The Fall of Greece and Alexander the Great

After the Peloponnesian War Sparta and Athens are both weakened They still continue to fight small battles Macedonia is located to the north They see Greece falling apart Philip II able to see it when his son is tutored by Aristotle His son is Alexander the Great Saw this as the chance to overtake Greece

Map of Macedonia & Greece

Philip II of Macedonia Philip II became king at 23; attacked Greece at 34 Used the phalanx with sarissas, then a cavalry Alexander (at the age of 18) leads the cavalry Greeks try to defend their cities but will not work together and are overtaken Ends Greek freedom and independence Philip plans on taking Persia next Unable to do this due to his assassination Killed at his daughter’s wedding by a guard

Phalanx with Sarissas

Map of Macedonia & Greece

Alexander Comes to Power Alexander quickly took power Smart (tutored by Aristotle) and tough Thebes tries to rebel - he kills 6000, others are sold into slavery Bucephalus is Alexander’s favorite horse – rides him in every battle until the horse is killed attacking India Attacks Persia and defeats Darius III With the win he controlled Anatolia Darius tries to cut a deal, he says no Vows to take the entire empire Next goes to Egypt - crowned pharaoh Seen as a liberator and welcomed in (Egyptians were under rule of Persians and did not like it!)

City of Alexandria created Starts Here Defeats Darius III for this Then Egypt City of Alexandria created

Alexander on the Move From Egypt he moved into Mesopotamia Defeats Darius again, takes major cities After this, the empire is his to take Alexander’s armies march towards India Fought for 11 years, covered 11,000 miles When they hit the Indus Valley soldiers wanted to return to their families Alexander allows it; heads for home (Babylon) When he returns he dies of a fever

Alexander’s Vast Empire

Cities all over empire renamed in Alexander’s honor

Following Alexander’s Death His 3 best generals split the empire Known for doing many great things Spread Hellenistic culture A mix of Greek culture with Egyptian, Indian and Persian cultures Made Alexandria, Egypt the new home of learning and knowledge (not Athens) Created museums, libraries, other buildings. Became a meeting place for an international community of culture

The City of Alexandria, Egypt New home of learning and knowledge Had many advancements that made it unique Wide streets, split into blocks (Indian influence) Statues of the gods sculpted in public (Greek) Famous museum built to house many things Named for the Muses – had an observatory, zoo, etc. Had a lighthouse for ships to navigate at night Ships pulling into port at all times and from everywhere Alexandrian Library Housed many works and old papyrus rolls Promoted works of writers and promoted learning

Lighthouse at Alexandria Library at Alexandria

Achievements of Hellenism What is Hellenism/Hellenistic?? Greece used to be called Helles Hellenism were the ideas/thoughts that were influenced by the Greeks Studies of the stars improve Observatory built, size of planets, sun, etc. Accurately measured size of Earth Ptolemy comes up with geocentric universe model (earth is the center) Advancements in mathematics Euclid and Pythagoras- geometry Archimedes- value of pi, levers, pulleys, and the screw design

Achievements of Hellenism Philosophic Advancements Stoicism – believed the world was run by a divine power People should live by natural law and harmony Do not show emotions or let them rule you Epicureanism – world made of atoms and ruled by the gods Gods do not care about humans Goal is to seek out what is pleasurable – live modestly and understand the world around you Art changes from idealistic to realistic Showed emotional faces and new subjects Thoughts break away from the dependency on religion and gods and focus more on reason/logic Hellenistic culture spread until around 150 BC when Rome became the new place to be.