1. Mr. Giesler Global Studies

2. Who was Alexander the Great and why so great?  Alexander III (356-323 BC), or Alexander the Great was Macedonian king and son of Philip II of Macedon  Born in Pella, Macedonia  Tutored by the Greek philosopher, Aristotle  His father, Philip, was king of Macedonia, and had conquered the Greek city states during his 27 year reign  In ten years, Alexander of Macedonia created the largest empire in the world up to that time  Alexander spread Greek culture, ensuring cultural diffusion and the survival of the qualities of classical Greece

4. Defeating Darius III of Persia, 331BCE  Darius made sure that this battleground favored his army and its tactics particularly the use of his feared scythe-wheeled chariots.  Persian army of possibly 200,000 faced off against Alexander's 35,000.  Alexander immediately sized up the Persian's tactical advantage and countered by ordering his cavalry to shift to the right hoping to move his enemy away from its flat field.  Darius took the bait ordering his troops to follow.  Soon the Persians found themselves on rough, rock-strewn terrain.  Seeing the thinning Persian line, Alexander led the charge that crashed through to the Persian rear.  As at the battle of Issus, Darius fled, leaving the field and victory to Alexander  Darius was forced to flee, abandoning is mother, wife and children to Alexander

5. Defeating Darius III of Persia, 331BCE  Soon the Persians found themselves on rough, rock-strewn terrain.  Seeing the thinning Persian line, Alexander led the charge that crashed through to the Persian rear.  As at the battle of Issus, Darius fled, leaving the field and victory to Alexander  Darius was forced to flee, abandoning is mother, wife and children to Alexander

6.  After Alexander died, his generals jockeyed for power and by 275 they had divided up his kingdom into three large states  Antigonus took Greece and Macedon  Ptolemy took Egypt  Seleuces took the former Achaemenid empire  The period of Alexander and his successors is called the Hellenistic period to reflect the broad influence of Greek culture beyond Greece’s borders Life after Alexander