This document provides an overview of Alexander the Great and the spread of Hellenistic culture. It discusses how Philip II united Macedonia and conquered Greece, paving the way for his son Alexander to expand the empire. Alexander then conquered the Persian Empire and continued eastward until his army grew tired. When Alexander died at age 32, his empire broke into three territories between his generals. This resulted in the blending of Greek, Egyptian, Persian and other cultures into Hellenistic civilization.

1. Unit 3: Day 3
Classical Greece
Outcome:
Alexander the Great & Hellenistic
Culture

2. Alexander the Great
1. Setting the Stage: Macedonia
a. Macedonians thought of themselves as Greeks
b. The Greeks did not
Macedonians=uncivilized foreigners

3. Philip II of Macedonia

4. Philip II
2. Philip II of Macedonia
a. Philip II became king of Macedonia at age 23
b. imitated the Greek army
i. Phalanx
c. Philip invades Greece

5. Philip II
d. Battle of Chaeronea:
i. Ends Greek independence
ii. Philip next sets out to defeat the mighty Persian Empire but
won’t…
iii. Philip stabbed to death at his daughter’s wedding

6. Alexander the Great

7. Alexander the Great
3. Alexander the Great
a. Background
i. Takes over at age 20 after the death of his father Philip
II
ii. Taught by Aristotle
iii. Admired the heroic deeds of Achilles during the Trojan
Wars

8. Alexander the Great
b. Alexander defeats the
Persians
b. Continues to take Egypt
i. Alexandria
b. Keeps going to take
over the entire Persian
Empire

9. Alexander’s Empire

10. Alexander the Great
e. Other Conquests
i. Travels east to India- finds out Darius III was
murdered
ii. Soldiers exhausted- 11 years, 11,000 miles- turn
back home

11. Alexander the Great
iii. Alexander dies from illness at age of 32

12. Alexander the Great
Legacy
i. Empire broken into 3 main territories
ii. Would last for centuries

13. Hellenism
b. Hellenism
i. Hellenistic Culture: blending of Egyptian, Persian,
Greek and Indian influences

15. Alexander the Great
• Result: Through Philip II’s and Alexander’s conquests of the
Greeks, Egyptians, & Persians, ideas would spread and cultures
would combine in a way that had never been seen before. After
Alexander’s death, the Greek Civilization would gradually decline
until many of their achievements and ideas would be absorbed into
perhaps the greatest example of Hellenism in history: The Roman
Empire.