Complete the Following Questions Using the Links Listed Below. Http

Social Studies Name: ______

Directions: Complete the following questions using the links listed below.

http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/alexander-the-great

1. During what timeframe did Alexander the Great live?

2. Cavalry commander at age ______, king at ______, conqueror of the Persian Empire at ______, explorer of the Indian frontier at ______, Alexander the Great died before his thirty-third birthday.

3. According to the website, what is significant about the accomplishments of Alexander the Great when considering his age?

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4. Alexander the Great’s defeat of the Persian Empire was a significant historical event. a. According to the website, why was this such a significant event in terms of Alexander the Great’s legacy?

b. The website refers to the importance of the event as “unintended”. What does it mean by this?

5. What qualities made Alexander the Great a “genius” military leader?

6. Explain how he carefully took control of Persia.

7. What were the three setbacks that Alexander the Great suffered?

2 ©Copyright Brodie Millar 2014. (http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Brodie-Millar)

8. Explain the impact that Alexander the Great had on other leaders in history.

9. The website suggests that Alexander the Great was not admired in his own time. Why do you suppose this was?

10. In the end, why did Alexander the Great seem to carry out his grand conquests?

3 ©Copyright Brodie Millar 2014. (http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Brodie-Millar)

Teachers Key Name: ______

Directions: Complete the following questions using the links listed below.

http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/alexander-the-great

1. During what timeframe did Alexander the Great live?

356-323 BC

2. Cavalry commander at age eighteen, king at twenty, conqueror of the Persian Empire at twenty-six, explorer of the Indian frontier at thirty, Alexander the Great died before his thirty-third birthday.

3. According to the website, what is significant about the accomplishments of Alexander the Great when considering his age?

The fact that he accomplished what he did and as much as he did while still being a relatively young age.

4 ©Copyright Brodie Millar 2014. (http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Brodie-Millar)

He was able to spread Macedonian culture further east than ever before, and changed the course of history in the area as Macedonian culture combined with Persian culture.

b. The website refers to the importance of the event as “unintended”. What does it mean by this?

The idea that Alexander the Great did not intend to leave a legacy of Macedonian culture in the Middle East, but it occurred anyways and is one of his most lasting legacies.

5. What qualities made Alexander the Great a “genius” military leader?

He improved the fine army inherited from his father, Philip, by the addition of allied forces; he strengthened the cavalry arm, utilized weapons specialists, and employed a corps of engineers; he was invincible in both siege warfare and set battles. His movements were marked by speed; his logistical, intelligence, and communications operations were flawless; and his ability to improvise was unrivaled.

6. Explain how he carefully took control of Persia.

He was careful in strategy: rather than strike deep into Asia immediately, he spent nearly two years securing the coastal areas of Asia Minor and the Levant in order to ensure that Persian naval forces would not interdict his lines to Europe. Bit by bit he wore away the western sections of the Persian Empire before driving into Mesopotamia and the Iranian plateau.

7. What were the three setbacks that Alexander the Great suffered?

Only three setbacks checked his progress. Along the Indian frontier his officers refused to march farther east, and, after his return to Babylonia, his Macedonian troops mutinied against the integration of Asian troops into the ranks. The third episode was the horrible loss of personnel in the Makran desert on the return march from India to the Persian Gulf, where lack of water and food accomplished what no enemy army had been able to do.

8. Explain the impact that Alexander the Great had on other leaders in history.

Alexander’s conquests created a legend that would provide the standard by which other leaders measured their careers. Kings, generals, and emperors discovered that they were unable to compete with the legend and turned to emulation— Antiochus the Great, Pompey the Great, Nero, Caracalla, Severus Alexander, and Charlemagne, to mention a few—and Alexander’s career as a metaphor for achievement has reached even into modern times.

9. The website suggests that Alexander the Great was not admired in his own time. Why do you suppose this was?

Alexander the Great conquered and ruled over many different groups of people. Likely, many of these people did not appreciate being ruled over by Alexander the Great and his armies, and resented his leadership.

10. In the end, why did Alexander the Great seem to carry out his grand conquests?

In the end, his achievement appears to have been a grand adventure tied to his own personal ambitions—conquest for its own sake.