Download Key Terms and People Taking Notes

Name _____________________________ Class _________________ Date __________________
Classical Greece
Section 4
MAIN IDEA
Alexander the Great formed a huge empire, spread Greek culture into Egypt
and many parts of Asia, and paved the way for a new civilization to develop in
those areas.
Key Terms and People
Alexander the Great Macedonian leader who ruled Greece and conquered Persia
Hellenistic Greeklike; describes a culture that was no longer purely Greek, but included
elements from Persia, Egypt, Central Asia, and other regions
Euclid Egyptian who formulated many of the geometry ideas we still learn today
Eratosthenes Egyptian scientist who calculated the size of the world, arriving at a figure
remarkably close to the actual circumference of the globe
Archimedes one of the ancient world’s greatest inventors, used mathematics and physics
to create devices that would make life easier
Taking Notes
As you read the summary, use a graphic organizer like the one below to
take notes on Alexander’s empire and the Hellenistic world.
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Classical Greece
Section 4
Section Summary
ALEXANDER THE GREAT
In 359 BC, King Philip II took power in Macedonia,
the country just north of Greece. He reorganized the
army. Then he set out to conquer Greece. Most citystates did not realize the danger, so he faced little
opposition. The Macedonians quickly crushed the
armies that stood against them, and conquered every
major Greek city-state except Sparta. King Philip was
assassinated in 336 BC, so his 20 year old son took
over. We now know him as Alexander the Great.
Alexander had been trained to rule from birth, so he
was ready to lead. As soon as he took over, there were
rebellions in Greece. He used harsh measures to
reestablish his rule: when Thebes rebelled, he crushed
its army and burned the city. After getting Greece
under control, he went into Asia to fight the large but
disorganized Persian army. Alexander’s army was
smaller but well-trained and loyal. He won several
major victories in Asia Minor, then went into
Phoenicia and Egypt, which were also ruled by Persia.
He was greeted as a liberator; the Egyptians even
made him pharaoh. He then marched into what is now
Iraq, where he destroyed the Persian army. But he was
not yet satisfied. He led his army deeper into Central
Asia, to the Indus river. At that point his soldiers had
had enough, so Alexander turned back.
Alexander built a huge empire, but in 323 he fell ill
and died at age 33. He had not named an heir, so his
generals fought among themselves for power. In the
end, the empire was divided among three of them:
Antigonus ruled Macedonia and Greece, Seleucis
(suh-LOO-kuhs) took over the former Persian Empire,
and Ptolemy (TAHL-uh-mee) ruled Egypt.
THE HELLENISTIC WORLD
By creating a huge new empire, Alexander brought
about a new culture, blending elements from Greece,
Persia, Egypt, Central Asia and other regions.
Historians call this culture Hellenistic, or Greeklike.
Alexander worked to bring people and ideas
together. He appointed officials from various cultures
to help rule. He also built dozens of new cities (most
Why was Philip II able to
conquer Greece so easily?
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Underline the places that
Alexander the Great
conquered.
Why do you think
Alexander made such a
strong effort to blend the
cultures in his empire?
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
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Classical Greece
Section 4
named Alexandria) throughout the empire and
encouraged Greeks to move to them. The most famous
of these was in Egypt at the mouth of the Nile. It
became Egypt’s capital and at one time had the busiest
harbor in the world. Palaces and monuments were
built, such as the Pharos lighthouse and the great
library. It became a center for culture and learning.
Many other cities throughout the empire also
became trading centers. Traders went to East Africa,
Arabia, India, and even China. Traders helped spread
not only goods but ideas like the teachings of Judaism.
The shift to a Hellenistic world brought drastic
changes to people’s lives. Perhaps most importantly,
the city-state was no longer the main political unit.
Traditional forms of government such as democracy
were replaced with monarchy. Women’s lives also
changed: for the first time, they were given the rights
to be educated and to own property.
HELLENISTIC ACHIEVEMENTS
The blending of cultures in the Hellenistic world led
to an exchange of ideas, which then led to advances in
philosophy, literature, and science.
Interest in philosophy spread, and new schools of
philosophy developed. One was the Cynics. They
rejected pleasure, wealth, and social responsibility,
believing people should live according to nature. The
Epicureans, on the other hand, thought people should
seek out pleasure and try to avoid pain. Stoics
emphasized reason, self-discipline, emotional control
and personal morality.
Artists in this period learned to convey emotion and
movement in their works. Women became much more
common subjects of art. This was also true in
literature, where love stories became popular for the
first time. There were also important advances in
science, especially in Egypt. Euclid formulated many
ideas about geometry, while Eratosthenes calculated
the circumference of the globe. Others studied the
movement of the stars and the workings of the human
body. Archimedes, one of the greatest inventors of
the ancient world, used math and physics to design
machines such as pulleys to lift heavy loads and a
mechanical screw for drawing water out of a well.
How did life change in
cities in the Hellenistic
world?
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
What was the focus of each
of the three new schools of
philosophy?
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
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