Alexander's empire and the spread of Greek culture

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   The Hellenistic world after Alexander (323 to 30 BCE)

   Place	Ruled by	What it shows
   Egypt	the Ptolemies, a Macedonian Greek family; Ptolemy I took control in 323 BCE	Greek rulers made Alexandria their capital in 305 BCE
   Syria, Mesopotamia and Persia	the Seleucids, another family of Alexander's generals	many top posts stayed in Greek hands
   Alexandria	the Ptolemies	a great library; the Pharos lighthouse (about 283 BCE); Eratosthenes measured Earth's size
   Across the kingdoms	several kingdoms, not one empire	people spoke Koine, a common form of Greek

   Below the chart: after Alexander's death, his generals split his empire into kingdoms. The Hellenistic period is dated from 323 BCE to 30 BCE, when Cleopatra VII, the last Ptolemy, lost Egypt to Rome; sources date its end differently.

2. 1.

   Who ruled Egypt after Alexander, Jun asks?

   • The Seleucids
   • The Ptolemies
   • The Romans, from 323 BCE
   • Darius III
3. 2.

   What did Eratosthenes measure, Luz asks?

   • Earth's size
   • The Nile's length
   • The library's age
   • The lighthouse's height
4. 3.

   Why did people across the kingdoms share Koine Greek, Milo asks?

   • Greek rulers spread it in the conquered lands
   • The library sent teachers far and wide
   • Persian kings invented Greek and taught it to their lands
   • Koine came before Greece
5. 4.

   What happened to Alexander's empire after his death, Noah asks?

   • His generals split it into kingdoms
   • Persia took the lands back again
   • It stayed one single empire for 300 years
   • Thebes ruled the whole empire
6. 5.

   Ships and scholars came to Alexandria from many lands. What was one effect, Pia asks?

   • Learning ended there
   • Ships stopped sailing
   • The city closed its harbor to ships
   • A center of learning grew there
7. 6.

   Which claim about the Hellenistic world is the most careful, Ren asks?

   • Alexander built the library with his own hands
   • One king ruled it for 300 years
   • Greek culture spread across several kingdoms
   • Greek replaced the local languages
8. 7.

   Many books praise Alexander as great. How should Tala read that praise?

   • As a fact that ends the question
   • As a view of the people of Thebes
   • As a measurement, like the size of Earth
   • As one view; the conquered paid a cost
9. 8.

   Why does the note say sources date the end of the period differently, Zee asks?

   • It ended in 323 CE
   • It ended when Alexander was born
   • The period is still going on
   • Historians mark the end with different events
10. 9.

    Ari's note says, "After Alexander, one emperor ruled all his lands." Which fix is right?

    • Change it: generals split it into kingdoms
    • Change Alexander to Aristotle
    • Change lands to cities
    • Leave it: it stayed one empire
11. 10.

    Esme's note says, "Ptolemaic Egypt fell to Rome in 30 CE." Which fix is right?

    • Change Rome to Persia
    • Change 30 CE to 30 BCE
    • Change Egypt to India
    • Leave it: 30 is in the note