Alexander the Great

Examples of Alexander the Great in the following topics:

• Defeat of Persia by Alexander the Great

  • Alexander the Great conquered the Achaemenid Empire in 331 BCE to form the largest empire in the ancient world.
  • The Persians and the Greeks had been warring for hundreds of years before Alexander the Great moved to conquer Persia.
  • Alexander the Great (Alexander III of Macedon) was a king of the Greek kingdom of Macedon.
  • From Persepolis, Alexander headed north to Pasargadae where he visited the tomb of Cyrus the Great.
  • Explain Alexander the Great's defeat of the Persiand and the dissolution of the Achaemenid Empire thereafter

• Alexander the Great

  • In a little over 30 years, Alexander the Great created one of the largest empires in the ancient world, using his military and tactical genius.
  • Alexander III, commonly known as Alexander the Great, was born to Philip II in Pella in 356 BCE, and succeeded his father to the throne at the age of 20.
  • Alexander earned the honorific epithet "the Great" due to his unparalleled success as a military commander.
  • Alexander used its speed and maneuverability to great effect against larger, but more disparate, Persian forces.
  • Bust of a young Alexander the Great from the Hellenistic era, now at the British Museum.

• The Legacy of Alexander the Great

  • Four stable power blocks emerged following the death of Alexander the Great: the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, the Seleucid Empire, the Attalid Dynasty of the Kingdom of Pergamon, and Macedon.
  • Ptolemy was appointed as satrap of Egypt in 323 BCE, by Perdiccas during the succession crisis that erupted following Alexander the Great.
  • As Alexander the Great’s empire disintegrated, however, Ptolemy established himself as a ruler in his own right.
  • It was founded by Seleucus I Nicator following the dissolution of Alexander the Great’s empire.
  • Evaluate Alexander the Great's legacy as carried out by his successors

• Egyptian Art After Alexander the Great

  • Hellenistic art, richly diverse in subject matter and in stylistic development, characterized culture after Alexander the Great.
  • The Ptolemaic Kingdom (332–30 BCE) in and around Egypt began following Alexander the Great's conquest in 332 BCE and ended with the death of Cleopatra VII and the Roman conquest in 30 BCE.
  • For the first time, there were museums and great libraries, such as those at Alexandria and Pergamon.
  • When Alexander the Great arrived, he established Alexandria on the site of the Persian fort of Rhakortis.
  • Portrait of Alexander the Great, said to be from Alexandria, Egypt.

• Paintings, Macedonian Court Art, and the Alexander Mosaic

  • Alexander the Great was a talented general who conquered territory from the Mediterranean to India and maintained power through use of art.
  • The head of Alexander the Great demonstrates Alexander's portrait style .
  • The Alexander Mosaic is a Roman floor mosaic from 100 BCE that was excavated from the House of the Faun in Pompeii.
  • The mosaic depicts the Battle of Issus that occurred between the troops of Alexander the Great and King Darius III of Persia.
  • Discuss how Alexander the Great used artists to legitimize his political rule

• Late Classical Period

  • The Late Classical period covers the last decades of the Classical periods in the fourth century BCE before the conquest of Greece by Philip II of Macedon and the beginning of the Hellenistic period following the death of Alexander the Great.
  • The weakened state of the heartland of Greece coincided with the Rise of Macedon, led by Philip II.
  • Alexander, son and successor of Philip, continued the war.
  • Alexander defeated Darius III of Persia and completely destroyed the Achaemenid Empire, annexing it to Macedon and earning himself the epithet 'the Great'.
  • When Alexander the Great died in 323 BCE, Greek power and influence was at its zenith.

• FK Grade 6 Reading Level

  • Alexander the Great left his legacy by spreading Greek culture through Asia, though his empire fell apart after his death.
  • Alexander founded some twenty cities that bore his name, most of them east of the Tigris.
  • Alexander had no obvious heir.
  • Eventually, the two sides reconciled, and after the birth of Alexander IV, he and Philip III were appointed joint kings.
  • In the process, both Alexander IV and Philip III were murdered.

• Alexander's Empire

  • Alexander the Great's legacy was the dissemination of Greek culture throughout Asia.
  • Alexander deliberately pursued Hellenization policies in the communities he conquered.
  • Over the course of his conquests, Alexander founded some 20 cities that bore his name, most of them east of the Tigris River.
  • In the process, both Alexander IV and Philip III were murdered.
  • Name of Alexander the Great in Egyptian hieroglyphs (written from right to left), c. 330 BCE, Egypt; Louvre Museum.

• Painting in the Greek High Classical Period

  • Alexander III of Macedonia (356-323 BCE), better known as Alexander the Great, very carefully controlled and crafted his portraiture.
  • The Alexander Mosaic is a Roman floor mosaic from approximately 100 BCE that was excavated from the House of the Faun in Pompeii.
  • The mosaic depicts the Battle of Issus that occurred between the troops of Alexander the Great and King Darius III of Persia.
  • The two main characters of the battle are easily distinguishable and this portrait of Alexander may be one of his most recognizable.
  • Alexander is depicted in profile at the far left.

• Hellenization and the Spread of Greek Culture

  • Alexander instituted a number of policies that contributed to the Hellenization of his empire, including the mixing of Greek and Asian cultural customs.
  • The Hellenistic period is the period of ancient Greek and Mediterranean history between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE and the emergence of the Roman Empire as signified by the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE and the subsequent conquest of Ptolemaic Egypt in 30 BCE.At this time, Greek cultural influence and power was at its peak in Europe, Africa and Asia, and experienced prosperity and progress in the arts, exploration, literature, theatre, architecture, music, mathematics, philosophy, and science.It is often considered a period of transition, sometimes even of decadence or degeneration, as compared to the brilliance of the Greek Classical era.
  • It seems likely that Alexander himself pursued deliberate "Hellenization" policies.While these policies could have been an attempt to spread Greek culture, it is more likely that his policies were a series of pragmatic measures designed to aid in the rule of his enormous empire.
  • Second, Alexander attempted to create a unified ruling class of Persians and Greeks bound by marriage ties.He used both Greeks and Persians in positions of power, although he depended more on Greeks in unstable positions, and also replaced many Persian satraps in a purge after his return from India.He also attempted to mix the two cultures by adopting elements of the Persian court (such as a version of the royal robes and some of the court ceremony and attendants) and attempting to insist on the practice of proskynesis for his Greek subjects.He likely had intentions to equalize the two races in their behavior towards Alexander as 'Great King', but his actions were bitterly resented by the Macedonians, as the Greek custom was reserved solely for the gods.This policy can be interpreted as an attempt to spread Greek culture, or to create a hybrid culture; however, again, it can also be seen as an attempt to help control the unwieldy empire, as Alexander required loyalty from Persian nobles as much as from his Macedonian officers.A hybrid court culture may have been created so as not to exclude the Persians.Furthermore, Alexander's marriage to, and child with the Bactrian princess Roxane can be interpreted as an attempt to create a royal dynasty which would be acceptable to both Asians and Greeks.
  • Thus, though Alexander's policies did undoubtedly result in the spread of Greek culture, they probably were meant to be pragmatic attempts by Alexander to control his extensive new territories, in part by presenting himself as the heir to both Greek and Asian legacies, rather than an outsider.