Download Chapter 12 Lesson 3

Chapter 12
Lesson 3
Alexander the Great
and His Influence
Pages 374-381
How did Alexander the Great
spread Greek culture
throughout the ancient world?
The Rise of Macedonia
• Alexander was bold and ambitious, even as a
child.
• Macedonia had one of the first professional
armies. This gave the Macedonians a huge
advantage over other cities who drafted farmers
and workers to fight when needed.
• They also had new machines called catapults
that could throw heavy rocks over walls.
The Rise of Macedonia 2
• Greece Falls to Macedonia:
– King Philip used his army to conquer the
Greeks.
– Philip admired the Greek culture and
therefore he chose not to destroy it.
– He reorganized the army and combined it
with his own.
Alexander’s Conquests
• Alexander became king at age 20 when his father was
assassinated.
• He began a conquest, or victory by force.
The Spread of Greek Culture
• Alexander had been trained by Aristotle, a
famous Greek teacher and philosopher.
• Alexander was called “the Great” because of
his ability to spread Greek culture.
• New Greek Colonies:
– As he conquered areas, Alexander set up Greekstyled cities with Greeks left in charge.
– Alexander also adopted some of the local culture.
– The era became known as Hellenistic, or Greek.
The Spread of Greek Culture 2
• The Museum at Alexandria:
– In the new city of Alexandria, Egypt a glorious
museum and a library were built. It was the famous
Library of Alexandria.
After Alexander
• Alexander died at the age of 33 and his empire was
divided by his many generals.