Alexander the Great
Hero or Villain?
The following slides will provide you with some images and
background information on the conquests of Alexander the
Great.
This is Alexander the Great on horseback during his conquest of Thebes. In
the background, his soldiers are destroying one of the city's buildings. The
Thebans in the foreground are asking him for mercy. Although Alexander
destroyed much of Thebes and sold many of its citizens into slavery, he
spared some of its inhabitants, including the women kneeling by his horse
in this image.
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What two groups of people do you see here?
What are the soldiers in the background doing?
What details in the image suggest that the city is located in Greece?
What does the body language and facial expressions of the Thebans on the
left tell you about their mood?
5. Why might a Theban woman be kneeling at the side of Alexander’s horse?
This is Alexander and his troops
marching in front of the Sphinx in
Giza, after taking over Egypt. Prior
to this conquest, Egypt was ruled
by the Persian Empire. The people
in the foreground are Persians who
have just lost control of Egypt. They
are chained to be taken away as
captives by Alexander's troops.
1. What do you see in this image?
2. What civilization created the
monuments in the background?
3. What details in the image suggest
that Alexander has conquered
Egypt?
4. Why do you think the Persians in
the foreground, but not the
Egyptians, are in chains?
5. After conquering Egypt,
Alexander made plans to found a
new city there. Why might
Alexander have selected Egypt as
the site for a new city?
Alexander's troops burning and looting the main palace in Persepolis, the
capital of Persian Empire. When Alexander conquered the Persians, he
burned many of the grand buildings in Persepolis and destroyed or stole
many of its royal treasures.
1. What you see in the image?
2. Describe some of the objects strewn on the ground.
3. What do these objects and the buildings in the background reveal about the
civilization that created them?
4. What different types of people do you see? What are they doing? Based on their
facial expressions and body language, how do these people feel about what they
are doing?
5. Why would Alexander allow such a beautiful city to be destroyed?
Alexander the Great and his troops approaching the Indian
king, Porus, along the River Hydaspes in India. Porus is
offering his sword to Alexander as a gesture of surrender.
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What do you see in this image?
What details suggest that this is India?
What two groups do you see?
What unique weapon does the group on the left have?
What might be some advantages and disadvantages of using elephants in battle?
Who seems to have won the battle?
Why would the Indian king on the left be offering his sword to Alexander?
How might Alexander’s forces have felt after traveling from Macedonia to Egypt
and across Asia to India?
This is a map of the conquests of Alexander the Great. The map
shows the extent of Alexander’s empire in 323 BCE and indicates
the major towns he founded and the cities he conquered.
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What do you see on this map?
Where did Alexander make his first conquests? His last?
How far south did Alexander make conquests? How far east?
On how many continents did Alexander conquer people?
What challenges would a military leader face in conquering so many different
places?
This is part of a Roman mosaic showing Alexander and the Persian king,
Darius III, meeting in the battle of Issus. Alexander appears on the far left,
while Darius is shown in a chariot toward the center. Based on a Greek
painting that dates to the fourth century B.C.E., this first-century C.E. mosaic
is believed to be the most reliable representation of Alexander's appearance
in existence.
1. What do you see in the image?
2. What types of weapons are the soldiers using?
3. The two armies depicted in the image are from Macedonia and Persia. Which two
men in the image are leading the armies?
4. Describe the two leaders. The man on the left is Alexander, who is often referred
to as Alexander the Great. How do you think he got that title?
5. Why might some people refuse to refer to Alexander as ‘great’?