1. Greek defenses were weakened after the Peloponnesian War
Greek defenses were weakened after the Peloponnesian War. This left room for invasion from the outside…

2. THE MACEDONIAS

3. Philip II, King of Macedon
Ruled Macedonia from B.C. and transformed it into a powerful military machine
Moved into northern Greece and met little resistance due to residual effects of Peloponnesian War
By 338 he had Greece under his control

4. Alexander the Great
Philip intended to use Greece as a launching pad to invade Persia, but he was assassinated before he could begin his plan
Instead the invasion of Persia would be left for Philip’s son Alexander who was just 20 when Philip was assassinated
“Alexander inherited from his father the most perfectly organized, trained, and equipped army of ancient times.”
J.F.C. Fuller, The Generalship of Alexander the Great

5. Conquests of Alexander
Ionia and Anatolia 333
Syria, Palestine, Egypt 332
Mesopotamia 331
Persepolis 331
King of Persia 330
India 327
Returns to Susa 324
Dies (age 33) 323
Established an empire from Greece to Egypt and the margins of India

7. How Did He Do It?

8. Warfare
Companions
Alexander’s elite cavalry, the offensive arm of his army, and his elite guard.
They would be used in conjunction with the phalanx. The phalanx would fix the enemy in place and then the companion cavalry would attack on the flank.
Alexander would lead the charge with his cavalry, normally in a wedge formation.
These troops would also protect the flanks of the Macedonian line during battle.

9. Warfare
Sieges involved the surrounding and blockading of a town or fortress by an army trying to capture it.
A variety of weapons were built to hurl projectiles over city walls, scale or batter the walls, and transport soldiers over them.

10. "The Marriage of Alexander the Great and Roxanna" by Ishmail Parbury
The End of the Empire
Alexander
Married Roxanna and had his men also intermarry
Adopted Eastern dress and habits
Publicly insisted upon his descent from the gods
Began giving key positions to Persians
The Macedonians were tired of campaigning and resented the changes in Alexander’s behavior and become mutinous
Alexander died in June 323, perhaps as a result of poisoning
"The Marriage of Alexander the Great and Roxanna" by Ishmail Parbury

11. After Alexander
After Alexander died, his generals fought for power and by 275 they had divided up his kingdom into three large states
The period of Alexander and his successors is called the Hellenistic period to reflect the broad influence of Greek culture beyond Greece’s borders.
The word “Hellenistic” comes from the word Hellazein, which means “to speak Greek or identify with the Greeks.”
It lasted from the death of Alexander in 323 B.C. until 31 B.C., when Roman troops conquered the last of the territories that the Macedonian king had once ruled.