Alexander the Great

1. Alexander the Great Fill the void and then some

2. Macedonia • A mountainous kingdom north of Greece • Macedonians had their own language and identity

3. King Phillip II 359 BCE Three Objectives: 1. Create an unbeatable army 2. Unify Greece 3. Roach the Persians

4. Amazing Progress 338 BCE • Greece never recovered from Peloponnesian War • Forcefully unified the Greeks and ready to turn east • Promptly died!

5. Enter Young Alexander • As a 16-year-old, he commanded the Macedonian army • Now as a 20-year-old he was king

6. Alexander on a Roll Phase One 334-333 BCE • Liberates Ionia • Then goes on to conquer all of Asia Minor • Turns south and takes Syria, Palestine, and Egypt

7. Egyptian Pharaoh • The Egyptians were so impressed, they named him pharaoh • He founded a city named Alexandria and created the world’s most spectacular library

8. Alexander on a Roll Phase Two 331-327 BCE • Now, Alexander struck east into the heart of Persia • First, he roachedMesopotamia, then Persia (Iran), before reaching all the way to the Indus River (Pakistan)

9. A New Kind of Conqueror • His goal was assimilation • He wanted those he conquered to embrace Hellenistic culture • He made his capital Babylon to encourage good relations • Those conquered by Alexander experienced a higher standard of living

10. A Short-Lived Empire • Alexander died at just 33 in 323 BCE • His amazing personality was the force that held the empire together • When he died it broke apart

11. Amazing Example • The next great empire would be the Romans • They borrowed heavily from Alexander’s example • They would incorporate those they conquered