Why Alexander is called 'The Great'
I can explain why Alexander has been called 'The Great'.
Why Alexander is called 'The Great'
I can explain why Alexander has been called 'The Great'.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- 'The Great' is not a title that Alexander had during his lifetime; it is an epithet, given to him after his death.
- The Ancient Romans, who grew in power some time after Alexander, admired his achievements and used this epithet for him.
- Alexander is remembered as 'Great' due to his military prowess: never losing a battle and personally leading his men.
- He has also been named 'The Great' for managing to keep his vast empire united, although it fragmented after his death.
- In founding Alexandria, which went on to become a hugely important centre of learning, he has also been seen as 'Great'.
Keywords
Epithet - a word or phrase that is attached to someone's name is called an epithet
Ancient Romans - the Ancient Romans were a powerful ancient civilisation that began in Italy
Prowess - great skill, talent or ability is called prowess
Common misconception
Alexander 'The Great' was the title that Alexander had when he was a living ruler.
'The Great' is not a title. It is a type of nickname called an epithet. Epithets are only used to refer to people that have died and they tell us more about something significant the person did or what the person was like.
To help you plan your year 4 history lesson on: Why Alexander is called 'The Great', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 4 history lesson on: Why Alexander is called 'The Great', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
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Explore more key stage 2 history lessons from the Ancient Greek civilisation: why is Alexander called 'The Great'? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
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Adult supervision recommended
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