Download Alexander the Great

Name_________________________________________________________________________ Chapter 9: The Greek World Section 3: Alexander the Great Big Idea Alexander the Great built a huge empire and helped spread Greek culture into Egypt and Asia Main Ideas: 1. Macedonia conquered Greece in the 300s B.C. 2. Alexander the Great built an empire that united much of Europe, Asia, and Egypt 3. The Hellenistic kingdoms formed from Alexander’s empire blended Greek and other cultures Macedonia Conquers Greece Vocabulary
1) phalanx – group of warriors who stood close together in a square
Key People:
1) Philip II – Macedonian king who took over Greece and ruled from 359-336 BC
Questions:
1) Philip wanted to conquer the Persian Empire. Was he successful? Why or why not?
Unsuccessful because he was murdered
2) After Athens and Thebes were defeated by Philip, why did the rest of Greece agree to
make Philip their leader?
Greece had been in turmoil for more than 30 years when Philip became king. Athens and
Thebes were powerful city-states, and Philip beat them easily. Most Greeks probably realized
that life would be more peaceful and stable under Philip’s rule than under conditions of war and
unrest.
3) How did Philip improve upon the Greeks’ phalanx idea?
He gave his soldiers longer spears than his opponents and sent cavalry and archers into battle to
support the phalanx
Reading Check: How was Philip II able to conquer Greece?
Philip was able to defeat Greece because few Greeks responded to Athens’s call for all Greeks
to join together to fight. Consequently, the armies of Athens and their chief ally were easily
defeated.
Alexander Builds an Empire Vocabulary
1) Hellenistic – influenced by Greek ideas; Greek-like
Key People:
1) Alexander the Great – son of Philip II; built an empire that united much of Europe, Asia,
and Egypt – the largest empire of the time
Questions:
1) Why is Alexander called “the Great”?
Because he took over his father’s throne at 20 and then built one of the largest empires the
world has ever seen
2) How did Alexander help spread Greek culture throughout his empire?
Built new cities modeled on Greek cities, built theaters and temples like those in Greece, and
encouraged Greek settlers to move to these new cities
Reading Check: What steps did Alexander take to create his empire?
Alexander destroyed Thebes, attacked the Persian Empire in Asia Minor, went to Egypt and
was crowned pharaoh, and defeated the Persian army for the final time. As he traveled, he built
new cities modeled after Greek cities and encouraged Greek settlers to move.
Hellenistic Kingdoms Questions:
1) What happened to Alexander’s empire after his death?
Three generals divided the empire among themselves. Within 300 years, all of Alexander’s
empire had been conquered by Rome.
Reading Check: Why were three kingdoms created from Alexander’s empire?
When Alexander died without an obvious heir, his generals divided the empire