Alexander the Great

Philip II (Alexander’s father)

• Became king of Macedon in 359 BC

• Conquered south• Athenian Demosthenes

spoke out against him (Three Philippics)

• Battle of Chaeronea 338 BC, defeated Athens and Thebes, controlled Greece

• Assassinated in 336 BC

Young Alexander

• Born in 356 BC to Philip II and Olympias (non-Macedonian)

• Tutored by Aristotle and Leonidas

• Tamed the horse Bucephalus

• Father assassinated in 336 BC

• Life of Alexander by Plutarch

“Untying” the Gordion Knot

• Gordium, Turkey, 333 BC

• Tied by King Midas or his father Gordius

• The prophecy• Alexander solves it

Battle of Granicus, 334 BC

• First major victory over Persians

• Persia ruled by Darius III

• 47,000 (Macedonians and various Greeks) versus 24,000

• Greek mercenaries• Granicus - river near

Troy

Battle of Issus, 333 BC

• Alexander defeats Darius III despite being heavily outnumbered

• Darius III flees• Empire expands to

include Persia

More battles

• Battle of Gaugamela, 331 BC, against Darius III again

• Battle of Hydapses, 326 BC, Punjab region of Pakistan, against King Poros, war elephants

• Empire extends to western India

• Hellenistic vs. Hellenic culture

Alexander’s Empire

Superimposed on modern map

Alexander’s Demise

• Got sick and stayed in Babylon, died there in 323 BC

• Divided up empire among the Diadochi (The followers)

• Egypt – The Ptolemies 305-30 BC

• Asia – Seleucids 305-63 BC

• Macedonia – Antigonids, 295-168 BC

Seleucids, Ptolemies, Antigonids

Egypt and Alexandria

• Ptolemies followed the pharoahs, 305-30 BC

• Many Cleopatras• The Library of

Alexandria• Three separate burnings• 30 BC – Roman

conquest