Alexander the Great

King Philip II

King Philip II of Macedonia, a small
kingdom north of Greece, created a
strong army. He planned to unite the
Greek city-states and destroy the Persian
Empire. He conquered most of Greece by
338 B.C.

Alexander the Great

Before Philip could carry out his plans, he was
killed. His son Alexander became king at a young age (20) and commander of the military forces.

Over the next 12 years, Alexander conquered the
Persian Empire and Egypt and went as far
east as northwest India.

Alexander’s Rule

As a child, Alexander (later known as Alexander the Great) was a student of Aristotle. As a result, he grew up loving Greek culture.

As a ruler, he wanted to create an empire with strong Greek influence. He also spread Greek language and
culture throughout southwest Asia and Egypt.

The Empire of Alexander the Great

Death of Alexander the Great

When his tired soldiers refused to
go on, Alexander led them home.
They crossed a desert where heat
and thirst killed thousands.
Shortly after arriving home,
Alexander died of wounds and
fever at age 32.

Hellenistic Era

Alexander’s achievements marked
the beginning of the Hellenistic Era.
During this period of time, Greek, or
Hellenistic, culture spread to all his
conquered lands.

The Four Kingdoms

After Alexander’s death, his generals fought. They divided
his empire into four kingdoms: Macedonia, Pergamum,
Egypt, and the Seleucid Empire.

The Hellenistic kings built new cities. They brought Greek artists, engineers, artisans, writers, and architects to these new cities.
However, the four kingdoms went to war with each other
constantly.

The Four Kingdoms