Alexander the Great and the spread of Hellenistic Culture

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Alexander the Great and the spread of Hellenistic
Culture

• 360 300 B.C.

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King Philip IIs Macedonian Empire

• Greece city-states weak after the Peloponnesian
  Wars
• 359 B.C. Philip took over as king of Macedonia
• Skilled military leader (16 x 16 phalanx)
• 338 B.C. Macedonia takes over the Greek
  city-states
• City-states retain local control, but under the
  control of a foreign power
• Plan was to attack the Persian Empire
• 336 B.C. Philip murdered by his former guard
• Philips son Alexander takes over as king

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Alexander the Great

• Childhood
• Tutored by Aristotle (science, geography,
  literature)
• Idealized heroes of Homers the Iliad
• Theban revolt
• Destroyed the city, killed 6,000, and sold the
  rest into slavery
• No other Greek cities revolt under Alexander
• Invasion of Persia
• Crossing the Hellespont
• Victory at Granicus
• Defeat of Darius III gave control of Anatolia
  (Asia Minor)

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Alexander the Great (cont.)

• 332 B.C. invades Egypt (Persian land)
• Egyptians crown Alexander as pharaoh
• Founds the city of Alexandria
• 331 B.C. Defeated Darius and 250,000 men at
  Gaugamela
• Conquers Babylon, Susa, and Persepolis (burns)
• 326 B.C. reaches India (unable to conquer)
• Died in 322 B.C. (32 years old)

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Legacy of Alexander the Great

• Alexanders empire divided up
• Greece (ruled by Antigonus)
• Egypt (ruled by Ptolemy)
• Persia (ruled by Seleucus)
• Alexander adopted Persian culture (dress, married
  a Persian woman)
• After Alexander mixture of Greek and Eastern
  culture Hellenistic

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Hellenistic Culture

• Hellenistic mixture of Greek, Egyptian,
  Persian, and Indian cultures
• Alexandria
• Center of trade
• The Library of Alexandria
• Science and Technology
• Astronomy (Eratosthenes)
• Math (Euclid geometry)
• Science (Archimedes pi)

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Eratosthenes
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Hellenistic Culture (cont.)

• Philosophy and Art
• Zeno Stoicism live a virtuous life and reject
  desires and wealth
• Epicurus Epicureanism moderation of all
  things
• Realism in Sculpture
• Colossus of Rhodes
• Nike of Samothrace
• 150 B.C. Hellenistic culture fades and is
  replaced by a new powerful neighbor (Rome)

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Colossus of Rhodes
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Nike of Samothrace
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Hellenistic Sculptures