1. Alexander the Great

2. The Macedonians Lived North of the Greek Peninsula Farmers & Shepherds
Powerful Kings had transformed Macedonia into a great military power
The most famous had been Philip of Macedon
Discovery of gold deposits allowed Philip to assemble a massive fighting force
His ultimate plan was to conquer Persia

3. Philip of
Macedon

4. Philip conquered most of the unified city-states - they became his alliance.
He was able to build a huge empire because of the changes he made to the phalanx:

5. Reduced the size of the shield
Added a cavalry (horsemen)
Lengthened the Sarissa from 8 feet to 17 feet
Paid his soldiers
Trained

6. But once again Sparta refused to be a member of an alliance which they didn’t control.
So…

7. …when Philip said:
"You are advised to submit without further delay, for if I bring my army into your land, I will destroy your farms, slay your people, and raze your city."

8. Sparta responded with:
“IF”

10. Philip had many wives.
His 6th wife was names Olympias. Together they had a son, ALEXANDER.

12. His 7th wife was an adolescent named Cleopatra (no not her…)
It is believed that Olympias was angered by this marriage because she feared that her son would never take the throne.
In 336 BCE, Philip was assassinated. It is believed that Olympias was responsible.
So, Alexander became the king at the age of 20.

13. Alexander He soon had rivals murdered
Launched campaigns against Greek states
Established his dominance and military strength.
Then he set out to conquer the world.

14. Alexander wanted to continue his father’s work.
He wanted to conquer the Persian Empire.
He admired men like Hercules and Achilles.

15. He continued his conquests for 11 years. He never lost a battle!
He became the leader of:
Turkey
Syria
Egypt (Alexandria)
Afghanistan
India

16. The decisive battle of Alexander against the Persians (Darius III) happened in 331 BCE on the Plaines of Gaugamela.
With ingenious strategies and his “Companion Cavalry”*, Alexander was able to take the Persians empire as his own!
* Friends and family of the king

17. The Battle of Gaugamela

18. His empire covered most of the known world.
He didn’t destroy the areas he conquered because he wanted to be liked.
Alexander died at the age of 33.

20. He had a large empire, no doubt, but very little was ever put in place to organize it. There was nobody to govern it. So it was divided by 3 generals who fought until it became too weak to continue to survive. Eventually it was absorbed by the Roman Empire!

22. In the Textbook Answer the following: What does Hellenistic mean?
What countries did Alexander the Great’s empire cover?
Alexander intended to make Greek culture and language a unifying force, but what did he do with the customs and laws of the places he conquered?
What were some contributions/accomplishments of the Hellenistic Age to Civilization?