ALEXANDER AND THE HELLENISTIC AGE

1. ALEXANDER AND THE HELLENISTIC AGE PAGES 120-123

2. SETTING THE SCENE • People warned Athens of Philip II, the king of Macedonia. They warned that he was never satisfied and always wanted more. • Athens acted too late against him, & lost their independence along with the other city-states • This disaster ushered in a new age • Greek influence spread from the Mediterranean to the borders of India. • Philip II’s son & architect to this era is known to history as, Alexander the Great

3. Philip the II & Macedonia • Macedonia to the Greeks was a backward half-civilized mountainous land. • Philip gained the throne in 359BC & dreamed of conquering Greece • 338BC he defeated Athens & Thebes at the battle of Chaeronea. This brought all of Greece under his control • He still wanted more…the Persian Empire, but before he could go after the, he was assassinated at his daughter’s wedding.

4. PHILIP THE II’S EMPIRE

5. ALEXANDER THE GREAT • Alexander was only 20 years old • He was an experienced soldier & shared his father’s plan • The Persian ruler Darius III was weak, & the provinces were in rebellion against him. • The Persian empire stretched for more than 2,000 miles from Egypt to India. • He began marching through Asia Minor into Palestine & south to Egypt. • 331BC he took Babylon & other Persian capitals, but before he reached Darius III, the Persian ruler was murdered.

6. ALEXANDER THE GREAT CONT. • He headed east, and crossed into northern India. • 326BC for the 1st time his soldiers faced troops mounted on war elephants • Even after never losing a battle, his soldiers were tired and refused to go farther east. • Upon his death bed, it is said that he whispered, “To the strongest” when asked who would take over for him • No one leader proved strong enough to succeed him • 3 generals divided up the empire: Macedonia & Greece to one, Egypt to another, & most of Persia to the 3rd

7. ALEXANDER THE GREAT CONT.

8. The Legacy of Alexander • His most lasting achievement was the spread of Greek culture • Greek temples were filled with Greek statues from Egypt to the borders of India • Eastern & western cultures began blending • Alexander encouraged this when he married a Persian woman & urged his soldiers to follow. • He dressed in Persian dress • The blending of Greek, Persian, Egyptian, & Indian cultures is known as the Hellenistic civilization

9. Alexandria • Located at the heart of the Hellenistic world on the sea lanes between Europe & Asia • People from all cultures filled the streets • Pharos was an amazing sight that was a 440 ft tall lighthouse • Rulers built the Museum as a center of learning • The Museum had labs, lecture halls, & a zoo • The library there had thousands of scrolls that represented the accumulated knowledge of the ancient world • More women learned to read and write • Able & clever Cleopatra came to rule in her own right

10. Hellenistic Civilization • Armies of architects & artists were employed throughout the Hellenistic world • The Hellenistic Age contributed to the rise of new schools of philosophy such as Stoicism • Stoicism • Founded by Zeno • Urged people to avoid desires & disappointment by accepting whatever life brought • Preached high moral standards • Protecting the rights of fellow humans • All people including women & slaves were morally equal because all had the power of reason

11. Learning • Aristarchus argued that Earth rotated on its axis & orbited around the sun. This idea was not accepted for another 2,000 years. • Eratosthenes showed that Earth was round & calculated its circumference. • These thinkers built on earlier knowledge & better developed this knowledge. • Hippocrates studied the causes of illnesses & looked for cures. • His Hippocratic oath set ethical standards for doctors. • Greek ideas have influenced political thinking to the present day, and set standards in arts & sciences for later people of Europe. • Also, during this period, Rome emerged as a powerful new state