9.3 Notes: Alexander the Great
Name: _________________________
1. Describe Greece after the Peloponnesian War: Distrust, destruction, debt, and death (open to
invasion)
2. As you read 9.3 (pages 284-288) complete the handout below.
I. Macedonia Conquers Greece
A. In 359 B.C., Phiip II became king of Macedonia which is located to the North of Greece. After fighting off
invaders, his main target became Greece. Athens realized Philip’s plan but few people responded to their calls
to join together and fight. As a result Thebes and Athens were easily defeated by Philip and the rest of the
Greeks decided to make Phillip II their King
B. Philip defeated the Greeks because he was a great military leader. He fought like the Greeks using a
phalanx or a group of warriors who stood close together in a square. Each soldier had a spear pointed outward
to fight off enemies. These spears were much longer than their opponents Philip also used cavalry and archers
in battle to support the phalanx. Philip planned to conquer Persia but was murdered in 336 B.C. at his
daughter’s wedding.
II. Alexander Builds an Empire
A. At 20 years old, Philip’s son, Alexander came to power. He was able to put down a rebellion in the city-sate
of Thebes within a year and enslaved the people living there. He then began to build an empire that eventually
earned him the title of Alexander the Great
B. In 334 B.C., Alexander attacked Persia. Although Persia’s troops were larger, Alexander’s men were well
trained and ready for battle. In 332 B.C., Alexander was crowned pharaoh in Egypt, which had been under
Persian control. Near the town of Gaugamela, he defeated the Persians for the last time The Persian king then
fled and was later murdered, leaving Alexander as the ruler of Persia.
C. Alexander led his army throughout Central Asia and in 327 B.C. he crossed the Indus River. Although
Alexander wanted to go farther, his men refused because they were exhausted. Alexander left India in 325
B.C. but in 323 B.C. he got sick after visiting the city of Babylon. Alexander passed away at the age of 33 and
was buried in Egypt.
D. Because he admired Greek culture so much, Alexander wanted the cities he conquered to be modeled after
the cities of Greece. He named the city of Alexandria after himself and built temples and theaters throughout
his empire. A blended culture eventually occurred throughout his empire because he also allowed people to
keep their own customs and religion. There were elements of Persian, Egyptian, Syrian, and other cultures
that combined with Greek ideas overtime. This new culture is referred to as Hellenistic because it was Greeklike.
III. Hellenistic Kings
A. When Alexander died, there was no obvious hier to the throne. As a result, his generals fought for power
and eventually three generals divided Alexander’s empire amongst themselves.
B. The Hellenistic Kingdom of Macedonia and Greece was most like the Greek culture. This kingdom eventually
fell to Rome in the mid-100s B.C. The rulers of Hellenistic Syria faced many challenges because there were
many different cultures within the kingdom. This kingdom fell to the Romans in the 60s B.C. after being
weakened by many years of fighting Hellenistic Egypt encouraged the growth of Greek culture by building
libraries and museums. However, in 30 B.C. this kingdom also fell to the Roman Empire.
*Complete the 9.1-9.3 comprehension check questions on the back…
9.1 Review:
ANSWER KEY
1. Who was Cyrus the Great? Unified Persia, created a strong empire
2. How was Cyrus the Great able to build a strong empire in which people rarely rebelled? Strong, well-organized military; very tolerant
3. What changes did Darius I make to the political structure of the Persian Empire? Provinces with satraps, capital city
4. What is a province? Political district
5. What is a satrap? Leader of the province (judge, tax collector, military leader, etc…)
6. Why did Persia attack the Greek city-states? Helped other city-states rebel
7. What happened at the Battle of Marathon (1st invasion)? Who won? Persia attacked Athens; Athens won
8. Why did Xerxes attack Greece in the second invasion of the Persian Wars? Revenge, money, and land
9. What happened at 2nd invasion? Who ultimately won? Xerxes sends more troops over land and sea; after many battles, Greek citystates unify and win
10. When Persia was defeated by the Greeks, was this the end of their empire? No
9.2 Review:
1. Describe the government of Sparta. Oligarchy (two kings, branches of elders, and assembly)
2. Why did Sparta place so much focus on military? Conquered and enslaved their neighbors to expand
3. What is a helot? Spartan slave
4. Describe the life of a Spartan citizen. Military was entire focus
5. Describe the government of Athens. Direct democracy in which male citizens could participate
6. What was life like for Athenian citizens? Focused on a more well-rounded existence
7. Why did Sparta not put as much focus on military as Sparta did? They build alliances, colonized, and traded to expand
8. Why was the Delian League created? Who controlled it? Protection from Persia/ Athens
9. Why was the Peloponnesian League created? Who controlled it? Protection from the Delian League/ Sparta
10. Describe the Peloponnesian War (who fought, why they fought, outcome of the war). Sparta attacked Athens (and allies); Sparta
wins but Greece is weakened greatly
9.3 Review:
1. How was Philip I able to conquer Greece? Strong military
2. Why did the rest of Greece make Philip their king after Athens and Thebes were defeated by him? There had been so much
fighting, they were willing to submit
3. What is a phalanx? Square group of warriors
4. Why did Philip I not achieve his goal of conquering Persia? He was murdered
5. Why did Alexander not conquer the lands beyond the Indus River Valley? His troops were exhausted
6. What was the Hellenistic culture a blend of? Greek and other cultures
7. What happened to Alexander’s Empire after his death? Divided among three of his generals
8. What three Hellenistic Kingdoms emerged after his death? Macedonia, Syrian, and Egypt
9. What ultimately happens to these three kingdoms? All eventually fell to the Roman Empire