Macedon conquers Greece After years of ýghting, the Greek city-states were too weak to stop a new invasion. In 338 BCE, Philip of Macedon conquered Greece. Two years later, Philip was killed, and his son Alexander became the ruler. When Thebes rebelled, Alexander defeated the city, killing 6000 people and enslaving the rest. Alexander creates an empire In 334 BCE, Alexander led an army of Greeks and Macedonians to invade the Persian Empire. He defeated King Darius III in battles at Issus and Gaugamela in 333 and 331 BCE (see SOURCE5 ). In330 BCE, Alexander took Persepolis, the Persian capital, and called himself the ‘Great King’. He continued east and reached India by 326 BCE, defeating King Porus and his war elephants. Alexander built cities to strengthen his control, many named ‘Alexandria’. He died of fever at just 32 years old. His empire split into three parts: Macedon, Egypt and the Seleucid Empire.
SOURCE5 Alexander the Great built his empire in 11 years, traveling about 34 000 km.
Key
Athens
Settlement
EGYPT
Territory
Extent of empire
Alexander’s route
BLACK SEA
MACEDONIA
TRANSOXIANA
Pella
Gordion
Troy
ARMENIA
Thebes
Athens
Issus
Sparta
BACTRIA
Gaugamela
Mashad
GREECE
PHOENICIA
Kabul
Herat
PARTHIA
MEDITERRANEAN SEA
Taxila
Damascus
Tyre
Susa
Babylon
Alexandria
Kandahar
PERSIA
Jerusalem
Persepolis
ARABIA
GEDROSIA
EGYPT
Pattala
INDIA
ARABIAN SEA
0
500
1000 km
Source: Map drawn by Spatial Vision.
SkillBuilder discussion Historical signiýcance
1. How long did it take Alexander the Great to build his empire? 2. Approximately how far did Alexander travel during his conquests? 3. What signiýcant achievement is highlighted in the source about Alexander the Great?
Jacaranda Humanities Alive 7 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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