New
New
Year 4

Alexander's achievements

I can describe some of Alexander's greatest achievements.

New
New
Year 4

Alexander's achievements

I can describe some of Alexander's greatest achievements.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Defeating the Persian Empire and expanding Greek control into Egypt and India were not Alexander's only achievements.
  2. He sliced the famous Gordian knot in two and conquered Babylon, a city the Greeks could scarcely imagine.
  3. He founded the great city of Alexandria in Egypt, which came to be ruled by one of his generals, Ptolemy.
  4. Ptolemy and his son tried to turn Alexandria into the greatest of all Greek cities, building an incredible library.
  5. Alexandria became a centre of learning which attracted brilliant minds like Euclid and Galen.

Common misconception

Alexandria is a city in Greece.

Alexander the Great founded the city of Alexandria in Egypt, not on the mainland or any island of Ancient Greece. There is still a city called Alexandria on the original site in Egypt today; some ruins of the ancient city can be visited by tourists.

Keywords

  • Conquer - to gain something, such as land, by force is to conquer it

  • Library - a library is a place that has many books and other learning resources

  • Attract - to be appealing in some way to others is to attract people

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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6 Questions

Q1.
True or false? Alexander became known for the cruelty he showed to the Persian people he conquered.
True
Correct answer: False
Q2.
Which of the below statements are historically accurate about the battle at Issus?
King Darius defeated Alexander in battle at Issus.
Correct answer: Alexander defeated King Darius in battle at Issus.
The battle of Issus was not the first time Alexander defeated Darius.
Q3.
Choose the correct word to complete the sentence. Egypt had been under control since 525 BCE when King Cambyses II had conquered it.
Egyptian
Correct answer: Persian
Greek
Q4.
What was the main reason that the Ancient Egyptians crowned Alexander as the new pharaoh in 332 BCE?
He wanted to invest lots of money into Egypt.
Correct answer: He drove the Persians out of Egypt.
He was very kind to the Egyptian people.
He promised to built lots of temples in Egypt.
Q5.
Which of these statements about Alexander's conquering of Persia are historically accurate?
Correct answer: Alexander used tactics at Gaugamela that helped him win.
Correct answer: Alexander died in Babylon before making it home to Macedon.
Alexander conquered Babylon before Gaugamela.
Correct answer: In the Indus Valley, Alexander successfully defeated the Persians.
Q6.
What did Alexander become known as?
Alexander the Strong
Correct answer: Alexander the Great
Alexander the Brave
Alexander the Wise

6 Questions

Q1.
Complete the sentence. To gain something, such as land, by force is to it.
Correct Answer: conquer, Conquer
Q2.
What nationality was Alexander?
Correct Answer: Greek, greek, Ancient Greek, Ancient greek
Q3.
What was the legend about that Alexander fulfilled in Phrygia?
He lifted a sword from a stone.
Correct answer: He untied a tricky knot.
He found an ancient artefact.
He discovered a valuable map.
Q4.
What was the city that Alexander ordered to be built in the north of Egypt called?
Alexander
Alexandra
Correct answer: Alexandria
Q5.
Which statements about Alexandria are correct?
Correct answer: Ptolemy oversaw construction in Alexandria.
Correct answer: To attract people to Alexandria, they decided to build a big library.
King Darius oversaw construction in Alexandria.
To attract people to Alexandria, they decided to build a big temple.
Q6.
Match the scholars who used the library in Alexandria to their descriptions.
Correct Answer:Euclid,a mathematician who studied geometry

a mathematician who studied geometry

Correct Answer:Galen,a scientist, a doctor and a surgeon

a scientist, a doctor and a surgeon

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