Transcript Alexander the Great! Hero or Villain?

Bell Ringer
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Alexander the Great!
Hero
or
Villain?
I) Alex: HERO
A) Background info.
- born in 356 B.C.E. in
Macedonia (N of mainland
Greece)
- only lived to be 32, ruled for just 13
years, however, many historians
consider him the greatest military leader
of all time.
- during his reign, Alexander
conquered Greece, the Near East,
Persia, and India.
- in total, he ruled an empire that
stretched from 3,000 miles from
the Mediterranean Sea to the Indus
River.
- His empire was the largest empire the
world had ever seen!
B) Map of Alex’s empire
C) Alex spread Greek culture t/o
the ancient world and showed
an interest in the people he
defeated.
1) Thebes-Alex unified all of Greece
by putting down the rebellion in the
polis of Thebes.
- he showed compassion towards
some of the rebels, citizens,
priests and the family of a poet.
2) Egypt- Alex was welcomed more
as a savior than an invaderenthroned as king
- founded the Egyptian city of
Alexandria and named 19 other cities
after himself.
- Alexandria, Egypt- became a great
center for learning about Greece and the
Near Eastern cultures.
3) Persian Army- Alexander
defeated the mighty Persian army
at the Battle of Issus.
-as their new ruler, he showed respect to
the Persians by appointing Persian
governors in conquered territories and
allowing the people to continue to
practice their own religious traditions.
4) India- Alexander brilliantly
defeated the army of the Indian
king Porus.
- overcame heavy rains and the Indian
army’s use of elephants
- became greatly interested in Indian
culture/religion and learned more about
Hinduism by questioning Indian holy
men.
II. Alex: VILLAIN
A) Background info:
- Alex’s military accomplishments were
due to the powerful military force his
father, King Philip II, had left to him after
he died.
- Alex was known to be ruthless
and cruel.
-He had a fierce temper and mistreated
his own loyal advisors and soldiers.
-Failed to name a legitimate heir when
he died.
1) Thebes- Alexander brutally
put down their attempt at
freedom and independence.
- his forces killed 6,000
Thebans, sold more than 20,000
citizens into slavery and
virtually destroyed the entire
city.
2) Alexandria, Egypt- Alex only
founded the site for this city. He
played no role in the city’s
growth.
- They did not allow any Egyptians to
learn or become part of the Greek
culture. The Egyptians were excluded
from helping the city develop and
grow.
3) Persia – Alexander’s military
campaign against Persia was
brutal and relentless.
- He did not care how many
casualties(deaths) occurred including
his own troops.
- he plundered the riches of
Persepolis (Persia’s great capital)
and burnt it to the ground- this was a
magnificent center of Persian
culture.
4) India- Alexander’s forces
spent 3 years ruthlessly putting
down any Indian resistance.
- slaughtered males and sold females
and children into slavery.
- His campaigns went into the
deepest parts of India, regardless
of how difficult it was for his
own troops.
- Due to the horrific weather
conditions and poor living, his troops
demanded that he turn around and go
home.
III. Conclusion:
- On the way home from India,
Alexander became ill and died while
his forces were in Babylon (present
day Iraq) in 323 B.C. E. – he was just
33 years old.
- due to the fact that Alexander
did not designate a legitimate heir
to the throne, his own relatives
and generals fought for control
over the land he had conquered.
What happened to Alexander’s empire?
1) India returned to it’s original rulers
2) Antigonus- became king of Macedonia
3) Ptolemy-established his own dynasty
(the Ptolomies) in Egypt.
4) Seleucus- formed his own empire (the
Seleucid Empire) in Persia.
5) Greece- Athens and Sparta became
independent and the other polises joined either
the Delian or the Peloponnesian Leagues
Alexander the Great’s last words:
“To whom do you leave your
kingdom?”
“To the best and the strongest.”