In little more than a decade, Alexander the Great led his armies from Greece to the edges of the known world, creating one of history's most remarkable empires. Yet his death gave rise to a series of powerful Hellenistic kingdoms whose rulers became famous for their ambition, wealth, intrigue and rivalry. This course traces Alexander's campaigns and explores the fascinating world that followed, drawing not only on historical sources but also on the rich archaeological and artistic legacy of the Hellenistic age. Discover how this extraordinary period transformed the ancient world and left a cultural inheritance that continues to shape our understanding of history. Suitable for anyone interested in ancient history, archaeology and the classical world.

DELIVERY MODE

Face to face

COURSE RESOURCES

• David Adams, Alexander’s Lost World, 2013 (DVD)
• A. Brian Bosworth, Conquest and Empire. The Reign of Alexander the Great, Cambridge University Press, 1989
• Pierre Briant, Alexander the Great and his Empire. A Short Introduction, Princeton University Press, 2010 [English translation from the French]
• Glenn Bush (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to the Hellenistic World, Cambridge University Press, 2006
• Waldemar Heckel, The Conquests of Alexander the Great, Cambridge University Press, 2008
• Edmund Richardson, Alexander. God, King, Man. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2026
• Andrew Stewart, Art in the Hellenistic World, Cambridge University Press, 2014
• Toby Wilkinson, The Last Dynasty. Ancient Egypt from Alexander the Great to Cleopatra, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2024
• Michael Wood, In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great, BBC Books or DVD

COURSE OUTLINE

SHOCK AND AWE: HERO OR VILLAIN? 

• We follow Alexander's violent conquests from his home city of Pella in Macedon through the Persian empire as far as India before returning to die at Babylon.

MACEDONIA: WHERE IT ALL BEGAN 

• After Alexander, Macedonia grew to become the leading power in Greece as shown by its palaces, luxurious dwellings, monumental tombs and astonishing wealth.

THE VAST KINGDOM OF THE SELEUKIDS 

• The Seleucid kingdom was the largest of all the Hellenistic kingdoms set up by Alexander’s successors with its great cities, small towns and villages home to numerous peoples of varying ethnicity.

PERGAMON: SPECTACULAR CAPITAL OF THE ATTALIDS

• The rise of the great Hellenistic kingdoms following Alexander’s death ushered in a remarkable (but short-lived) era of opulence and artistic brilliance nowhere more clearly demonstrated than at Pergamon.

UNTOLD WEALTH: CLEOPATRA’S KINGDOM  

• Home to a remarkable line of rulers including the famed Cleopatra VII, Egypt was the most opulent and cosmopolitan of all Hellenistic kingdoms with its remarkable influence on the ancient world persisting long after the coming of Rome.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

• With their knowledge of Alexander's conquests, form their own opinion as to his strengths and weaknesses.
• Understand that although Alexander's conquests led to the introduction of Greek culture to many parts of the east, this was by no means uniform and often led to a fascinating fusion of Greek and non-Greek customs.
• Understand how the Roman Empire may not have become so extensive and powerful in the East  if it had not been for the preceding Hellenistic kingdoms.