Chapter 5: Alexander the Great
- 2. Warm-Up: What does it mean to be a good leader? Who are great leaders in history? What makes them “great”?
- 3. Alexander the Great conquered Persia and Egypt and extended his empire to the Indus River in northwest India.
- 4. Philip Builds Macedonian Power • Macedonia—kingdom of mountain villages north of Greece • King Philip II—ruler, brilliant general; dreams of controlling Greece • Macedonians call themselves Greek; the rest of Greece does not. Very important
- 5. Phillip II expanded the power of Macedon (Macedonia) before conquering the Greek city states to the south.
- 6. Battle of Chaeronea Philip the II lead his Macedonian troops to decisively defeat the Greeks.
- 7. Philip II of Macedon Created the League of Corinth (an alliance of all city states except Sparta). The League of Corinth was going to help him invade Persia, but he died before this happened. He was assassinated by a bodyguard at his daughter’s wedding. His death meant that his son, Alexander, would have to take over as King at a very young age of 20.
- 8. Alexander’s Early Life • He was tutored by Aristotle; inspired by The Iliad • Became king when 20 years old; destroyed Thebes to curb rebellion. Continued . . . Alexander and The Iliad
- 9. Conquering Persia Alexander and his army invaded Persia. Following several early victories, The King of Persia, Darius III, tried to negotiate with Alexander by offering him a great amount of land. Despite his advisers telling him to accept the deal, Alexander declined the offer, and told him he planed on conquering ALL of the Persian Empire. Darius III
- 10. Conquering Persia • Alexander marches into Egypt, crowned pharaoh in 332 B.C. • At Gaugamela in Mesopotamia, Alexander defeats Persians again • Persepolis, the Persian capital, burned to the ground • Ashes of Persepolis signal total destruction of Persian Empire.
- 11. Brilliant Tactician or a Madman? Following his conquest of Persia, Alexander had all army members who would rival him executed. He had very little trust for any people around him.
- 12. Location of Alexander’s death
- 13. Alexander founded 20+ cities that were named after him (Alexandria). The most famous of these “Alexandrias” was the one located in Egypt, which had one of the largest libraries in the world, The Royal Library of Alexandria. Another one of his legacies is that by conquering numerous lands, it allowed Greek language and culture to spread to distant places.
- 14. The Death of Alexander the Great The death of Alexander the Great at age 32 remains a mystery: 1. Death from liver disease deriving 2. from his heavy consumption of alcohol. 3. Typhoid fever. 4. West Nile Fever. 5. Poisoned by half-brother or wife. Psychology of justifying death of great leaders.
- 15. Alexander’s Legacy Alexander helped meld the Greek and Persian cultures together. Future conquerors like Napoleon Bonaparte admired him. After he died, his empire became three kingdoms: (1) Macedonia & Greek city-states (2) Egypt (3) Persia, also known as Seleucid kingdom
- 16. CHAPTER 5 SECTION 5 THE SPERAD OF HELLENISTIC CULTURE
- 17. Hellenistic Culture “Hellenistic” culture is the Greek culture that existed during and after the time of Alexander the Great. It was classical Greek culture blended with Egyptian, Persian and Indian influences.
- 18. Alexandria, Egypt The Egyptian city of Alexandria became the foremost center of commerce and science in the Hellenistic civilization. Ships from around the world used the docks of Alexandria for trade, and the diverse city had over half a million people. Famous Buildings: Lighthouse of Alexandria (later destroyed by earthquake) Library of Alexandria (later destroyed by fire)
- 19. Astronomy Alexandria’s museum contained an observatory which astronomers could study planets and stars. Scientists there disproved the widely held belief that the sun was smaller than Greece. However, they did view the earth as the center of the solar system, which would be an incorrect assumption for over 10 centuries.
- 20. Eratosthenes, the director of library calculated the earth’s circumference at 28,000 miles, which was very close to the actual size 24,860 miles.
- 21. Mathematics and Physics Euclid was a mathematician who taught in Alexandria. He wrote Elements, which contained various geometric proofs.
- 22. Archimedes Accurately estimated the value of pi. Invented Archimedes screw, a device that raised water from the ground.
- 23. New Philosophy Stoicism Epicureanism • Founded by Zeno • Stoic philosophers believe that humans should not pressure desires like power and wealth, because these are dangerous. • The ultimate good is seeking knowledge and showing no emotion towards pleasure or pain. • Founded by Epicurus • Epicurean philosophers believe that the only real things are those we can experience with our 5 senses. • The ultimate good is seeking pleasure and achieving harmony of body and mind.