Aim: Was Alexander a true leader or a great conqueror?

Do Now:

1. How did Greek Independence end?
2. What two kingdoms did Alexander defeat?
3. How large was Alexander's Empire?
4. How did Alexanders Empire end?
   
   

Alexander the Great conquers Persia and Egypt and extends his empire to the
Indus River in northwest India. Philip Builds Macedonian Power

Macedonia
• Macedonia—kingdom of mountain villages north of Greece
• King Philip II—ruler, brilliant general; dreams of controlling Greece
• Macedonians call themselves Greek; rest of Greece does not

Philip’s Army
• Philip creates well-trained professional army; plans to invade Greece

Conquest of Greece
• 338 B.C. Macedonians defeat Greece; 336 B.C. King Philip murdered
• His son named king of Macedonia—becomes Alexander the Great

Alexander’s Early Life
• Tutored by Aristotle; inspired by the Iliad; has military training
• Becomes king when 20 years old; destroys Thebes to curb rebellion

Invasion of Persia
• 334 B.C. Alexander invades Persia; quick victory at Granicus River
• Darius III—king of Persia, assembles army of 50,000–75,000 men
• Alexander defeats Persians again, forces King of Persia to flee

Conquering the Persian Empire
• Alexander marches into Egypt, crowned pharaoh in 332 B.C.
• At Gaugamela in Mesopotamia, Alexander defeats Persians again
• Alexander captures cities of Babylon, Susa, and Persepolis
• Persepolis, the Persian capital, burned to the ground
• Ashes of Persepolis signal total destruction of Persian Empire

Alexander in India
• Alexander fights his way across the deserts of Central Asia to India
• Alexander conquers Indus Valley area in 326 B.C.
• Reluctantly returns to Babylon, dies in 323 B.C.

Alexander’s Legacy
• Alexander melds Greek and Persian cultures; wife is Persian
• Empire becomes three kingdoms: (1) Macedonia, Greek city-states;
• (2) Egypt; (3) old Persia, also known as Seleucid kingdom