1. and the Hellenistic Age
Alexander the Great
and the Hellenistic Age

2. The Macedonians
The Macedonians lived in the north of the Greek peninsula and spoke a dialect of Greek
Considered backward cousins of the Greeks
They were mostly farmers and shepherds
They had not achieved the same cultural glory as the Greeks to the south
Behind their southern cousins in wealth and culture
In the fourth century BCE, several kings united the Macedonian people and transformed the state into a great military power

3. Philip II of Macedonia(359 BCE – 336 BCE)
Brilliant and ambitious king
Hostage in Thebes for 3 years, where he learned the new battle tactics of Thebans
Discovery of gold deposits provided him with the wealth to assemble one of the greatest fighting forces the world had ever seen
Greeks were weak, disorganized after Peloponnesian War
At battle of Chaeronea near Thebes in 338 BCE, Philip II crushed the independent Greek city-states and made them part of Macedonia
For the first time, all mainland Greeks were joined together under the rule of a single leader
Philip was determined to conquer Persia as well

4. Rise of Macedonia

5. Philip the Great
Military strength rested on his ingenious use of the phalanx formation and the strong support of a well-trained cavalry
Experimented with combining cavalry and infantry, used new weapons
Used battering rams on gates, catapults to hurl stones at enemy walls
Philip II was assassinated by a member of his own bodyguard during his daughter’s wedding celebration
His 20 year old son Alexander was proclaimed king

6. Macedonian Phalanx Men had spears that were 4 metres long
Rows of 16 deep, soldiers marched, front rows with spears pointed forward and rear with spears pointed upwards
Three phalanx formations would trap the enemy by closing in from all sides
Cavalry and shield bearers supported phalanxs

7. Discovery of his tomb?
Royal burial chamber excavated at Vergina in northern Greece
Outside facade had painting of a lion hunt with figures identified as Philip the Great and a young Alexander
Wrapped in purple and gold cloth were the burnt bones of a man whom many believe was Philip the Great himself
Many others now think this tomb actually belonged to Philip’s son, Philip III Arrhidaeus, the half brother of Alexander

8. Philip the Great
Reconstructed from fragments of a skull found in the tomb of Vergina. Philip was known to have lost an eye in battle.

9. Alexander the Great
Alexander had already proven his military prowess as leader of the cavalry in the great victory over the Greek city-states at Chaeronea
Alexander set out to complete his father’s original plans for expanding the empire
In 334 he began an 11-year campaign of conquest that took his armies into Egypt, Persia, Mesopotamia, and as far east as the Indus River in India
Troops confronted force in India that included 200 elephants
Alexander’s cavalry virtually immobilized because the horses were terrified by the strange, huge animals

10. Conquests of Alexander

11. The end of his conquests
Alexander wanted to push even farther east, but he turned back
His men were exhausted and were ready to mutiny
His generals convinced him that it was time to return home
In 323 BCE, Alexander died at the age of 33, perhaps from typhoid or malaria

12. The Hellenistic Age
Period that begins with Alexander’s conquests and ends around 27 BCE is called the Hellenistic Age
Hellenistic civilization a blend of eastern and western influences
Alexander welcomed both Greeks and Persians into his armies, so the different cultures learned from one another
Alexander’s huge empire, from Greece to India, provided a broad base for the spread of Greek culture

13. Spread of Greek Culture
Greek and Macedonian citizens settled in the new cities
Greek scholars, artists, craftspeople, and soldiers travelled to new territories and spread Greek culture
Alexander intended to make Greek culture and language a unifying force in the empire
he also respected the customs and laws of the people he had conquered
This was a wise decision on Alexander’s part, since the nationalities may have rebelled if forced to adopt Greek customs completely

14. Accomplishments of the Hellenistic Age
Euclid systematized geometry
Archimedes advanced theoretical physics
Aristarchus formulated the view that the earth moved around the sun – a view his contemporaries did not accept
Ethical philosophy of stoicism was also developed: according to this philosophy humans should be virtuous despite the pain or consequences and people should always obey the laws of nature or Divine Reason, which ruled the universe of all people

15. The End When Alexander died there was no heir apparent
For 40 years, his generals fought over the spoils of the empire
Alexander’s empire divided into three kingdoms:
Seleucus took over Asiatic part of empire and established Seleucid dynasty
Ptolemy established Ptolemaic dynasty in Africa (Egypt and eastern Libya), the last ruler of which was the famous queen, Cleopatra
Antigonus snatched the European portion, including Greece and Macedonia and founded Antigonid dynasty
On the Greek mainland, turmoil again marked the lives of the citizens
Peace was not restored until Rome conquered Greece in 27 BCE