BELL RINGER – Monday 9/21
List the AP Regions
Alexander’s Empire
encompassed.
Review Textbook Pages 126-129
Alexander the Great
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LsrkWDCvxg (Crash Course on Alexander the Great)
Why “the Great”?
In ten years, Alexander of
Macedonia created the largest
empire in the world up to that time
Alexander spread Greek culture,
ensuring cultural diffusion and the
survival of the qualities of classical
Greece
Alexander’s Empire
Hellenistic Empire
(Reading Guide)
Alexander’s origins
Born in Pella, Macedonia
Tutored by the Greek
philosopher, Aristotle
His father, Philip, was king of
Macedonia, and had conquered many
Greek city states during his 27 year
reign
Olympia
Alexander’s mother
Philip
Alexander’s father
Alexander Rules
Philip was murdered in 336 B.C.E.
by an assassin…maybe hired by his
wife, Olympia…
Alexander was only 20
when he became king of
Macedonia
Securing his father’s empire
Alexander squelched rebellions in the
northern regions to the Danube River
In the process of reconquering the
Greek city states
His forces destroyed Thebes,
slaughtering 6,000 plus people
Another 30,000 women and children
were enslaved
Mosaic from Pompeii
Expanding the Empire
Alexander’s forces(Macedonian) of over
40,000 crossed at the Dardanelles strait
into Asia, where he declared that the
whole of Asia would be won by the spear
Development of trained Greek hoplite
armies
New Military tactics: Cavalry and Phalanx
The Gordian Knot
The Gordian Knot: the legend behind the
ancient knot was that the man who could
untie it was destined to rule the entire
world.
Alexander simply slashed the knot with
his sword and unraveled it.
Major cities in Asia Minor and
along the Phoenician coast
surrendered to Alexander
 Alexander
proceeded
to Egypt, where he
established the city
of Alexandria and
was made pharaoh
Alexander’s divinity
While in Egypt, Alexander
had visited the temple of
Amon-Ra
The oracle proclaimed that Alexander
was the divine son of Amon-Ra and
destined to rule the world
Conflicts arose with his Greek soldiers
as he adopted Persian dress &
demanded to be recognized as a god
Defeating Darius
of Persia
Alexander’s forced dispatched the Persian army, losing
only 110 men (legend)
Again Alexander was victorious, and Darius was
forced to flee, abandoning is mother, wife and
children to Alexander
According to Aristotle: the Persians were “barbarians,
fit only to be slaves”
Persian Empire too large to maintain causing
administrative (satraps)weaknesses and lack of loyalty
to Darius
The Barbarians – Why?
EUNUCHS- castrated males who were in charge of the
concubines of royal harems, served in the daily life of the court,
and sometimes carried out administrative functions.
THE ACHAEMENID EMPIRE valued eunuchs
According to Herodotus (8.105), the Persians, like other Oriental peoples,
valued eunuchs highly for their trustworthiness. Ctesias and Xenophon
date the appearance of eunuchs in Persia to the time of Cyrus the Great.
It is possible that the Persians adopted the practice of castration from
the Babylonians or Assyrians (Cook, p. 136; cf. also Meier, pp. 4
As part of their tribute, the Babylonians annually sent five hundred boys
to the court of the Persian king to be made eunuchs (Herodotus 3.92).
The five boys sent every third year by the Ethiopians and the hundred
boys sent every five years by the Colchians and their neighbors probably
were also made eunuchs (Herodotus 3.97). In 494 B.C.E., when a revolt
of Ionian cities had been crushed, the Persians castrated the best-looking
boys (Herodotus 6.9, 32). 85-86).
#5: Yet again, Alexander’s forces
defeated Darius, this time in
Mesopotamia (cities of Susa,
Babylon, and Persepolis)
 Alexander was
proclaimed king of
Persia and Darius’s
royal city and palace
were burned to the
ground…
Barbaric
Act by
the
Greeks
Persepolis
Again, Darius fled… Alexander pursued…
When Darius was found murdered
by his own men, Alexander
executed the assassins and gave
Darius a royal funeral
Ruins of
Persepolis
The limits of expansion
In the spring of
327 BC, Alexander
and his army
marched into India
As he conquered
regions he allowed
rulers to continue
to govern in his
name
Bucephalus
In India, Alexander’s horse was killed…
He mourned his loss
and named a city in
his honor
Alexander on his favorite
horse, Bucephalus
'O my son, look thee
out a kingdom equal
to and worthy of
thyself, for Macedonia
is too little for thee.'
Philip to Alexander
(Plutarch, Alexander 6.8.)
Alexander the Great’s
Empire
Retreat
At the Indus, the Macedonians rebelled
and refused to go any farther
The forces travelled down the Indus
and began the arduous journey back
to Mesopotamia
His best friend, Hephaestion,
died of a fever; to console
himself, Alexander led a
ferocious military campaign and
went on a drinking binge
Securing a legacy
Alexander made Babylonia the
capital of his Empire
He married one of Darius’
daughters and “encouraged”
10,000 of his soldiers to take
Persian wives
He died the following year at 33
before he could produce an heir
and his kingdom was divided
among 3 of his generals
The mystery of Alexander’s death
Alexander died of a fever at
33… but why?
Plutarch reports that he
had been plagued by
several bad “omens”
Some others from the time
claimed Alexander was
poisoned during the
drinking binge
ALEXANDER
AND HIS
SUCCESSORS
After Alexander’s death, competition for empire
Divided by generals
Antigonus: Greece and Macedon
Ptolemy: Egypt
Seleucus: Persian Achaemenid Empire
Economic integration, Intellectual cross-fertilization
Antigonus
Seleucus
Ptolemy
Hellenistic Empires
Antigonid (Greece and Macedonia)
Smallest of Hellenistic Empires
Local dissent
Issue of land distribution
• Heavy colonizing activity
Ptolemaic (Egypt)
Wealthiest of the Hellenistic empires
Established state monopolies
• Textiles, Salt, Beer
Capital: Alexandria
• Important port city
• Major museum, library
• Multi-ethnic population
• Monuments
Seleucid (Persia)
Massive colonization of Greeks
Export of Greek culture, values as far east as India
• Bactria
• Ashoka legislates in Greek and Aramaic
The Economy of the Hellenistic
World
A Hellenistic City in Asia
Hellenistic Philosophers

Cynics  Diogenes
 ignore social conventions &
avoid luxuries.
 citizens of the world.
 live a humble, simple life.

Epicurians  Epicurus
 avoid pain & seek pleasure.
 all excess leads to pain!
 politics should be avoided.
Hellenistic Philosophers
 Stoics  Zeno
 nature is the expansion of divine will.
 concept of natural law.
 get involved in politics, not for
personal gain, but to perform virtuous
acts for the good of all.
 true happiness is found in
great achievements.
Hellenism: The Arts &
Sciences
 Scientists / Mathematicians:
 Aristarchus  heliocentric theory.
 Euclid  geometry
 Archimedes  pulley
 Hellenistic Art:
 More realistic; less ideal than Hellenic art.
 Showed individual emotions, wrinkles, and
age!
Wrap-up Question -Monday 9/21
Short Essay Response
Explain the long-term social,
economic, and political
effects of Alexander the
Great’s empire building?
*Review Notes and Textbook Pages 126-129