1. Put yourself in order of your event.
What is your event?
Put yourself in order of your event.

2. Alexander the Great
&
The Greeks

3. Do Now/ Ngohe Naianei: Mix n Match keywords
Autonomous
All Greeks together
panhellenic
Military commander of the League of Corinth’s forces
Hegemon
Council of Representatives from each city state at the League of Corinth
Strategos autocrator
Make own decisions about own affairs
Synhedrion
Leader of League of Corinth
Polis
Greek city state

4. Alexander the Great: collecting evidence
Topic / Event
Modern Quote
Ancient Quote
Conclusion
Historians of Alexander
King Philip II and raising Alexander
Alexander’s ancestry
Murder of King Philip II

5. Topic/Event
Modern Quote
Ancient Quote
Conclusion
Phillip II & the Corinthian League
Alexander & the Corinthian League
Alexander & the Greek City States
Alexander & the rebellions

6. Historians of Alexander – modern quotes
“The “official” history was that of Callisthenes…written with the aim of glorifying the king and of selling the Panhellenic expedition to the Greeks at home” - Waldemar Heckel
“Ptolemy has a good reputation, although most would reject Arrian’s naïve remark that he had a greater claim to credibility since, as a king, it would be more shameful for him to tell lies” - Heckel
“Recently…scholars have explored Ptolemy’s bias and observed that he was as prepared to omit the achievements of his political enemies as to embellish his own” – Heckel
“there is the matter of Arrian’s ‘whitewashing’ of Alexander” - Heckel

7. Quotes
“Alexander himself appears to have appreciated Greek culture and to have been conscious of Macedonian cultural inferiority” - Heckel
“the bad nature of Olympias, a jealous and resentful women, who would spur Alexander to anger” - Plutarch
“Alexander’s ancestry went back to Heracles on his father’s side” – Diodorus
“Olympias…was a descendant of Achilles” - Heckel
“Alexander may have had a natural desire to surpass the achievements of gods and heroes…his striving is presented as motivated by his pothos [desire to do great things]” - Heckel

8. Alexander the Great The Corinthian League Learning Objectives
Discuss the actions and achievements made by Alexander when conquering the Greek City States.
Alexander the Great
The Corinthian League

9. The ancient city of Corinth is located on the narrow stretch of land that joins Peloponnese to the mainland.
Co r I n th
Corinth was conquered by Philip II in 338 BC and served as the meeting place for the signing of treaties between the Greeks and the Macedonians.

12. Greece in the 4th Century
Greece divided into poleis (eg Athens, Sparta, Thebes)
Poleis independent and in conflict with each other
Shared language, religion, culture
Different political systems
Persian Invasion
388 BC Artaxerxes (the Great King) invaded and forced Greek states to accept the ‘King’s Peace:’
Persia had supreme control over all the defeated Greek states (must contribute money and armies to Persia on demand)
Sparta was the enforces of the peace in Greece
Persia failed to defeat Macedonia so it emerged as powerful leading state

13. Phillip II’s reign 359-336 BC Aim: increase Macedonia’s territory
Wanted to take over Greek states (south of Macedonia) so he expected opposition from Persia – but his military was less powerful
Planned to take over Greek states quickly, unite them under his rule and convinced them to fight Persia, their common enemy
How?
Religious war of revenge (Persians had destroyed and desecrated temples)
Hellenising Macedonia (Greek literature, ideas, official language)
Re-organised army – highly-trained, well-equipped, disciplined
Avoided war with Greeks initially

14. Phillip II & The Corinthian League
In late summer of 338 BC, Phillip and his army fought against a few small units of Greeks in Chaeroneia
The Greeks were no match for Phillip and his Macedonians.
Little is known about the battle itself except that the Greek casualties were heavy and the destructive blow was struck by the companion cavalry led by Phillip’s 18 year old son Alexander.
Following the successful battle, Phillip’s goal was to lead Greece in a Panhellenic campaign against Persia.
This gained him the support of many people throughout Greece.
It was at this point that an invitation was issued to the Greek states to attend a peace conference in Corinth.
Representatives from all Greek states, except Sparta, met in Corinth for the purpose of discussing Phillip’s proposals.
The meeting began in 338 BC and discussions continued until the Spring of 337 BC (Sparta refused to join, claiming to be a leader, not a follower).

15. Phillip proposed that the states should:
Become members of a federal union, a League of Hellenes – later to be known as the League of Corinth
Take an oath to observe a common peace among member states
Remain free and autonomous under their existing constitutions
Respect on another constitutions, including the kingdom of Phillip and his descendants
Take common action against any state which broke the peace
Uphold existing laws dealing with executions and sentences of exiles, confiscation and redistribution of property, etc.

16. “He spread the word that he wished to undertake war against the Persians on behalf of Greece and to punish them for their sacrilege they had committed against Greek temples”
- Diodorus 16.89
Alexander: Classical Studies for schools Study Materials No. 5, p. 8.

17. Phillip used charm and diplomacy to gain the support of the representatives.
He treated them as equals.
Phillip also made proposals of peace and autonomy without the expectation of a tribute – this was attractive to the members of the states.
During the first meeting of the League, Phillip introduced the idea of raising an allied army for the purpose of fighting Persia.
He also stated that this was to be a religious war of revenge against the Persians for the destruction of the Greek temples by Xerxes in 480 BC.
Though the ideas suggested by Phillip were revolutionary and attractive, he died before he could invade Persia
Phillip became the first Hegemon and Strategos autocrator

18. “Historians have long suggested that the primary purpose of the League of Corinth was to legitimize Phillip’s domination of Greece”
- S. Pomeroy, et. al.
Ancient Greece: A Political, Social and Cultural History
p. 423

19. Alexander & The Corinthian League
Following the murder of his father and his ascension to the throne, Alexander was determined to maintain firm control of the Greek states.
The members of the League of Corinth were forced to accept Alexander as their Hegemon and Strategos.
In the earliest stages of his reign, the Greek states joined the League reluctantly – this resulted in several rebellions against Macedonian rule.
The League of Corinth was important to Alexander because it gave him control – over the Greek states of the mainland and many of the islands, over the Athenian fleet and the Greek armies (including the Thessalian cavalry).
The League also allowed Alexander to maintain peace in Greece, as member states were forbidden to fight each other.
Alexander was also able to lead the allied troops against Persia under the pretext of a religious war of revenge.

20. “Each state agreed except Sparta, for the Spartans said that ancestral custom enjoined them not to follow others, but to lead”
- Tod, Greek Historical Inscriptions, No. 177
Alexander: Classical Studies for schools Study Materials No. 5, p. 9

21. The League of Corinth
Create a SWOT analysis of the League of Corinth and Alexander’s place in it (336 BC).
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats

22. Topic/Event
Modern Quote
Ancient Quote
Conclusion
Phillip II & the Corinthian League
Alexander & the Corinthian League
Alexander & the Greek City States
Alexander & the rebellions