
himself, Alexander led a
ferocious military campaign and
went on a drinking binge
Securing a legacy
Alexander made Babylonia the capital of his
Empire
He married one of Darius’ daughters and
“encouraged” 10,000 of his soldiers to take
Persian wives
He died the following year at 33 before he
could produce an heir and his kingdom was
divided among 3 of his generals:
Ptolemy, Seleucus and Antigonus
Antigonus

Seleucus

Ptolemy
The mystery of Alexander’s death
Alexander died of a fever at
33… but why?
Plutarch reports that he
was had been plagued by
several bad “omens”
Some others from the time
claimed Alexander was
poisoned during the
drinking binge
Hellenistic Greece
Alexander’s Empire on the year of his death
What does mean to be Hellenistic?
Hellenistic - The blending of Greek
cultures with those of Persia, Egypt, and
Central Asia following the conquests of
Alexander the Great.

Question to Consider: What is an empire?

Give the definition and explain how
Alexander the Greats’ conquests apply.
Blending Cultures
Best way to encourage cultural exchange is
through marriage.
Alexander married Roxana of Bactria and Stateira of
Persia.
He also did this to legitimize his claims to the Persian
Empire.
• Roxana bore Alexander a posthumous son (child born after
the death of a parent). She named the child Alexander IV;
unfortunately, he never reaches adulthood because he was
murdered in a political plot.
Blending Cultures Cont…
Another great way to gain cultural exchange is
through trade and education.
When Egypt built the city of Alexandria the most
important achievement was the Library of Alexandria,
which contained information on:
• Philosophy
• Literature
• History
• Science
• Medicine
Life in the Hellenistic World
What was the most
significant change in
Hellenistic society? City States
Recall: the main
political unit of Greece
was the city-state.
After Alexander
conquers much of the
known world the
political unit switches Kingdoms
to kingdoms.
Hellenistic Achievements
Philosophy
Cynicism- rejected the ideas of pleasure, wealth, and
social responsibility. Instead, they should live
according to nature. Withdrew from society.
• Many gave away possessions and became vagrants or
wanderers. They were like homeless people in today’s
society.
Epicureans- sought out pleasure, developed close
friendships with those that shared similar beliefs
• Pleasure- Good
• Pain- Bad or Evil
Stoicism- placed emphasis on reason, self-discipline,
emotional control, and personal morality.
Hellenistic Achievements cont…
Art and Literature
Art pieces conveyed
emotion and
movement.
• Nike of Samothrace
was carved in a flowing
style.
Literature focuses on
everyday lives.
Hellenistic Achievements cont…
Science and
Technology
Euclid “Father of
Geometry”
• Formulated many of the
ideas about geometry
that we still use today.
Eratosthenes
• Calculated the size of
the Earth
Archimedes
• Great Inventor:
compound pulley &
Mechanical screw for
drawing water