Name: ________________________________________________ Date: _________________ Aim: How “great” was Alexander the Great? Historical Context: Use the timeline to answer the questions below. 1. Which came first, the Persian Wars or the Peloponnesian War? _____________________________________________ 2. During which war did Pericles, Socrates, and Thucydides live? _____________________________________________ 3. How many years after the end of the Peloponnesian War did Philip of Macedon conquer Greece? __________________________ 4. When did Alexander the Great take power? _________________________ 5. How many years did Alexander rule? _________________________ Background: The Peloponnesian War left Greece weakened, the citystates were divided, and overall the society was very vulnerable. Philip of Macedonia (a mountainous region the Greeks had always considered backwards and uncivilized) had a dream of expanding his power and conquering Greece and Persia. He was able to do this in 338 BC, but was subsequently assassinated. His son, Alexander, then took the throne, expanding his father’s empire farther than he could have ever dreamed and becoming one of the first “celebrities” of the ancient world. But how “great” was Alexander, really?
4. When did Alexander the Great take power? _________________________
5. How many years did Alexander rule? _________________________
Background: The Peloponnesian War left Greece weakened, the city-‐states were divided, and overall the society was very vulnerable. Philip of Macedonia (a mountainous region the Greeks had always considered backwards and uncivilized) had a dream of expanding his power and conquering Greece and Persia. He was able to do this in 338 BC, but was subsequently assassinated. His son, Alexander, then took the throne, expanding his father’s empire farther than he could have ever dreamed and becoming one of the first “celebrities” of the ancient world. But how “great” was Alexander, really?
Use the map to answer the questions below.
6. Describe Greece’s location relative to the original Macedonian kingdom. Was Greece north, south, east, or west of Macedon? _________________________
7. What empire, previously controlling all of Asia Minor, did Alexander the
Great conquer as he expanded? _________________
8. What two countries form the eastern and western limits of Alexander’s empire at its height? _______________________ and _______________________
9. Why would Alexander have focused on conquering the part of the world
he did? What was so advantageous about the area he conquered? _________________________________________________________________________________________________
Philip and Alexander both used the innovative military formation called the “phalanx” in their conquests, consisting of rows of highly trained soldiers holding spears over 18 feet long.
As Alexander’s empire stretched further east, cultural diffusion brought with him elements of classical Greek culture, called Hellenistic culture, to the east. This process of blending of classical Greek culture with eastern culture is called Hellenization.
The Buddha statue on the left was created in India around the 1st century AD. The temple on the right is located in the Middle East and was also created around the 1st century AD.
Use any of the preceding information, as well as information from the excerpts below to find evidence that Alexander was “Great” or “Not Great.” Write the evidence you find on the appropriate sides of the T-‐Chart handout.
Source: “The Anabasis of Alexander,” written 171 AD by Arrian: soldier, governor and philosopher Alexander was very heroic in courage and very clever in recognizing what was necessary to be done, when others were still in a state of uncertainty. In ruling an army he was exceedingly skillful; he was very famous for rousing the courage of his soldiers, filling them with hopes of success and dispelling their fear in the midst of danger by his own freedom from fear. He was likewise very dedicated to keeping the agreements and settlements which he made. His adoption of the Persian way of dressing also seems to me to have been a political device in regard to the foreigner, that the king might not appear altogether alien to them. What a height of human success he attained, becoming without any dispute king of both continents, and reaching every place by his fame.
Source: Peter Green, Alexander of Macedon, University of California Press, 1991. During Alexander’s march down the Mediterranean coast, many cities surrendered without a fight. Some were happy to have the Persians removed. Alexander treated these cities rather kindly. Tyre ("tire") was another matter. Its citizens refused to surrender. They believed their city was unconquerable because it was built on an island and protected by high walls. The city held out for seven months and Tyrian counterattacks caused Alexander to lose many men. In the end, however, Alexander's army smashed into the city. When the last organized resistance was broken, Alexander's [soldiers] ranged through the city on a ferocious manhunt. ... Alexander had ordered that all [except] those who sought sanctuary [safety in the temple] were to be slain, and his commands were executed with savage relish. The air grew thick with smoke from burning buildings. Seven thousand Tyrians died. The great city ... was now utterly destroyed. Her king, Azimilik, and various other notables, including envoys from Carthage, had taken refuge in the temple of Melkart, and Alexander spared their lives. The remaining survivors, some 30,000 in number, he sold into slavery. Two thousand men of military age were crucified.
Source: Michael Wood, “In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great,” 1997. There are over 200 different Alexander epics and poems in medieval European languages alone, surviving in literally thousands of manuscripts. In Jewish tradition, Alexander is nothing short of a folk hero. There is a medieval German Alexander epic, an Icelandic Alexander saga, and an Ethiopian Alexander romance. By the mid-‐fourteenth century, the take had even reached Mongolia, where Alexander appears as an almost supernatural predecessor of Genghis Khan. You can find him depicted as one of the four kings on the standard French pack of playing cards; you will find the map of his empire on every Greek school map and every restaurant wall; he’s on Sicilian carnival carts, Ethiopian bridal cloths, Byzantine church murals, and on paintings from Mughal India. During his conquest, Alexander founded nearly 30 cities named Alexandria in his honor. Alexandria, Egypt, one of the many towns that Alexander founded and named after himself, became a world-‐famous center of learning and was the home of great scientists and mathematicians. Although Alexander’s empire took eleven years to build up and only lasted for ten years after his death, it is still one of the greatest and most impacting empires the world has ever seen.
Source: “Itinerarium Alexandri,” Anonymous author of the 4th century AD Alexander boasted that he had won his victories for himself alone, and became the more cruel to his friends as his success increased. Alexander’s behavior and extravagant life-‐style ... were causing intense disgust among large numbers of his men. They took offense at his luxuries at table, his expensive attire, his vanity in assuming the royal Persian head-‐dress. This cast a shadow over all the former glorious achievements of his spirit. He claimed to be descended from Apollo himself. The fault in him grew worse: he now wanted himself worshipped as a god and would have none of being saluted in the manner of mortals.
Source: Plutarch, Life of Alexander, written 75 AD “It was not Alexander’s plan to ransack Asia like a robber, or to ruin it, but to bring all of the kingdom of Earth under one form of government and to make one nation of mankind… one law all over the world, and one form of justice… the common light of universal government.
How “great” was Alexander the Great? Use this chart to list evidence and arguments that demonstrate Alexander’s
qualities and impact in the three categories. “Great” “Not Great”
Military/ Political
Cultural
Personal
How “great” was Alexander the Great? Intro Paragraphs – Take it to the BAR!
Background, Argument, Roadmap • Background
– Historical context – Place – Time frame
Example: “The Macedonian empire began in 338 BC by conquering a weakened Greece in the aftermath of the Peloponnesian War. Over the next fifteen years, Alexander the Great vastly expanded the empire to stretch from Egypt to India across three continents, becoming one of the world’s most renowned historical figures.”
• Argument – Take a stand – Don’t just restate the prompt and don’t just list things
• For example, don’t just say: “Alexander was great militarily, culturally, and personally.”
– Do whatever the verb has asked • For example, “evaluate” means you have to make a judgment
Example: “Although some of his contemporaries and historians have described Alexander as cruel and vain, his personality may have made possible the difficult feat he accomplished in creating such a large and influential empire so quickly.”
• Roadmap – Lets the reader know how your essay will be organized – Tells how you will be proving your argument
Example: “While Alexander’s empire only lasted ten years after his death, the military and political skill Alexander demonstrated in creating it and the vast cultural impact it left show him to be a truly great leader.” Put it together -‐ full example intro paragraph: “The Macedonian empire began in 338 BC by conquering a weakened Greece in the aftermath of the Peloponnesian War. Over the next fifteen years, Alexander the Great vastly expanded the empire to stretch from Egypt to India across three continents, becoming one of the world’s most renowned historical figures. Although some of his contemporaries and historians have described Alexander as cruel and vain, his personality may have made possible the difficult feat he accomplished in creating such a large and influential empire so quickly. While Alexander’s empire only lasted ten years after his death, the military and political skill Alexander demonstrated in creating it and the vast cultural impact it left show him to be a truly great leader.” Your turn! Write your own intro paragraph responding to the lesson’s aim.
TEACHER ANSWER KEY 1. Which came first, the Persian Wars or the Peloponnesian War?
Persian Wars
2. During which war did Pericles, Socrates, and Thucydides live? Peloponnesian War
3. How many years after the end of the Peloponnesian War did Philip of
Macedon conquer Greece? 66
4. When did Alexander the Great take power?
336 BC
5. How many years did Alexander rule? 13
6. Describe Greece’s location relative to the original Macedonian kingdom. Was Greece north, south, east, or west of Macedon?
South
7. What empire, previously controlling all of Asia Minor, did Alexander the Great conquer as he expanded?
Persian Empire
8. What two countries form the eastern and western limits of Alexander’s empire at its height? _______________________ and _______________________
Egypt and India
9. Why would Alexander have focused on conquering the part of the world he did? What was so advantageous about the area he conquered?
• Very important fertile river valleys (Nile, Tigris and Euphrates, Indus were all in his territory), meaning the land was extremely productive and valuable
• Control of lucrative trade routes between east, west, and south o Controls Mediterranean Sea, Bosphorus Strait, and much of Silk
Road travel
10. What would have been some challenges about controlling an empire so large?
Different languages and cultures, resentment from conquered peoples, difficulty unifying, difficulty in governing, difficulty in communication, etc.
11. How might Alexander’s military strategies have helped him conquer so much territory so quickly?
• Light infantry could move quickly and cover a lot of ground • Highly trained and skilled soldiers had lots of experience in battle,
unlike many of the peoples they conquered • The rows of long spears tightly packed together made the phalanx
practically impenetrable
12. How do the Buddha statue and the temple both demonstrate Hellenization? (Hint: think about the Buddha’s clothes and appearance and the temple’s architecture.)
The Buddha is wearing a Grecian style toga and is also carved in a more classical Greek statue style. The temple is symmetrical with Grecian style columns. Both the Buddha and the temple were designed for non-‐Grecian religious and cultural purposes, but have adopted Grecian attributes, demonstrating the process of Hellenization.
How “great” was Alexander the Great? TEACHER CHART
“Great” “Not Great” Military/ Political
• Built up an enormous empire on three continents in less than 13 years
• Used innovative and successful military strategies, such as the fast strike phalanx, in conquest
• Peacefully accepted surrendering peoples into his empire
• Established a uniform system of justice throughout the empire
• Empire only lasted 10 years after his death
• Used harsh and brutal tactics; killed or enslaved any resistance
• Difficult to successfully govern or unify such a large empire
Cultural • Controlled trade routes and the wealthiest and most culturally influential parts of the world
• Cultural diffusion spread Hellenic culture throughout his empire
• Legends about him still seen throughout the world
• Many important and culturally significant cities founded in his empire (Alexandria)
• Perhaps his empire hurt or wiped out local cultural traditions?
Personal • Skillful, courageous, and inspiring as a military commander
• Knowledgeable and excellent education; tutored by Aristotle
• Adopted Persian style of dressing to make it easier for new conquered peoples to accept him
• Respected local religions (allowed Buddhism, protected people who took refuge in the temple)
• Became vain, extravagant, and cruel to his friends
