Hiya.

I'm Ms. Roberts.

Thanks for joining me today for another history lesson.

This lesson is from a unit of work that is all about Ancient Greece, and in particular, one of the most important Ancient Greek people.

That person was Alexander the Great.

Today's lesson is looking at all of the amazing things that Alexander achieved.

All of these things must have been so amazing because we know him now as Alexander the Great.

By the end of the lesson today, you will be able to describe some of Alexander's greatest achievements.

Let's begin by looking at some key words that we are going to use in the lesson today to talk about these achievements.

You may have heard of some of these before, or they might be new to you.

Listen closely and then repeat each of these words after me.

Our first keyword is a verb, and that is conquer.

Can you say conquer? Great.

Okay, our next word.

You probably know this one.

It's library.

Can you say library? Great.

Our next word is another verb, and this verb is to attract.

Can you say attract? Great job.

Now, I'm going to give you a quick definition of each of these words, and then you'll hear them in use during the lesson.

So, the first word was the verb to conquer, and to conquer is to gain something like land by force.

That is to conquer something.

Then we had a library.

A library is a place.

It's a building.

And inside that building, libraries that we are familiar with are full of books.

They have computers, access to the internet, and lots of other learning resources.

So a library is a place that has lots of resources for you to learn from.

The final word was that other verb, to attract.

To be appealing in some way is to attract people.

Today's lesson has got two parts in it.

First, I would like to talk about Alexander's achievements in Persia, and then we are going to talk about Alexander's achievements in Egypt because we can look at how significant his achievements were by splitting them into those two areas.

So let's begin in Persia and look at what Alexander achieved there.

At the peak of the Persian Empire, when it was at its biggest, the Persians controlled lands as far east as the Indus Valley, all across ancient Mesopotamia, into Egypt and the north of Africa, as well as a small part of the north of Ancient Greece called the Kingdom of Macedon.

The Persian Empire really was a very vast empire.

You can see the blue, the green, and the orange lands that are shaded on the map were all controlled by the Persian Empire.

Now, eventually in the year 359 BCE, the Greeks did regain control of the Kingdom of Macedon, but the Persian Empire was still very, very big.

When Alexander took control of Macedon and became King in 336 BCE, he wanted to conquer the entire Persian Empire.

He had a plan and he put this into action in the year 334 BCE.

So, at this point in time, the Persian Empire had control of Macedon.

Then the Greeks regained control of Macedon.

And now Alexander has become the king of Macedon and he wants to defeat the Persian Empire.

Let's pause here briefly for a quick check on our learning so far with a multiple choice question.

I'd like you to tell me what nationality was Alexander.

Was he, a, Egyptian, b, Persian, c, Greek, or d, Indian? Make your choice now.

Have you chosen? Okay, was he Egyptian? Nope.

Was he Persian? No.

He wanted to defeat the Persians.

Was he Greek? Yes, he was.

So that means option D is also incorrect.

So, let's move along now and see what happened next.

In a very short amount of time, by 326 BCE, Alexander had succeeded in conquering the entire Persian Empire.

He managed to bring lands as far east as India and as far south as Egypt under Greek control.

And in doing so, he created the largest empire to ever exist in the ancient world.

That really was an amazing achievement for Alexander.

The area that is shaded red on this map shows the huge expanse that was brought under Greek control during Alexander's conquests.

Let's stop here for a quick check on our learning.

Listen to this sentence and decide if it is true or false.

Alexander wanted to conquer the Ancient Egyptian Empire.

Is that true or is that false? Make your choice now.

Have you decided? Did you choose false? Great.

Okay.

So if he didn't want to conquer the Ancient Egyptian Empire, what can we say that would be right? Have a listen to these two sentences and decide which of these we should say instead.

A, Alexander went on a military campaign to defeat the Persian Empire and conquer their land.

Or b, Alexander went on a military campaign to show his bravery and to scare the Persians.

Which of those two sentences should we say instead? Have you picked? Did you pick a? Well done.

Alexander went on a military campaign to defeat the Persian Empire and conquer their land.

So although he did conquer Egypt, it was the Persians that he conquered when he did that.

The ancient Egyptian people were actually very grateful to Alexander for getting rid of the Persian rulers.

So let's see what else Alexander did when he was in Persia.

In the year 333 BCE, as part of his plan to conquer Persia, Alexander visited a place called Phrygia, which is found in modern day Turkey.

At that time, Phrygia was part of the Persian Empire.

There was a legend in Phrygia about a very complicated knot that no person had ever been able to undo.

This knot was called the Gordian Knot.

And the legend said that whoever did untie this knot was destined to become the king of all of Asia.

No one had ever managed to untie it before.

If you look at the picture, I have put a circle around the knot.

Naturally, Alexander wanted to have a go at untying the knot.

After studying the knot, looking at it very hard and very carefully, he suddenly had an idea.

Alexander pulled out his sword, raised it above his head, and swiftly sliced the knot in two.

Wow.

The people who believed the legend thought then at that moment that this meant Alexander was destined to be their ruler.

In reality, Asia was much, much bigger than the lands that Alexander conquered.

So he never was the king of all of Asia.

But this achievement in slicing the Gordian Knot in two still showed how clever he was by thinking outside the box to solve the problem.

Let's have a quick check again on our learning.

Look at these three pictures.

We have fingers, scissors, and a sword.

Which of these did Alexander use to undo the Gordian Knot? Make your choice now.

Have you picked? Did he untie it with his fingers? No, he did not.

Did he use scissors? No, he did not.

Scissors were not even invented then.

Did he use a sword? Yes, he did.

He raised his sword above his head, and with one fell swoop sliced the knot in two.

There is still more to know about Alexander's achievements in Persia.

So let's continue.

At that time, one of the most important cities in Persia was Babylon.

Babylon is circled on the map.

Following his successful slicing of the Gordian Knot, Alexander then went to Babylon.

Babylon was important because it was a key city for trade.

It was on the Euphrates River, and it was a large cultural and political hub that had a very central location within the Persian Empire.

The city of Babylon was also more advanced than other cities in Ancient Greece, and it is said at that time that Babylon was probably the largest and most beautiful city in the world.

At a place just north of Babylon called Gaugamela in 331 BCE, Alexander defeated the Persian king, Darius III.

After this battle, Alexander's victorious army rode their horses into Babylon, and they were overjoyed with their achievements at conquering such an impressive city.

He really did achieve a lot in Persia, didn't he? So let's review our learning so far with some activities.

First of all, I would like you to talk to a learning partner and answer this question.

Why was it important that Alexander conquered Babylon? Discuss your ideas with a learning partner now.

Pause the video while you do so.

Okay, finished chatting? Good stuff.

I think you've got some excellent ideas.

Well done.

Here's some ideas that I had to answer this question.

It was important that Alexander conquered Babylon because it was on the Euphrates River.

Lots of trade happened there.

It was a political and cultural hub, so it was very busy.

It was in the centre of the Persian Empire.

It was more advanced than other cities in Ancient Greece.

And it was known as the largest and most beautiful city in the world at the time.

So conquering Babylon really was a great achievement.

Let's try this activity now.

So, we've looked at two significant achievements.

We've looked at how Alexander conquered the city of Babylon, and earlier we looked at what happened when he went to Phrygia and sliced the Gordian Knot.

Why do you think that those two achievements were especially important or significant? I'd like you to make some notes about each of them in the table.

You can pause the video whilst you do this, and remember, you can work with a learning partner for extra support.

Ready? Have you made notes on both of those achievements? Great.

Let's look at some example notes that I have made together.

So, conquering Babylon.

I have said that it was important because Babylon was an important city.

Conquering Babylon and the Persian Empire showed Alexander's great power.

The Gordian Knot was a famous legend.

No one else had managed to untie the knot, and slicing the knot showed that Alexander was very clever.

Did you have ideas like these? Well done.

So, let's move now into the area of the Persian Empire that was Ancient Egypt.

We're going to look at what happened when Alexander was there and what he achieved.

The Persian Empire had been in control of Ancient Egypt for over 200 years when Alexander and his army arrived.

Alexander and his army conquered the Persians and drove them out of ancient Egypt.

The Ancient Egyptians were so grateful to Alexander for doing this, that they decided to crown him as the new pharaoh of Egypt.

This was the greatest honour they could give to him, and it was an incredible achievement for Alexander.

After he was made pharaoh, Alexander set to building a new city in the north of Ancient Egypt.

And this great city was to be called Alexandria in his honour.

Alexandria was built at the end of the River Nile, where it meets the Mediterranean Sea.

This was an excellent location for a new city because it made trade and transport very easy.

Building began on this new city in 332 BCE.

Alexander had unfinished business and he needed to leave Egypt with his army to continue his campaign to defeat the Persians.

So when he left Egypt, he left one of his most trusted generals, Ptolemy, in charge of the building of the city of Alexandria, Ptolemy also became the new pharaoh.

The picture here shows a marble bust of what Ptolemy may have looked like.

A bust is a statue of the head and shoulders of an important or historical person.

Here's another example of a marble bust, but this chap is actually Ptolemy's son, also called Ptolemy.

He was Ptolemy II.

Together, Ptolemy and his son oversaw the construction of the rest of the city of Alexandria, and together they decided that they would build a very impressive library.

They did this because they wanted to attract people to the city.

They wanted Alexandria to become the most important city of its day.

Let's just pause here before we find out what happens next, and have a quick check on the facts that we know so far.

Here are five sentences, but they are incomplete.

I would like you to choose the best word from the options provided to complete each sentence.

Listen carefully whilst I read the sentences aloud and then pause the video to make your choices.

One, Alexandria was located on the coast next to the Red Sea or the Mediterranean Sea.

Two, the Euphrates or the River Nile flowed through Alexandria.

Three, Ptolemy I or Ptolemy II was one of Alexander's trusted generals.

Four, Ptolemy and his nephew or his son oversaw the building of Alexandria.

And five, to attract people to Alexandria, they decided to build a big library or a big hospital.

Pause the video and make your choices.

Ready? Let's check the answers together.

Alexandria was located on the coast next to the Mediterranean Sea.

The River Nile flowed through Alexandria.

Ptolemy I was one of Alexander's trusted generals.

Ptolemy and his son oversaw the building of Alexandria.

And to attract people to Alexandria, they decided to build a big library.

Did you get all five? Correct.

You are making really good progress today.

Well done.

So now, let's move on and find out what happened next.

We are up to the point where Ptolemy and his son, Ptolemy II, have been building the city of Alexandria and they've decided to construct a big library.

Libraries in Ancient Greece were very important places because wisdom and learning were highly valued in Ancient Greek culture.

When it was completed, the Library of Alexandria was the biggest known library in the world.

The Library of Alexandria was full of scrolls made from papyrus, which was an early type of paper that had been invented there in Egypt.

The scrolls were very, very long, so they had to be rolled up to be stored and then unrolled again whenever anybody wanted to read them.

The scrolls would've contained an awful lot of historical information.

They would've had written accounts of historical and political events, for example.

They would also have included financial records or writings about mathematical and philosophical ideas that people had at the time.

There may also have been texts such as poetry and stories.

People that were interested in learning were attracted to Alexandria because of the contents of the library and because they could meet other learners there and then discover even more amazing things by working together.

As a result, many important historical teachers and students studied at the Library of Alexandria.

For example, these two important people, Euclid and Galen.

Euclid was a mathematician.

He studied geometry.

Geometry is the part of mathematics that deals with lines and shapes and angles and surfaces.

Most of what we know today about shapes and angles began with him in Alexandria.

Galen, on the other hand, was a scientist.

He studied medicine and he worked as a doctor and as a surgeon.

He was the first person to make suggestions about the biology of the human brain and the human heart.

And his ideas were followed for the next 1400 years.

How amazing to think that such great knowledge came to exist from learners in that place at Alexandria.

Let's move on to some activities about what we know about Alexander's achievements in Egypt.

I'd like you to listen carefully and decide if each of these statements is true or false.

I'm going to read the statements one by one while you make your choice.

Ptolemy I and Ptolemy II built the Library of Alexandria to attract people to the city.

In ancient times, libraries were full of scrolls.

Papyrus was invented in Ancient Greece.

The Library of Alexandria was the biggest known library in the world at the time.

And Euclid was a scientist and a doctor.

Decide if they are true or false and put a tick in the column in each case.

Ready to look at the answers? Okay.

So, yes, it is true that Ptolemy I and Ptolemy II built the Library of Alexandria, and they did this to attract people to the city.

It is also true that in ancient times, libraries were full of scrolls.

It is not true, however, that papyrus was invented in Ancient Greece.

Papyrus came from Ancient Egypt.

The Library of Alexandria was the biggest known library in the world at the time.

That is true.

And then Euclid was a scientist and doctor, that's actually false.

Euclid was the mathematician.

Galen was the doctor.

And now, to round off our learning today, I'd like you to try this activity.

We know that in the Library of Alexandria, there were many scrolls that were written about historical events and about important people, including about Alexander the Great.

There would've been a scroll with details of Alexander's achievements written on it.

What do you think that scroll would have said? I'd like you to write one paragraph about Alexander's achievements.

You can either choose achievements in Egypt or achievements in Persia, and try to include historical details like dates or places and names in your answer.

Pause the video now while you complete your paragraph for your scroll.

Have you finished? Great job.

We're going to look at some examples together now.

First of all, this is an example about the Gordian Knot.

And it says that in 333 BCE, Alexander untied the Gordian Knot in Phrygia, Persia by slicing it with his sword.

No one else had managed to untie the knot before, and there was even a legend written about it.

This showed how clever Alexander was.

The next example is about the building of Alexandria.

This scroll says, "In 332 BCE, Alexander founded the city of Alexandria in Egypt and put Ptolemy in charge.

To attract people to Alexandria, Ptolemy built a huge library.

People like Euclid and Galen are known to have studied at the great Library of Alexandria." Did your paragraph include ideas like those? Wonderful.

Let's conclude by having a review of all the amazing achievements we've heard about today.

We know that Alexander the Great had many achievements like conquering the Persian Empire and bringing land in Egypt and in India under Greek control.

We know that in Persia, his other achievements included untying the Gordian Knot, defeating King Darius III of Persia, and conquering the amazing city of Babylon.

In Egypt, Alexander's achievements included becoming pharaoh and building the city of Alexandria.

In Alexandria, a great library was built to attract people to the city, and it became a very important centre of learning.

It was so important that people like Euclid and Galen studied there.

I hope you enjoyed learning about Alexander's achievements today.

Join me next time for another lesson about Alexander the Great.

Bye for now.