2. Section 5: Alexander and the
Hellenistic Kingdoms
In 359 BCE Philip II came to the throne in powerful
Macedonia. He longed to unite Greece and Macedonia.
Fearful of Philip's intentions, the Greeks formed a
defensive alliance, but they were defeated.
Philip's son Alexander, who became known as
Alexander the Great, defeated the Persian Empire
within a few years and expanded his empire as far east
as modern Pakistan. Although Alexander's empire was
short-lived, it was successful in spreading Greek culture
in the region.
During the Hellenistic Era, Greek colonies thrived in
Southwest Asia, and important works of
science, philosophy, art, and architecture were
produced throughout the Hellenistic world.
3. Section 5: Alexander and the Hellenistic Kingdoms
The Threat of Macedonia: While
Greece was dealing with the
Peloponnesian War, Macedonia
was gaining military strength
under Philip II. He attacked and
overtook Greece, but was
assassinated before he could
accomplish all that he wanted.
In 338 BCE, the Athenians allied
with other Greek states to fight
the Macedonians. They were
defeated at the Battle of
Chaeronea, near Thebes.
From there, Philip quickly gained
control of all of Greece, bringing
an end to their freedom. He
insisted the Greeks states form a
league and cooperate with him in a
war against Persia. He was
assassinated before this occurred,
and his son Alexander took over
this ambitious plan.
4. Alexander the Great
Only 20 when he became king of Macedonia. His
father prepared him to become king during his entire
life
Alexander’s Conquests
Beginning in 334 BCE, Alexander entered Asia Minor with
an army of 37,000 made up of Macedonians and Greeks
By 332 BCE, Alexander had freed the Ionian Greek cities in
Asia Minor, and conquered Syria, Palestine, and Egypt.
Alexandria, Egypt is named after him.
5. Alexander the Great
By 331 BCE, Alexander defeated the Persians at Gaugamela (near
Babylon)
After this battle, he took control of Persian Empire
By 326 BCE, Alexander had reached India and the Indus river.
He had many difficulties in India, and his soldiers refused to go
further into India
Alexander agreed to return home, but thousands died as a result
of his choice to go through the desert (in current Iran)
He returned to Babylon and planned more campaigns
In June of 323 BCE, Alexander died from exhaustion, wounds,
fever, and alcohol. He was 32 years old.
7. Alexander’s Legacy
Master of strategy and tactics in battle, which made him
successful general.
Brave and reckless, he inspired troops when he risked his own
life in battle
Alexander wanted to be like Achilles, the legendary fighter of the
Trojan War
Alexander extended Greek and Macedonian rule over one of the
largest empires in history
Greece and Macedonia got rich from the natural resources that
were paid to them by the conquered nations (gold, silver)
Leaders who followed Alexander tried to copy his example and
create military monarchies, in which the military supported rulers
8. Hellenistic Empires
Alexander spread Greek culture throughout
Asia, India, and Northern Africa
Language
Architecture
Art
The influence of Alexander and the spread of Greek
culture led to the creation of Hellenistic Era
Hellenistic means “to imitate Greeks”
9. Hellenistic Empires
• After Alexander’s
death, his empire fell
apart and four kingdoms
emerged:
• Macedonia
• Syria
• Pergamum
• Egypt
• All four kingdoms would
eventually be conquered
by Rome
10. Hellenistic Kingdoms
Rulers of the four new kingdoms used Greeks or
Macedonians to form the new ruling class
Natives were kept out of ruling classes
Natives who wanted to become part of the ruling class were
expected to learn Greek and Greek customs
Alexander created military settlements throughout his
empire
New Kingdoms used these settlements to help spread Greek
culture
Armies were kept in settlements for the protection of the
kingdom
11. Alexandria started as a military
settlement, but grew to
become one of the most
important cities in Egypt.
By the first century
BCE, Alexandria was the largest
city in the Mediterranean
12. Hellenistic Culture
Sculpture
Hellenistic Kings wanted
their cities to look Greek, so
they commissioned (paid
for) hundreds of sculptures
Sculptors moved away from
the ideal and began creating
more realistic sculpture than
was seen in the Classical age
13. Hellenistic Culture
Greek architecture was
prominent in the
Hellenistic Kingdoms
Greek architects were in
high demand in the
Hellenistic kingdoms
Architects built temples,
theaters, baths, and
government buildings
with a distinct Greek style
14. Hellenistic Culture
Literature Science
The Hellenistic Age saw
Alexandria had largest considerable advances in the
library of ancient times sciences, especially math and
astronomy
Argonautica was written, it
Aristarchus developed helio-
was the story of Jason and centric theory that sun was
the Argonauts and the center of universe
search for the Golden Fleece Eratosthenes determined
earth’s circumference (he
Poetry, drama, and was off by only 185 miles)
literature thrived in Euclid wrote Elements, the
Hellenistic Kingdoms first textbook on geometry
15. Archimedes
One of the most important scientists of the Hellenistic era was
Archimedes
Studied geometry, especially spheres and cylinders, he established the
value of the mathematical constant PI (π)
Archimedes was an inventor, he invented the Archimedes Screw, which
was used to pump water out of mines and for irrigation
He built devices to repel attackers when the Romans laid siege to the
city of Syracuse
He’s famous for uttering “Eureka” upon discovering the theory of
displacement while in his bath
Also emphasized the importance of levers, which led to the invention of
machines and weapons for the next several centuries
16. Philosophy
Athens remained the center of philosophy in the Hellenistic
world, men would come from throughout Asia, Africa, and
Greece to study philosophy in Athens
Epicurus established Epicureanism, a philosophy that said
humans should follow their own self-interest, as their self-
interest was a motivating force
Another school of thought was Stoicism, established by Zeno,
which was concerned with how people find happiness. Stoics
believed happiness was gained through inner peace and
harmony with the will of god. Stoics could bear whatever
happened in life because they believed it was the will of god.
These people were called Stoics.
