3. Macedonian Empire 336 – 323 B.C.
Quite possibly the shortest empire in ancient history, for a period the Macedonian empire was the largest in the entire world. During his reign, Phillip II (359-336 B.C.) consolidated Macedonia into a great European power. He was able to get all of Macedonia’s neighbors under his control, including the Greeks. Phillip II paved the way for his son Alexander III the Great to carve himself the largest empire in the world.
Alexander III the Great earned his name through building the most powerful army in the world and conquering armies on three continents. His armies were able to conquer Egypt and the Persian empire. At its largest, the Macedonian empire included parts of Europe, Asia and North Africa. He used his armies and his influence to spread Greek culture and language throughout his empire.
The empire of Alexander may have been brief but it had a lasting effect on the areas that were conquered because of the spread of Greek influence. The Hellenistic period occurred because of the newly founded Greek-speaking western cities of Persia. Thanks to Alexander the Greeks discovered the world was far bigger than they ever imagined. Alexander was viewed by many as a God because of his ability to conquer armies that far outnumbered his own and commandeered empires that were far larger than any the Greeks had commanded before him.
Alexander III died at the age of 32 and upon his death, his generals divided up the massive empire into provinces for each of them to rule. The division was tenuous and warfare was nearly constant, even Macedonia experienced a civil war. But at its height, the empire spanned over 2 million square miles and ruled over a very diverse populace. Alexander was able to bring his empire together by not destroying the people and the culture he conquered but by simply adding his own.