Alexander the Great — Flashcards & Quiz

Key Points

• Background: son of Philip II of Macedon; tutored by Aristotle; inherited an army already prepared for expansion.
• Campaigns: defeated the Persian Empire in a series of decisive battles — Granicus (334 BCE), Issus (333), Gaugamela (331). Conquered as far east as the Indus.
• Administrative style: combined Macedonian and Persian customs; adopted local dress and rituals; encouraged intermarriage.
• Death and legacy: died in Babylon 323 BCE, aged 32. Empire fragmented among his generals (Diadochi) into Hellenistic kingdoms.
• Hellenistic world: Greek language, culture and institutions spread from Egypt to central Asia, influencing later Roman and Islamic civilisations.
• Sources: no contemporary accounts survive. Later historians (Arrian, Plutarch, Curtius Rufus, Diodorus) wrote 300–500 years after events, often with moral or political agendas.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Treating the later Alexander sources as reliable contemporary accounts — they were written centuries later.
2. Claiming Alexander unified his empire permanently — it fragmented immediately after his death.
3. Confusing Alexander with his father Philip II.
4. Forgetting to evaluate source bias (Arrian favourable, Curtius more critical).
5. Ignoring the Hellenistic legacy as his most lasting contribution.

Exam Strategy

QCAA Unit 2 personalities questions ask you to analyse Alexander's leadership, campaigns, or sources. Method: (1) outline his background and context, (2) describe key actions with specific dates and places, (3) cite named sources with their limitations, (4) evaluate his historical impact, (5) discuss source problems explicitly.

Revision Tip

Alexander's key battles and dates are classic recall — drill a Revizi deck with Granicus, Issus, Gaugamela and the key Hellenistic outcomes.