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.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Defeating the Persian Empire and expanding Greek control into Egypt and India were not Alexander's only achievements.
- He sliced the famous Gordian knot in two and conquered Babylon, a city the Greeks could scarcely imagine.
- He founded the great city of Alexandria in Egypt, which came to be ruled by one of his generals, Ptolemy.
- Ptolemy and his son tried to turn Alexandria into the greatest of all Greek cities, building an incredible library.
- Alexandria became a centre of learning which attracted brilliant minds like Euclid and Galen.
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
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.
Euclid is called the father of geometry. This is a fantastic opportunity to link History and Maths by working on some geometry objectives, especially those about shapes and angles, remembering that it was Euclid in the great city of Alexandria that first figured out the relationships between them.
Teacher tip
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).Lesson video
Loading...
Starter quiz
Download starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.
True or false? Alexander became known for the cruelty he showed to the Persian people he conquered.
True
Q2.
Which of the below statements are historically accurate about the battle at Issus?
King Darius defeated Alexander 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
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.
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?
Alexander conquered Babylon before Gaugamela.
Q6.
What did Alexander become known as?
Alexander the Strong
Alexander the Brave
Alexander the Wise
Exit quiz
Download exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.
Complete the sentence. To gain something, such as land, by force is to it.
Q2.
What nationality was Alexander?
Q3.
What was the legend about that Alexander fulfilled in Phrygia?
He lifted a sword from a stone.
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
Q5.
Which statements about Alexandria are correct?
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.
a mathematician who studied geometry
a scientist, a doctor and a surgeon
Additional material
Download additional material