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Year 4 - History

Alexander's achievements

Ancient Greek civilisation: why is Alexander called 'The Great'?

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils learn about the historical conflict between the Greek city-states and Persia. They then broaden their knowledge of this rivalry by learning about Alexander the Great's life. They end the unit by considering the reasons why Alexander has been called 'The Great'.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to describe some of Alexander's greatest achievements.

Key Notes

  • 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.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • 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 Mistakes To Avoid

  • Alexandria is a city in Greece.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Summarise this historical learning in two key ideas.

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.

2. Define this history term and explain why it matters in this topic. 'conquer'

to gain something, such as land, by force is to conquer it.

3. Correct this common history misconception using evidence language.

Mistake: Alexandria is a city in Greece. Correction: 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.

More Lessons In This Unit

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