Warm-Up Quiz: List 2 ways the Greeks influenced American government? List one Greek and their contribution to either math, science or medicine. According to Ptolemy what was at the center of the universe? Who was Socrates and why was he important? Who was Aristotle and why was he important?

Hellenism and Alexander the Great Essential Question: What were the important contributions of Hellenistic Greece? Hellenism and Alexander the Great

Greek wealth & innovation made it a target to outside invasion; the Persian kings Darius & Xerxes tried (and failed) to conquer the Greeks in the Persian Wars

The Peloponnesian Wars left the Greeks weak & open to invasion After the Persian Wars, the Greek city-states, led by rivals Athens & Sparta, fought each other in the Peloponnesian Wars

In 338 BCE, King Philip II of Macedonia attacked & conquered the Greeks, but he died soon after Under Aristotle, Alexander learned science, geography and literature. Alexander particularly loved the heroic deeds of Achilles from the Trojan Wars. Macedonians viewed themselves as Greeks & shared much of their culture; King Philip II hired Aristotle to tutor his son Alexander

King Alexander of Macedonia Alexander was only 20 years old when he became king of Macedonia: But he proved to be ambitious & a brilliant military strategist Once in power, Alexander began to expand his empire Philip II was stabbed to death in 336 BCE at his daughter’s wedding. Alexander and his mother may have killed Philip II. Remember an empire is both a physical and cultural.

The Empire of Alexander the Great Alexander began his conquest by killing 6,000 Thebans & selling the rest else into slavery; His brutality convinced other Greeks to accept his leadership Alexander set his sights on the Persian Empire & began his attack by conquering Egypt; Egyptians viewed Alexander as a liberator

The Empire of Alexander the Great In 331 BCE, Alexander attacked & defeated the mighty Persian army led by King Darius III Alexander led his army to conquer India; After taking the Indus River Valley, Alexander’s troops begged him to return home after being away 11 years Alexander lead 35,000 troops into Anatolia and met 40,000 Persians. Alex attached 1st and won control of Anatolia.

The Empire of Alexander the Great By 323 BCE, Alexander had conquered a massive empire & began plans to govern & unify his kingdom, but he fell ill & died at the age of 32 By the spring of 323 B.C., Alexander and his army had reached Babylon. Restless as always, Alexander announced plans to organize and unify his empire. He would construct new cities, roads, and harbors and conquer Arabia. However, Alexander never carried out his plans. He became seriously ill with a fever and died a few days later. He was just 32 years old. He was probably slowly poisoned by one or more of his generals.

Alexander left behind an important legacy: He spread Hellenistic innovations & culture throughout his empire In each territory he conquered, Alexander left behind a Greek-styled city named Alexandria Hellenism was a blend of Greek, Persian, Egyptian, and Indian cultures.

Alexandria in Egypt was the most significant of these cities & represented Hellenistic culture Alexandria became the center for Hellenistic culture & trade for the Mediterranean world Alexandria had a museum & library that preserved Greek, Egyptian, Persian, Indian cultures & attracted scholars for centuries Alexandria, Egypt has a 350 foot tall lighthouse in its harbor called the Pharos. This lighthouse contained a polished bronze mirror that, at night, reflected the light from a blazing fire. The museum was dedicated to the Muses, the Greek goddesses of arts and sciences. It contained art galleries, a zoo, botanical gardens, and even a dining hall. The museum was an institute of advanced study. The Alexandrian Library housed a collection of half a million papyrus scrolls including many of the masterpieces of ancient literature. It was one of the first true research libraries and helped promote the work of gifted scholars.

Alexandria Egypt

When Alexander died without an heir, his empire was divided among his top 3 generals; who then ruled with complete power Alexander's empire was the largest of the classical era, but it was short-lived (13 years) & was never unified or governed

Summary of Alexander the Great: King of Macedonia Built an empire that spanned from the Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea all the way to India He was a military genius & well educated Hellenistic Culture: Combined Egyptian, Persian, Greek, and Indian cultures. Learning became very important Trade increased throughout the empire and between different regions

Closure Activity: In 2-3 sentences, summarize the importance of Alexander the Great. What was one way Cyrus the Great and Alexander the Great were similar to each other?