1. Alexander “the Great”? CHW3M
Metropolitan Museum, Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, Stater with Head of Alexander the Great, BC, 2000, (March 26, 2012); BBC History, Alexander the Great, 2004, (Oct. 23, 2015).

2. Alexander in Action
Alexander fighting king Darius III of Persia", Alexander Mosaic, Naples National Archaeological Museum from Wikipedia, Alexander the Great, 2017, (April 3, 2017)

3. We Must Ask… Was he great?
Does the answer depend on who you ask?
How much continuity and/or change was there between him and the Persians?

4. Origins in Macedonia Far north of Greece Spoke a dialect of Greek
Considered barbarians
(uncivilized) by other Greeks
Had a more tribal culture
Giampaolo Casati, Alexander the Great: the Conqueror (San Diego: Thunder Bay Press, 2004), p. 28.

5. Rise of Macedonia
404 BCE: After the Peloponnesian War (between Athens and Sparta) Thebes was the strongest city-state
359 BCE: Phillip II came to power
Philip then turned his kingdom into a major power
He used Theban battle tactics (phalanx)
338 BCE: He defeated the southern Greeks at Chaeronaea
Unity of Greece for the first time
Then he was assassinated

6. Theban Phalanx
16 rows
Each soldier had a long pike (sarissa added by Phillip)
Robert J. Walker, World Civilizations: A Comparative Study (Don Mills, ON: Oxford, 1998), p. 121.

7. A Big Ego?
At the Oracle at Delphi (where the future is predicted) Alexander was told, just before leaving for Persia, “You are invincible, my son.”
Alan Fildes and Joann Fletcher, Alexander the Great: Son of the Gods (London: Duncan Baird Publishers, 2004), p. 37.

8. Alexander’s Conquests
Areas conquered by Alexander
EyeWitness to History. Alexander Defeats the Persians, 331 BC (March 26, 2012).

9. Persian Empire s
Persian relief from Persepolis, BC, city looted by Alexander
Metropolitan Museum of Art. Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. Relief: two servants bearing food and drink (March 26, 2012).

10. Riches of the Persian Empire
Ruins of Persepolis, former ceremonial capital of the highly organized Persian Empire
Alison Behnke, The Conquests of Alexander the Great (Minneapolis: Lerner Publishing Group, 2008), p. 67.

11. Hellenism
“Greek civilization especially as modified in the Hellenistic period by influences from southwestern Asia.”
Blending of eastern and western cultures W E
Merriam Webster, Hellenism, 2012, (March 26, 2012).

12. Alexandria, Egypt Founded by Alexander in 331 BCE Model of Pharos
Greek architecture
Greek, Persian, Jewish, Syrian
and other residents
Well known as a centre of
learning (library)
Pharos lighthouse
Model of Pharos
Tour Egypt, Pharos Lighthouse of Alexandria, , (March 26, 2012).

13. Hellenistic World
After his death, three of Alexander’s generals, after fighting, split his empire:
Seleucid Empire (Syria and Persia)
Ptolemaic Empire (Egypt and part of Libya)
Antigonid Empire (Greece and Macedonia)

14. Task: Categorization
Go through the Alexander worksheet in your handouts and categorize his actions.
Can be multiple categories per action.

15. Task: Creative Questions
What questions do you have about Alexander’s actions in and against the Persian Empire?
Motivations, effectiveness, precedents, ???

16. Task: Assess Alexander’s Motivations
H Did Alexander use Hellenism for political purposes to rule the Persian Empire more effectively (make them like him)?
MC Did he believe in true multiculturalism, wherein he genuinely appreciated other cultures?

17. Task: Continuity and/or Change
To what extent did Alexander continue practices from the Persian Empire? – assign a % of the circle
To what extent did he introduce changes? – assign a % of the circle

18. Homework: Get ready for Wednesday’s test.
Start writing your outline for Meso/Egypt paragraph.
For your interest:
Archaeology of a mysterious tomb associated with Alexander