Macedonia Philip II and Alexander the Great Macedonia

Macedonia, Philip II, and Alexander the Great

Macedonia To the north of Greece Probably related to Greeks and spoke similar language Greeks saw them as “barbarians”

Philip II (lived 382 -336 BC) At age 21, Macedonian King Philip II unites Macedonia under his rule Reorganizes the army to be more professional and effective Soldiers were paid Phalanx equipped with 18 foot spears

Invades Greece The Greek city-states were weak from years of fighting amongst each other (Peloponnesian War) The Athenian statesman Demosthenes tried to convince the Greeks to unite against Macedonia The Greeks didn’t unite until it was too late

Battle of Chaeronea Athens and Thebes lead a united Greek army to confront Philip at the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC Although outnumbered, the Macedonians win Philip’s 18 year old son, Alexander proves himself a capable commander during the battle Greece will be ruled by foreigners until the 1800’s AD

How did he control mountainous Greece? Philip installed garrisons of troops in most Greek cities He also made alliances with the Greek city-states He planned to use these Greeks’ armies and navies in his invasion of Persia

Alexander becomes King In 336 BC, Philip is assassinated and Alexander becomes king at age 20 He quickly consolidated power

Alexander invades Persia In 334 BC he crossed into Asia Minor to conquer Persia Alexander won battles throughout Asia Minor and Mesopotamia In fact, Alexander the Great never lost a battle!

Siege of Tyre

Alexander in Egypt Alexander was welcomed as a liberator in Egypt. They even crowned him pharaoh, a title future Macedonia rulers used in Egypt

Alexander’s Conquests

Alexander’s Successors Alexander died at age 32 in Babylon He left no legitimate heir. Empire divided among his generals

Ptolemy Among the most famous of Alexander’s successors was Ptolemy He set up the Ptolemaic pharaoh dynasty in Egypt. Among his decedents, and the last Ptolemaic king in Egypt was Cleopatra VII.

Hellenistic Culture One of the lasting impacts of Alexander’s conquests was the spread of Greek culture to Persia, India, and Egypt This blended culture is called Hellenistic. Greeks moved into the Hellenistic kingdoms and built cities, further spreading Greek influence. The Hellenistic kingdoms would continue untl they were conquered by Rome in the 1 st century BC (100’s BC)

Library at Alexandria One of Alexanria’s most famous creations was a library that held over 500, 000 scrolls The library was a research institution Many great thinkers of the time worked there including Archimedes and Euclid