5.4 Alexander the Great and the Legacy of Greece

In 338 B.C., Athens fell to the Macedonian army. Athens and the other Greek city-states lost their independence. Yet the disaster ushered in a new age in which Greek culture spread from the Mediterranean to the borders of India. The architect of this new era was the man who would eventually become known to history as Alexander the Great.

This youthful image of the powerful Alexander the Great is copied from an original created in 338 B.C. by the famous Greek sculptor and painter Euphranor.

Objectives

• Explain how Alexander the Great built an extensive empire.
• Describe the empire's cultural impact.
• Identify major Hellenic Greek scientists and their discoveries and innovations.

Key Terms

• Alexander the Great
• Philip II
• assassination
• assimilate
• Alexandria
• Pythagoras
• heliocentric
• Archimedes
• Hippocrates

The New Era of Alexander the Great

To the Greeks, the rugged, mountainous kingdom of Macedonia was a backward, half-civilized land. The rulers of this frontier land, in fact, were of Greek origin and kept ties to their Greek neighbors. As a youth, Philip II had lived in Thebes and had come to admire Greek culture. Later, he hired Aristotle as a tutor to his young son Alexander.

Philip II Takes Control of Greece

When Philip II gained the throne in 359 B.C. he dreamed of conquering the prosperous city-states to the south. He built a superb and powerful army. Through threats, bribery, and diplomacy, he formed alliances with many Greek city-states. Others he conquered. In 338 B.C., when Athens and Thebes joined forces against him, Philip II defeated them at the battle of Chaeronea (kehr uh NEE uh). He then brought all of Greece under his control.

Philip had a still grander dream—to conquer the Persian empire. Before he could achieve that plan, though, he was assassinated at his daughter's wedding.

Table of Contents