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Chapter 5.4 Alexander- Empire Builder
1.
Who was Philip II? (Time Period,
Location, Key Achievements)
 4th century BCE (359BCE- became king of
Macedonia)
 Macedonia
 Brilliant general and ruthless politician
 Organized troops into phalanxes (16 X 16)
 Conquered the Greek City-States
2.
Who was Alexander the Great? (Time
Period, Location, Key Achievements).
 4th Century BCE (336BCE became King of
Macedonia)
 Macedonia
 Brilliant strategist
 Led an 11 year campaign to conquer the
Persian Empire
 Some see him as a hero, others as a villain
 Taught by Aristotle, spread Greek culture in
his wake (known as Hellenistic Culture)
 Established many cities (most he named
Alexandria)
3. Who was Darius III? (Time Period, Location,
Key Achievements).
4th century BCE
 Persia
 King of Persia, attempted to stop
Alexander’s advance
 Offered Alexander 1/3 of his
empire…Alexander refused and vowed to
conquer the whole thing, which he did
 Assassinated by one of his satraps.
Chapter 5.4 Alexander- Empire Builder
I. Philip Builds Macedonia’s Power
 Macedonia: rough mountains and a cold
climate
 Macedonians lived in mountain villages
rather than city-states
 Macedonian language similar to Greek
 Most Macedonian nobles thought of
themselves as Greeks…Greeks looked down
on them
A. Philip’s Army
 359BCE: Philip II became king of
Macedonia…brilliant general and ruthless
politician
o Well-trained professional
armies…phalanxes 16 across and 16
deep
B. Conquest of Greece
 Demosthenes: Athenian orator who tried to
warn the Greeks of the threat Philip and his
army posed.
 Greek cities couldn’t agree on any single
policy
 338BCE: Athens and Thebes joined forces
against Philip…Macedonians defeated the
Greeks at the Battle of Chaeronea
o Ended Greek freedom and
independence
o City-states retained self-government in
local affairs
 Philip planned to invade Persia…but didn’t
get the chance
o Assassinated at his daughter’s wedding
in 336BCE, by a former guardsman
o Alexander immediately proclaimed
himself king of Macedonia…became
known as Alexander the Great
II. Alexander Defeats Persia
 20 years old when he became king in
336BCE
 Student of Aristotle…especially
Homer…kept copy of Iliad under his pillow
 Thebes rebelled…Alexander destroyed the
city…6,000 people were killed…survivors
were sold into slavery…
A. Invasion of Persia
 Alexander then wanted to carry out his
dad’s plan to invade Persia
 334BCE: led 35,000 soldiers across the
Hellespont into Anatolia
 Persians sent 40,000 men, but were
defeated by Alexander’s forces
 Persian king, Darius III, was alarmed and
vowed to crush the Macedonians
o Raised an army of 50,000 to 75,000 men
 Alexander was outnumbered…so relied on
surprise…ordered his finest troops to break
through a weak point in the Persian
lines…charged straight at Darius…frightened
king fled…Alexander then had control over
Anatolia
B. Alexander’s Ambitions Grow
 Darius then tried to negotiate
peace…offered Alexander the western 1/3
of his empire
 Alexander rejected the offer and
announced a plan to conquer the entire
Persian Empire
 Alexander marched into Egypt, Persian
territory, in 332BCE…Egyptians welcomed
Alexander as a liberator…visited the temple
of the god Zeus-Ammon…Alexander was
crowned pharaoh…founded the city of
Alexandria at the mouth of the Nile
C. Conquering the Persian Empire
 After Egypt, Alexander moved east into
Mesopotamia to confront Darius
 Persians assembled 250,000 men
o Persian chariots had deadly scythes
protruding from the wheel hubs.
 2 armies collided at Gaugamela (near ruins
of Nineveh)
o Alexander launched a phalanx attack,
followed by a cavalry charge
o Darius again panicked and fled
o Alexander’s victory at Gaugamela ended
Persia’s power
o Macedonian army now marched
unopposed
 Alexander’s army occupied the capitals of
Babylon, Susa, and Persepolis…treasure was
distributed to his army…fire in Persepolis
(planned or not?)
III. Alexander’s Other Conquests
 Alexander was then the unchallenged ruler
of southwest Asia…wanted to continue to
expand his empire
 Pursued Darius and continued conquering
the Persian’s remote Asian provinces
 Alexander tracked Darius III to a remote
place south of the Caspian Sea and found
him already dead, killed by one of his
provincial governors
 Alexander continued east…fought across
Central Asia for the next 3 years
A. Alexander in India
 327BCE: Alexander and his army crossed
into the Indus Valley…won a hard-fought
battle against Indians with 200 elephants at
the Hydaspes River
 Morale was low…Alexander’s troops had
marched more than 11,000 miles and had
been gone for 11 years…with mutiny on his
hands, Alexander agreed to turn back
 Alexander and his men crossed a
desert…Alexander was offered water in a
helmet, but poured it out as a show of
solidarity with his men
 Spring of 323BCE, Alexander was back in
Babylon and had new plans to reorganize
his empire, but he died less than a year
later, one month shy of his 33rd birthday
B.
Alexander’s Legacy
 Alexander knew his empire would go to his
strongest general…3 Macedonian generals
won out…
o Antigonus: king of Macedonia and took
control of the Greek city-states
o Ptolemy: seized Egypt, took title of
pharaoh, established the Ptolemaic
Dynasty
o Seleucus: took most of the old Persian
Empire…known as Seleucid Empire
o All 3 governed with complete power
over their subjects
 Era of independent Greek city-states had
ended
 Many Greeks followed Alexander’s troops
and spread Greek culture
 Hellenistic Culture emerged (blend of
Greek, Egyptian and Eastern customs)