Alexander the Great and
Hellenism
Agenda
Bell Ringer: What makes a civilization
“Classical”?
1. Brief Lecture on Hellenism and Alexander the
Great.
2. Overview of DBQ, Question session.
3. Document-Based Question on Greek Politics
and Culture. (50 minutes)
Philip of Macedon
• Greece weakened by
constant warfare.
• 359 B.C. Philip II of
Macedon becomes King.
• He begins taking Colonies
allied with Athens.
• 338 B.C. – Philip defeats
Thebes and Athens and
the battle of Chaeronea,
then he unites Greece.
– Demosthenes felt that it
threatened Athenian
freedom.
Alexander Enters
• 336 B.C. Philip II is
assassinated.
• 20 year old Alexander
takes over.
• 331 B.C. – Persia
completely destroyed.
• He wanted to bring the
world under one
empire.
• 326 B.C. – They reach
the Indus River Valley
His conquests, and ultimate failure
• Divides troops in half,
and some go by sea
home, while others go
with Alexander.
– Two years, and a trek
through the desert, most
of his troops die.
• 323 B.C. – Discontent
goes through the
empire.
– Alexander becomes ill in
Babylon, and dies at the
age of 33.
Why is Alexander so great?
• Married his
Macedonian troops
with Persians to
promote unity in the
empire.
• Hellenistic – Greek like.
• Ruler-worship – role of
the polis is replaced
with one of a monarch.
These looked to for
guidance.
???
• Greek language, art, and
culture spread
throughout the Middle
East.
• Fusion of several cultures.
– Some claim that Alexander
was attempting to create a
monarchy based on this
merged cultural ideal.
– His successors would only
allow Greek and
Macedonian
administrators.
Document-Based Question
• You will have 50
minutes to read the
documents and write an
essay based on those
documents.
• Two large groupings are
given to you, but within
Politics and Culture
there can be smaller
sub-groupings.
DBQ Rubric and Format
• Rubric
1- Thesis
1- Three Groupings
1- Use all documents
2- Relevance to Thesis
1- POV from two
documents
1- Additional Document
Omitted from this
essay.
• Format
• Introduction
– Thesis
• Grouping/Map Point 1
– Docs, Relevance (this
document proves)
– POV (optional)
• Grouping/Map Point 2
• Grouping/Map Point 3
• Conclusion
– You would usually place
additional document here.