Tuesday Warm Up

ALEXANDER THE GREAT

Looking that the picture above, what can you tell about Alexander?

Hellenistic

Introduction: King of Macedonia and conqueror of the then-known world, Alexander the

Great was born on July 20, 356 B.C., in Pella, Macedonia, north of the Greek Peninsula. From

336 to 323 B.C., Alexander united all of the Greek city-states. He also became the king of

Persia, Babylon, and Asia, and created Macedonian colonies in the region. While

considering conquering Carthage and Rome, Alexander died of malaria in Babylon, in present-

day Iraq, on June 13, 323 B.C

Summarizing: From the basic facts given about Alexander, what do we already know? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

On the map, locate and circle the city states of Thebes, Athens, and Sparta. Then box Macedonia.

Early Life

Alexander the Great was born in Macedonia on July 20, 356 B.C, about 2,300 years ago. Macedonia is now part of Greece. His parents were King Philip II of Macedonia and Queen Olympia. Alexander hardly ever saw his father, who spent most of his time at war, attempting to spread his empire into Persia. Although Olympia served as an important role model, Alexander became resentful that his father was not around.

Define resentment: ___________________________________________________________

Making Connections: How might Alexander’s relationship with his father affect his view about himself and his future? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

King Philip II hired Aristotle, a famous thinker and philosopher, to teach Alexander.  They read Homer's Iliad, a poem about war, and Alexander decided to become a heroic warrior. Aristotle wrote a short version of the Iliad for Alexander to carry to war. Aristotle also taught Alexander geography and science.

Inference: Why would King Philip hire a great Greek philosopher as Alexander’s teacher?

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When Alexander was still just a teen, he became a soldier. A year later, Alexander helped his father defeat the armies of Thebes and Athens, two Greek city-states. The relationship between father and son fell apart, as King Philip II married a princess named Cleopatra Eurydice and forced Alexander's mother, Olympia, to leave. Alexander and Olympia fled Macedonia and stayed with her family.

Analysis: Why was Alexander striving to become the best solder?

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King Of Macedonia

In 336, Alexander's sister, who lived with her father while Alexander was exiled with their mother, married a king. During a festival afterward, King Philip II was murdered by a young Macedonian man seeking revenge. It is said that Alexander may have provoked the man into murdering his father. Many point to the fact that Alexander’s friend quickly executed the assassin, prior to investigating the motive as the proof. Others believe that Darius III, king of Persia, had Philip killed, to end the plans of Persian invasion.

Analysis: Using the facts given and prior history, do you think Alexander had his father murdered? Explain your answer.

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Alexander was 19 years old at the time. After his father's death, Alexander decided to become king any way he could, gaining the support of the Macedonian army. The Macedonian army proclaimed Alexander the king and helped him kill anyone else who wanted to be king. Olympia helped her son by killing the daughter of King Philip II and Cleopatra. Many other of Phillip’s allies were killed to ensure Alexander’s rise to power.

The southern Greek states celebrated King Philip II's death and tried to break free of Macedonia.

Rewrite: In your own words rewrite the sentence that is underlined.

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Campaigns and Conquests

Alexander received the news that Thebes, a Greek city-state, had forced out the Macedonian soldiers. Alexander did not want the other city-states to rebel, and marched his huge army south all the way to the tip of Greece. He had 3,000 horsemen and 30,000 soldiers.

Alexander and his army destroyed Thebes, successfully showing other city-states his power. The other Greek city-states paid attention, and became allies of the Macedonian Empire or stayed out of the conflict. But this was not enough for Alexander, who wanted to be better than his father.

Starting in 334 BCE, Alexander started attacking the Persian empire. Darius was unprepared to fight the new boy-king. By 330 BCE, Alexander defeated King Darius III of Persia twice. Darius fled, and Alexander declared himself the king of Persia.

Critical Thinking: How does Alexander’s success change the history of empires? Use text evidence to support your answer. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Next, he won Egypt, which gave up without fighting. The Egyptians embraced the change in rulers, as they were tired by the Persian governors, called satraps. They gave Alexander the double crown of the Egyptian pharaoh. In turn, he created the city of Alexandria, and it became a center for Greek arts, ideas and business.

Comprehension: What was the response of the Egyptians? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When Alexander was about 31, he reached the city of Susa in Persia. He was worried that he would be overthrown as the military leader. He also wanted to get more soldiers. Alexander commanded many Macedonians to marry Persian princesses to tie them to powerful families. Alexander hired tens of thousands of Persian soldiers for his army, and then fired many Macedonian soldiers. This angered the soldiers. They spoke badly about Alexander's new troops and complained that he was becoming too Persian. 

Clarification: Rewrite this paragraph clearly and concisely. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Death

Alexander died on June 13, 323 B.C., in Babylonia, which is now in Iraq. He had malaria, which is a disease brought on by a mosquito bite. He was just 32 years old. Rhoxana gave birth to his son a few months later. Both Rhoxana and son would later be executed.

After Alexander died, his empire collapsed. The nations in Alexander’s empire fought for power. Although Alexander’s empire was short, his legacy was long lasting. His campaigns across Asia spread Greek culture. He left cities where he campaigned, combining Persian and Greek architecture, art, music and philosophy. The arts and ideas of Greece and Asia mixed and thrived for hundreds of years, creating a Hellenistic world.

Summarize: Write a paragraph, summarizing Alexander’s legacy. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________