Olympias had Cleopatra Eurydice, and Europa, her daughter by Philip, burned alive. By contrast, the Persian infantry was stationed behind its cavalry. The elephant had gold rings around its tusks and an inscription was on them written in Greek: "Alexander the son of Zeus dedicates Ajax to the Helios" ( ). [223] Nevertheless, Plutarch described how Alexander was infatuated by Roxana while complimenting him on not forcing himself on her. (a symbol associated with Alexander), which is now in the . [275] Several Buddhist traditions may have been influenced by the ancient Greek religion: the concept of Boddhisatvas is reminiscent of Greek divine heroes,[278] and some Mahayana ceremonial practices (burning incense, gifts of flowers, and food placed on altars) are similar to those practised by the ancient Greeks; however, similar practices were also observed amongst the native Indic culture. Hephaestion makes his appearance in history at the point when Alexander reaches Troy. p. 75. [156][157][158] In a 2014 manuscript in the journal Clinical Toxicology, Schep suggested Alexander's wine was spiked with Veratrum album, and that this would produce poisoning symptoms that match the course of events described in the Alexander Romance. Suspicion has fallen upon Alexander, Olympias and even the newly crowned Persian Emperor, Darius III. [279][281][282] The Yavanajataka (lit. By the age of 30, he had created one of the largest empires in history, stretching from Greece to northwestern India. [42] He continued to Illyria,[42] where he sought refuge with one or more Illyrian kings, perhaps with Glaukias, and was treated as a guest, despite having defeated them in battle a few years before. He succeeded his father Philip II to the throne in 336 BC at the age of 20, and spent most of his ruling years conducting a lengthy military campaign throughout Western Asia . [303] One well-known fable among Greek seamen involves a solitary mermaid who would grasp a ship's prow during a storm and ask the captain "Is King Alexander alive?" [107], During the long rule of the Achaemenids, the elite positions in many segments of the empire including the central government, the army, and the many satrapies were specifically reserved for Iranians and to a major degree Persian noblemen. Persian coins continued to circulate in all the satrapies of the empire.[119]. This text underwent numerous expansions and revisions throughout Antiquity and the Middle Ages,[301] containing many dubious stories,[299] and was translated into numerous languages. [302], Alexander features prominently in modern Greek folklore, more so than any other ancient figure. [284] The emperor Trajan also admired Alexander, as did Nero and Caracalla. [91] Plutarch recounts an anecdote in which Alexander pauses and talks to a fallen statue of Xerxes as if it were a live person: Shall I pass by and leave you lying there because of the expeditions you led against Greece, or shall I set you up again because of your magnanimity and your virtues in other respects? It takes a visionary mindset to make the greatest army of the world to follow you for ten years to the end of the world. Greek-speaking communities in central Anatolia and in far-eastern Anatolia survived until the Greek genocide and GreekTurkish population exchanges of the early 20th century AD. The cosmopolitan art and mythology of Gandhara (a region spanning the upper confluence of the Indus, Swat and Kabul rivers in modern Pakistan) of the ~3rd century BC to the ~5th century AD are most evident of the direct contact between Hellenistic civilization and South Asia, as are the Edicts of Ashoka, which directly mention the Greeks within Ashoka's dominion as converting to Buddhism and the reception of Buddhist emissaries by Ashoka's contemporaries in the Hellenistic world. [19], When Alexander was 13, Philip began to search for a tutor, and considered such academics as Isocrates and Speusippus, the latter offering to resign from his stewardship of the Academy to take up the post. [125][126] Choosing a local helped him control these lands so distant from Greece. [77], Egypt was only one of a large number of territories taken by Alexander from the Persians. Osprey Publishing. [53], Alexander stopped at Thermopylae, where he was recognized as the leader of the Amphictyonic League before heading south to Corinth. Alexander was emboldened to divide his forces, and Ambhi assisted Hephaestion and Perdiccas in constructing a bridge over the Indus where it bends at Hund,[121] supplied their troops with provisions, and received Alexander himself, and his whole army, in his capital city of Taxila, with every demonstration of friendship and the most liberal hospitality. Alexander had a close emotional attachment to his companion, cavalry commander ( hipparchus) and childhood friend, Hephaestion. [116], Alexander did not attempt to impose uniform imperial coinage throughout his new conquests. [234], Alexander married three times: Roxana, daughter of the Sogdian nobleman Oxyartes of Bactria,[235][236][237] out of love;[238] and the Persian princesses Stateira and Parysatis, the former a daughter of Darius III and the latter a daughter of Artaxerxes III, for political reasons. The types of these coins remained constant in his empire. [149][152] The accounts were nevertheless fairly consistent in designating Antipater, recently removed as Macedonian viceroy, replaced by Craterus, and at odds with Olympias, as the head of the alleged plot. Though outmanoeuvered by Darius's significantly larger army, he marched back to Cilicia, where he defeated Darius at Issus. Why was Alexander the Great called "the Great"? [304] In Islamic Persia, under the influence of the Alexander Romance (in Persian: Iskandarnamah), a more positive portrayal of Alexander emerges. That is the stuff that emotional leaders are made of. 14K Gold Alexander The Great Greek Macedonian King Thin Pendant . However, the memorial was found to be dedicated to the dearest friend of Alexander the Great, Hephaestion. Curtius Rufus, a Roman historian from the first century AD, who wrote the Histories of Alexander the Great, gives this account of Alexander sitting on the throne of Darius III: Then Alexander seating himself on the royal throne, which was far too high for his bodily stature. [290], After Caracalla concluded his campaign against the Alamanni, it became evident that he was inordinately preoccupied with Alexander the Great. Alexander was proclaimed king on the spot by the nobles and army at the age of 20. 505.38 NOK (20% off) Silver Coin Pendant - Alexander the Great - 925 Sterling Silver 336-323 BC. When Alexander learned about this, he was furious. It included: The enormous scale of these plans has led many scholars to doubt their historicity. [32] Philip marched on Amphissa (ostensibly acting on the request of the Amphictyonic League), capturing the mercenaries sent there by Demosthenes and accepting the city's surrender. [23][24][25] Among them were Artabazos II and his daughter Barsine, possible future mistress of Alexander, who resided at the Macedonian court from 352 to 342 BC, as well as Amminapes, future satrap of Alexander, or a Persian nobleman named Sisines. [303], In pre-Islamic Middle Persian (Zoroastrian) literature, Alexander is referred to by the epithet gujastak, meaning "accursed", and is accused of destroying temples and burning the sacred texts of Zoroastrianism. He had a great desire for knowledge, a love for philosophy, and was an avid reader. [205][206][207], Many scholars and historians attribute heterochromia to him. Alexander was the first to break the Theban lines, followed by Philip's generals. [288][289], Pompey posed as the "new Alexander" since he was his boyhood hero. [47][49][52], News of Philip's death roused many states into revolt, including Thebes, Athens, Thessaly, and the Thracian tribes north of Macedon. He ascended the throne around age twenty. Department of Image Collections, National Gallery of Art Library, Washington, DC. [102] The latter were in many cases additionally connected through marriage alliances with the royal Achaemenid family. [302], Alexander the Great's accomplishments and legacy have been depicted in many cultures. In 333 BC Alexander was challenged to untie the knot. Geoff W. Adams, The Roman Emperor Gaius "Caligula" and His Hellenistic Aspirations, pp 46. Alexander the Great was an ancient king of Macedon (present-day Macedonia). The anguish that Alexander felt after Hephaestion's death may also have contributed to his declining health. [65][f] He showed his intent to conquer the entirety of the Persian Empire by throwing a spear into Asian soil and saying he accepted Asia as a gift from the gods. [181] However, the power vacuum he left in the northwest of the Indian subcontinent directly gave rise to one of the most powerful Indian dynasties in history, the Maurya Empire. [284] The Macriani, a Roman family that in the person of Macrinus briefly ascended to the imperial throne, kept images of Alexander on their persons, either on jewellery, or embroidered into their clothes. The Hellenistic period developed through the Roman Empire into modern Western culture; the Greek language became the lingua franca of the region and was the predominant language of the Byzantine Empire up until its collapse in the mid-15th century AD. [183] Diodorus, Curtius and Justin offered the more plausible story that Alexander passed his signet ring to Perdiccas, a bodyguard and leader of the companion cavalry, in front of witnesses, thereby nominating him. A history steeped in myth [116] The reverse design of Alexander's tetradrachms is closely modelled on the depiction of the god Baaltars (Baal of Tarsus), on the silver staters minted at Tarsus by the Persian satrap Mazaeus before Alexander's conquest. His father, King Philip II was assassinated, leaving the throne for his son Alexander to take. Alexander replied that since he was now king of Asia, it was he alone who decided territorial divisions. Details from the Alexander Sarcophagus show that he had a fair complexion with ruddy cheeks. Alexander the Great, also known as Alexander III or Alexander of Macedonia, (born 356 bce, Pella, Macedonia [northwest of Thessalonki, Greece]died June 13, 323 bce, Babylon [near Al-illah, Iraq]), king of Macedonia (336-323 bce ), who overthrew the Persian empire, carried Macedonian arms to India, and laid the foundations for the Hellenistic He then continued south towards the Peloponnese. The wine that was served could have had higher alcoholic content compared with vintages today. [149][181], Perdiccas initially did not claim power, instead suggesting that Roxane's baby would be king, if male; with himself, Craterus, Leonnatus, and Antipater as guardians. In addition to speech works, sculptures and paintings, in modern times Alexander is still the subject of musical and cinematic works. [216], Alexander's legacy extended beyond his military conquests, and his reign marked a turning point in European and Asian history. KINGS of MACEDON. For they were told that the kings of the Ganderites and Praesii were awaiting them with eighty thousand horsemen, two hundred thousand footmen, eight thousand chariots, and six thousand war elephants. On June 10, 323 BC, Alexander the Great died of fever in Babylon after battling illness for several days. The Smyrnaeans sent ambassadors to the oracle at Clarus to ask about this, and after the response from the oracle they decided to move to the "new" city. These only occasionally quote the letters and it is an open question how reliable such quotations are. His son and successor, Caracalla, a great admirer, visited the tomb during his own reign. During his brief months in Egypt, he reformed the taxation system on the Greek models and organized the military occupation of the country, but, early in 331 BC, he left for Asia in pursuit of the Persians. [251] Two of these pregnancies Stateira's and Barsine's are of dubious legitimacy. Alexander is a male given name.The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Aleksander and Aleksandr.Related names and diminutives include Iskandar, Alec, Alek, Alex, Alexandre, Aleks, Aleksa and Sander; feminine forms include . [107], The foundation of the "new" Smyrna was also associated with Alexander. [51], Attalus was at that time corresponding with Demosthenes, regarding the possibility of defecting to Athens. [306] In the Shahnameh, Alexander's first journey is to Mecca to pray at the Kaaba. Even as he watched the city burn, Alexander immediately began to regret his decision. According to Curtius, "Not only did Alexander slaughter the entire population of Massaga, but also did he reduce its buildings to rubble. [258], The eastern borders of Alexander's empire began to collapse even during his lifetime. [85] He sent the bulk of his army to the Persian ceremonial capital of Persepolis via the Persian Royal Road. [148] In the second account, Diodorus recounts that Alexander was struck with pain after downing a large bowl of unmixed wine in honour of Heracles followed by 11 days of weakness; he did not develop a fever, instead dying after some agony. Reputedly, whoever could untie it would be destined to rule all of Asia. Alexander then led the League of Corinth, and used his authority to launch the pan-Hellenic project envisaged by his father, assuming leadership over all Greeks in their conquest of Persia.[5][6]. [187] Furthermore, Perdiccas had read the notebooks containing Alexander's last plans to the Macedonian troops in Babylon, who voted not to carry them out.[62]. [198], The Alexander Mosaic and contemporary coins portray Alexander with "a straight nose, a slightly protruding jaw, full lips and eyes deep set beneath a strongly pronounced forehead". [17], Alexander's most immediate legacy was the introduction of Macedonian rule to huge new swathes of Asia. ", "Alexander the Great poisoned by the River Styx", "Alexander the Great and West Nile Virus Encephalitis", "Why Alexander the Great May Have Been Declared Dead Prematurely (It's Pretty Gruesome)", "The Location of the Tomb: Facts and Speculation", "The Aftermath: The Burial of Alexander the Great", "Greeks captivated by Alexander-era tomb at Amphipolis", "Archaeologist claims opulent grave in Greece honored Alexander the Great's best friend", "Hephaestion's Monogram Found at Amphipolis Tomb", "Plutarch, Regum et imperatorum apophthegmata, ", "Plutarch, De Alexandri magni fortuna aut virtute, chapter 2, section 4", "CNG: eAuction 430. [167][168] According to Aelian, a seer called Aristander foretold that the land where Alexander was laid to rest "would be happy and unvanquishable forever". These Greco-Buddhist kingdoms sent some of the first Buddhist missionaries to China, Sri Lanka and Hellenistic Asia and Europe (Greco-Buddhist monasticism). This ensured that Alexander would not be outflanked, while his phalanx, armed with long pikes, had a considerable advantage over the Persians' scimitars and javelins. In the spring of 335BC, he advanced to suppress several revolts. Therefore, since his feet did not reach its lowest step, one of the royal pages placed a table under his feet. The reason is that Alexander the Great wasand still isa powerful symbol of power, military genius, and conquest, whether or not this description of him is historically accurate. By N. G. L. Hammond, F. W. Walbank, G. LE RIDER, Alexandre le Grand: Monnaie, finances et politique, Chapitre V, "Histoire", PUF, 2003, p153-214, REBUFFAT Franoise, La monnaie dans l'Antiquit, Picard, 1996 .p204. [308] Later Persian writers associate him with philosophy, portraying him at a symposium with figures such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, in search of immortality. Crossing the river at night, he surprised them and forced their army to retreat after the first cavalry skirmish. Athens sued for peace and Alexander pardoned the rebels. Ancient Greek Macedonian Symbol. [102] This created a problem for Alexander as to whether he had to make use of the various segments and people that had given the empire its solidity and unity for a lengthy period of time. Demades likened the Macedonian army, after the death of Alexander, to the blinded Cyclops, due to the many random and disorderly movements that it made. "[300], In the first centuries after Alexander's death, probably in Alexandria, a quantity of the legendary material coalesced into a text known as the Alexander Romance, later falsely ascribed to Callisthenes and therefore known as Pseudo-Callisthenes. Macedon was an Ancient Greek polity. [9][10] He was the son of the erstwhile king of Macedon, Philip II, and his fourth wife, Olympias (daughter of Neoptolemus I, king of Epirus). [195], When faced with opponents who used unfamiliar fighting techniques, such as in Central Asia and India, Alexander adapted his forces to his opponents' style. This so irritated Alexander, that throwing one of the cups at his head, "You villain," said he, "what, am I then a bastard?" Due to the demand of his homesick troops, he eventually turned back at the Beas River and later died in 323 BC in Babylon, the city of Mesopotamia that he had planned to establish as his empire's capital. [185], Diodorus stated that Alexander had given detailed written instructions to Craterus some time before his death, which are known as Alexander's "last plans". The Athenians, led by Demosthenes, voted to seek alliance with Thebes against Macedonia. [14] Plutarch offered a variety of interpretations for these dreams: that Olympias was pregnant before her marriage, indicated by the sealing of her womb; or that Alexander's father was Zeus. When Alexander died at the age of 32, he ruled a territory that spanned three continents and covered nearly 2 million square miles. Alexander, however, detecting the horse's fear of its own shadow, asked to tame the horse, which he eventually managed. Alexander then marched for three days to the Danube, encountering the Getae tribe on the opposite shore. [62] Antipater referred the Spartans' punishment to the League of Corinth, which then deferred to Alexander, who chose to pardon them. [102] However, Alexander's eventual decision to burn the Achaemenid palace at Persepolis in conjunction with the major rejection and opposition of the "entire Persian people" made it impracticable for him to pose himself as Darius' legitimate successor. [40] During the wedding banquet, a drunken Attalus publicly prayed to the gods that the union would produce a legitimate heir. [138][139] As a gesture of thanks, he paid off the debts of his soldiers, and announced that he would send over-aged and disabled veterans back to Macedon, led by Craterus. On the subsequent advance of the Macedonian king, Taxiles accompanied him with a force of 5,000 men and took part in the Battle of the Hydaspes. [170], While Alexander's funeral cortege was on its way to Macedon, Ptolemy seized it and took it temporarily to Memphis. Some films that have been shot with the theme of Alexander are: There are also many references to other movies and TV series. The head priest of the cult was the chief priest in the Ptolemaic . Plutarch's account is that roughly 14 days before his death, Alexander entertained admiral Nearchus and spent the night and next day drinking with Medius of Larissa. [141] In an attempt to craft a lasting harmony between his Macedonian and Persian subjects, Alexander held a mass marriage of his senior officers to Persian and other noblewomen at Susa, but few of those marriages seem to have lasted much beyond a year. [220] He had great self-restraint in "pleasures of the body", in contrast with his lack of self-control with alcohol. The satrapies handed out by Perdiccas at the Partition of Babylon became power bases each general used to bid for power. [62] Alexander's sacking of Thebes ensured that Greece remained quiet during his absence. [166] Natural-cause theories also tend to emphasize that Alexander's health may have been in general decline after years of heavy drinking and severe wounds. [13], In his early years, Alexander was raised by a nurse, Lanike, sister of Alexander's future general Cleitus the Black. [104] However, when, at some point later, Alexander was on the Jaxartes dealing with an incursion by a horse nomad army, Spitamenes raised Sogdiana in revolt. [3][4], Until the age of 16, Alexander was tutored by Aristotle. Alexander himself took selected troops on the direct route to the city. [309] The majority of modern researchers of the Quran as well as Islamic commentators identify Dhu al-Qarnayn as Alexander the Great. [268], Hellenization was coined by the German historian Johann Gustav Droysen to denote the spread of Greek language, culture, and population into the former Persian empire after Alexander's conquest. Omphis (Indian name Ambhi), the ruler of Taxila, whose kingdom extended from the Indus to the Hydaspes (Jhelum), complied, but the chieftains of some hill clans, including the Aspasioi and Assakenoi sections of the Kambojas (known in Indian texts also as Ashvayanas and Ashvakayanas), refused to submit. Philip deliberately commanded his troops to retreat, counting on the untested Athenian hoplites to follow, thus breaking their line. [75], When Alexander destroyed Tyre, most of the towns on the route to Egypt quickly capitulated. He developed a life-long love of reading and music. [259], Over the course of his conquests, Alexander founded some twenty cities that bore his name, most of them east of the Tigris. [50] He also had two Macedonian princes from the region of Lyncestis killed for having been involved in his father's assassination, but spared a third, Alexander Lyncestes. Alexander the Great, only twenty years old when he became king of Macedonia in 336 B.C., was perhaps the greatest general of all time. [71] He offered a peace treaty that included the lands he had already lost, and a ransom of 10,000 talents for his family. [67], From Halicarnassus, Alexander proceeded into mountainous Lycia and the Pamphylian plain, asserting control over all coastal cities to deny the Persians naval bases. [23][26][27][28] This gave the Macedonian court a good knowledge of Persian issues, and may even have influenced some of the innovations in the management of the Macedonian state. [284] Julius Caesar dedicated a Lysippean equestrian bronze statue but replaced Alexander's head with his own, while Octavian visited Alexander's tomb in Alexandria and temporarily changed his seal from a sphinx to Alexander's profile. Among Alexander's family, "the king or ruler who ended up dying in his bed was rare," says Philip Freeman, a biographer of Alexander the Great and a classical historian at Luther College in . New Haven: Yale University Press. [citation needed], On either 10 or 11 June 323BC, Alexander died in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II, in Babylon, at age 32. Alexander the Great, also known as Alexander III or Alexander of Macedonia is known as one of the greatest generals in all history. [72] Alexander proceeded to take possession of Syria, and most of the coast of the Levant. . [231] Alexander adopted elements of Persian dress and customs at court, notably proskynesis, which was one aspect of Alexander's broad strategy aimed at securing the aid and support of the Iranian upper classes;[102] however the practise of proskynesis was disapproved by the Macedonians, and they were unwilling to perform it. [140], After three days, unable to persuade his men to back down, Alexander gave Persians command posts in the army and conferred Macedonian military titles upon Persian units. They went on to occupy the city of Elatea, only a few days' march from both Athens and Thebes. [102] As early as 334 BC he demonstrated awareness of this, when he challenged incumbent King Darius III "by appropriating the main elements of the Achaemenid monarchy's ideology, particularly the theme of the king who protects the lands and the peasants". [82] Control of Egypt passed to Ptolemy I (son of Lagos), the founder of the Ptolemaic Dynasty (305-30 BC) after the death of Alexander. Macedon was an ancient Greek kingdom. (107) $379.44 FREE shipping. [103], In 329 BC, Spitamenes, who held an undefined position in the satrapy of Sogdiana, betrayed Bessus to Ptolemy, one of Alexander's trusted companions, and Bessus was executed. [2] He was undefeated in battle and is widely considered to be one of history's greatest and most successful military commanders. Earlier portraits of Alexander, in heroic style, look more mature than the portraits made after his death, such as this example.

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